Where to buy used books in Clarkston

Updated 10/15/2026

Clarkston, Michigan, the small village wrapped inside Independence Township in north Oakland County (not the Clarkston in Washington or the one in Georgia), is a library town for a used-book hunter. In Independence Township itself, secondhand stock comes through the Friends of the Clarkston Independence District Library, who fill lobby shelves on Clarkston Road between their big sales, while Inscribe Books on Sashabaw Road sells new titles. Everything else sits a drive away along Dixie Highway, Highland Road and Lapeer Road: a Waterford shop that trades rather than buys, a 2nd & Charles buyback counter in Auburn Hills, a new-and-used room in downtown Oxford, a fantasy shop in Canterbury Village, a rare-book dealer in Keego Harbor, a church book room in Pontiac and a used store across the Genesee County line in Goodrich.

Nine more township and city libraries within about fourteen miles carry the rest of the trade. Orion, Brandon, West Bloomfield and Commerce keep permanent Friends shops that sell most days of the week or on weekdays, Bloomfield Township pairs its Library Shop with a monthly Second Saturday Sale, Highland adds a lobby cart and a monthly used book room to its two big sales, Waterford and White Lake pair a standing shelf or room with seasonal sales, and Auburn Hills runs a fall sale. Late fall brings the Auburn Hills sale in November and the White Lake and Waterford rounds in the first week of December, and the Clarkston Friends have already dated their winter sale for late January.

Two donation warnings before you load the trunk with books to give away. The Clarkston Friends said they would accept nothing through October 2026 while the library rebuilds its storage room, and the Highland Friends page shows both a notice saying they are inundated and taking no donations and a Tuesday and Wednesday collection schedule, so call ahead.

Spot map

The best spots

Friends lobby shelves and seasonal sales

Friends of the Clarkston Independence District Library

6495 Clarkston Rd, Clarkston, MI 48346

On Clarkston Road, half a mile from the village center, the volunteer group founded in 2008 keeps lobby shelves of donated books stocked between sales, and its Fall 2026 newsletter announces that those shelves take Venmo. The same issue dates the fall sale from a Wednesday members' preview on September 23 to a closing $5-a-bag Saturday, September 26, and gives Wednesday, January 20 through Saturday, January 23 for the winter round, with members ($15 a year, $7.50 for students and seniors) shopping first. Donations are normally welcome whenever the library is open, but the newsletter warns that none will be taken in October 2026 while the storage room is rebuilt around a 15-foot sorting station for the Friends.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 10am–9pm, Fri–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 1–6pm (closed Sundays in summer)Website

Used bookstore, trade credit

RJ's Books & Paperbacks

5947 Highland Rd, Waterford Township, MI 48327

About five miles south in Waterford Township, on the Highland Road stretch of M-59, this shop sells gently used books for all ages, from bestsellers and classics to children's titles, along with five-book genre grab bags at $25 and Blind Date With a Book picks wrapped so you see only a few hints on the front. Its trade-in page is blunt that it trades and does not buy: bring any quantity with no appointment, and what it accepts earns a discount on books in the store rather than cash. The shop was posting its Highland Road address on Instagram on December 15, 2025, and its Monday Dungeons & Dragons table, $10 a session from 6pm, lines up with the 9pm close that night.

Hours: Mon 10am–9pm, Tue 10am–6pm, Wed 10am–8pm, Thu–Sat 10am–4pm; closed SunWebsite

Chain store with a buyback counter

2nd & Charles Auburn Hills

3924 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326

Six miles east in the city of Auburn Hills, this branch of the 2nd & Charles chain buys and sells used books next to vinyl, games, comics and collectibles, and its store page says the buyback counter closes an hour before the doors do. The chain's selling page sets the routine: up to three signature totes at a time, one total offer rather than an itemized list, and an in-store credit option that tops the cash offer by up to 150%, with textbooks and advance reading copies among what it turns away. The Auburn Hills team keeps its own Facebook page busy with in-store events, including a manga reveal on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun 11am–7pmWebsite

Friends used book room and big sales

FRIENDS of the Highland Township Library

444 Beach Farm Cir, Highland, MI 48356

Twelve miles west-southwest in Highland charter township, the FRIENDS sell from a daily cart in the library lobby, open their used book room on the third Saturday of each month and hold two major sales a year, where vintage books, comics, puzzles and sheet music turn up. Highland's event calendar shows the fall Big Book Sale running in the lower meeting rooms from Thursday, October 15 to Saturday, October 17, 2026, after a members-only Wednesday evening preview. Membership is $5 for students and seniors and $10 for individuals and families.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 10am–8pm, Fri–Sat 10am–5pm; closed SunWebsite

Used bookstore, trade credit only

Cottage Used Books

8331 S State Rd, Goodrich, MI 48438

Thirteen miles north-northwest, over the Genesee County line in the village of Goodrich, Cottage Used Books has filled 1,800 square feet with paperbacks, hardcovers and a kids' section since it opened in 2016. Its trade-credit policy, marked updated March 2026, pays no cash: each accepted book earns one credit, worth half off a regular book, and premium credits for in-demand titles take 25% off a premium one. It passes on encyclopedias, dictionaries, ex-library copies, cookbooks, craft books and much nonfiction, and credits stay alive as long as you buy at least one book a year.

