In Cardiff, the Welsh capital, a book hunt starts with three addresses a few minutes' walk apart: Troutmark Books in Castle Arcade, the Bear Island stall inside Cardiff Market and the Oxfam Bookshop a little further down St Mary Street. The rest are suburban. Cant a mil sells Welsh-language books new and used on Whitchurch Road in Heath, volunteers run Butler's Books inside Insole Court in Llandaff, City Hospice has a shop given over to books in Rhiwbina and a general one in Penylan, Sue Ryder trades from a big branch in Rumney and the Llanishen rugby club hosts a weekend car boot. Every figure below is in sterling.
Selling takes a little planning. Troutmark alone, among the stops here, explains how it buys, and asks for a call before any boxes arrive. The charity shops work the other way round, taking donations rather than paying for them, whether the money goes to the hospice, to Sue Ryder or to the trust that looks after Insole Court.
Two details trip up older guides. Cant a mil has moved along the same road, from number 100 down to number 11 Whitchurch Road, and some directories give Bear Island's pitch in the market as 178 to 180, while the council's own list of traders places it at 176 to 180. Several shops that appear in Cardiff bookshop round-ups, among them Book Space in Cathays and Wellfield Bookshop in Roath, have websites that describe new stock and say nothing of secondhand shelves.
Second-hand bookshopsTroutmark Books
39-43 Castle Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1BW
A secondhand bookshop in Castle Arcade, one of the covered shopping passages near the castle, with first editions, rare and unusual titles, comics, annuals and magazines among its fiction and non-fiction. It buys too, and its website lays out how: ring before turning up with books, unload in the bay directly in front of the arcade, or ask the shop to come and look at a collection too large to bring in. That page was live when the Internet Archive captured troutmarkbooks.com in December 2025, and the shop will also send a book out by mail order if you spot one you want.
Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5:15pm, Sun 11:15am–4pmWebsite Oxfam BookshopOxfam Bookshop Cardiff
36 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AD
Oxfam's specialist books branch in the city centre, a short walk down St Mary Street from the market entrance. The charity's page for it describes pre-owned books in great condition sold alongside DVDs, music CDs, collectible stamps and Fairtrade food and gifts, and an Internet Archive capture from April 2026 shows identical text. Rather than listing hours, Oxfam suggests getting in touch with the branch on 029 2022 2275, and the branch also has its own listing in Oxfam's online shop if you want to look for a title before walking over.
Volunteer-run secondhand bookshopButler's Books
Insole Court, Fairwater Road, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2LN
Over in Llandaff, some two miles out to the west, the Insole Court Trust sells donated secondhand books from the old butler's pantry of its mansion. Volunteers began with weekend sales outside the house during the pandemic and, as the trust tells it, the takings justified a permanent room, with prices starting at 50p. Its page has the room open daily from ten until four, give or take a few exceptions, and Insole Court's Instagram post of Friday 9 May 2025 invited readers in on those hours for that weekend. Book donations are welcome, though the trust asks you not to bring academic or educational titles, magazines or bulk house clearances.
Hours: Mon–Sun 10am–4pmWebsite Charity bookshop (City Hospice)City Hospice Rhiwbina
23 Heol-y-Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6YF
On Heol-y-Deri in Rhiwbina, some 3.2 miles north-west of town, City Hospice has handed one of its charity shops over to books, vinyl, games, puzzles and media for all ages. City Hospice's description of the shop mentions a Welsh-language section, a record player for trying vinyl before you buy and a seating area for children's story-time sessions, wording already on the page in an archived copy from August 2025. There is parking on the street, and the hospice points drivers to a car park next to the Co-op across the road.
Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–4:30pmWebsite Where can I find cheap used books in Cardiff?
Look at the charity end first. Butler's Books at Insole Court prices its donated stock from pocket change upwards, and the Internet Archive's July 2026 copy of Cant a mil's ail-law pages showed used Welsh-language titles for a few pounds, some lines for less. The Llanishen car boot is the gamble, cheap to browse but with no promise of books from its organisers.
Where do I sell used books in Cardiff?
Troutmark Books in Castle Arcade is the counter on this page with published buying terms, so call 029 2038 2814 and describe what you have before loading the car. The hospice branches, Sue Ryder and Butler's Books will take what Troutmark passes over, as gifts rather than sales. Photograph the shelf before you pick up the phone: from that single picture BiblioScan recognises each spine and attaches a resale figure to it, sorting the pile into copies to put up yourself through Vinted or eBay.co.uk, with whatever is left going to Troutmark.
Which day is best for book hunting in Cardiff?
Saturday. Each stop with posted hours is open then: the market, Cant a mil and the Rhiwbina hospice shop all keep Monday-to-Saturday weeks, and the Llanishen car boot runs on Saturday mornings too. Sunday leaves five options: Troutmark from late morning, Butler's Books, the Sue Ryder in Rumney, the Penylan hospice branch and the rugby club car boot, which its organisers also bill for Sundays. On a weekday, Butler's Books shuts at four and the Rhiwbina shop half an hour later, while Troutmark, Sue Ryder, Cant a mil and the Colchester Avenue branch keep going until five or beyond.
Which charity shops have books in Cardiff?
Three stand out for books specifically. Oxfam's St Mary Street branch is one of the charity's dedicated book shops, City Hospice runs its Rhiwbina branch as a book shop, and the Insole Court Trust raises money through Butler's Books in Llandaff. Two general charity shops on this page, Sue Ryder's large one on Newport Road and City Hospice's Design Quarter unit, name books among mixed stock in text specific to each branch.