Hours: Mon 10am–4pm, Tue–Sat 10am–6pmWebsite

All spots by type

Used bookstores

New and used bookstore

Page 18 New & Used Books

1 S Washington St, Oxford, MI 48371

In downtown Oxford, a village ten miles to the northeast, Page 18 sits on the southwest corner of Burdick and Washington in the former Hometown Pharmacy, and the Oxford Leader reported on October 29, 2025 that the downtown development board had approved a sign grant for the new and used bookstore. Owner Lori Miller opened that October and told the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, in a member spotlight on the chamber's site dated August 12, 2026, that she carries so many used books because not everybody can afford a new one. Anyone who donates books gets 20% off store-owned items each time, and the shop pours coffee and fruit refreshers in its event room. There is no website: the store hours sit in its Instagram profile, and the Oxford DDA directory lists the phone as 248-800-6722.

Hours: Tue–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–4pm

Fantasy bookshop, new and used

An Inkwell Spent

2357 Joslyn Ct, Suite B, Lake Orion, MI 48306

Seven miles east, in Canterbury Village in Orion charter township, An Inkwell Spent sells new and used books that lean toward fantasy, alongside curios and gifts. Its two official channels disagree on opening times: the website says Friday to Sunday, 11am until 5pm, while the Facebook intro gives Thursday from 1pm to 8pm and Friday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm, so check before a weekday visit. A September 13, 2026 post on the shop's Facebook page introduced one of the vendors coming to its Cackles & Cauldrons evening in Canterbury Village on Friday, September 25.

Website

Rare book dealer in a vintage market

Codex & Curio

Le Shoppe Modern Vintage Market, 3180 Summers Rd, Keego Harbor, MI 48320

Ten miles south-southeast in the city of Keego Harbor, Codex & Curio deals in rare books, fine art and jewelry from a space inside Le Shoppe Modern Vintage Market, and its own site credits the dealer with more than 20 years of experience. Its Facebook page added a first edition to stock on September 1, 2026, and in mid-July it promoted the market's grand opening for Saturday, July 18. Its site posts a Tuesday-to-Saturday schedule, 11am until 5pm, and routes questions through its Etsy shop, where it also sells online, while the host market advertises Sunday hours of its own.

Hours: Tue–Sat 11am–5pmWebsite

Thrift stores & charity shops

Church book room

The Book Nook, All Saints' Episcopal Church

171 W Pike St, Pontiac, MI 48341

Nine miles southeast in the city of Pontiac, All Saints' Episcopal Church on West Pike Street runs the Book Nook, which the parish's own home page says opens every Saturday from 10am to 2pm. The church puts the collection at nearly 6,000 books, with hardcovers at a dollar, paperbacks for less, and CDs and DVDs on the shelves too. An Internet Archive snapshot of that home page taken April 30, 2026 carries the identical Saturday line, and the church's Resale Shop in the Old Rectory next door keeps the same Saturday hours.

Hours: Sat 10am–2pmWebsite

Library book sales

Friends bookstore

Twice Told Tales, Orion Township Public Library

825 Joslyn Rd, Lake Orion, MI 48362

Just over seven miles east-northeast in Orion charter township, the Friends of the Orion Township Library, a group started in 1985, run Twice Told Tales, a gently used bookstore in the library lobby. The posted price list is short: hardcovers $3, softcovers $2, pocket paperbacks and children's books $1, and DVDs, CDs, games and audiobooks two for $1, with LPs and puzzles priced individually. The Friends site, which shows bylaws amended on August 11, 2026, thanks shoppers for the September sale and points to April 2027 for the following sale; textbooks, reference books, magazines and VHS tapes are refused.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 9:30am–9pm, Fri–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm (Labor Day to Memorial Day)Website

Friends sale room and seasonal sales

Friends of the Waterford Township Public Library

5168 Civic Center Dr, Waterford, MI 48329

Five miles south-southeast in Waterford charter township, the Friends keep an ongoing used book sale in the library's Magazine Room for shopping all year and move the bigger sales into the Community Room. The township's library page sets the next one for Friday, December 4 (10am until 4:30pm) and Saturday, December 5 (10am until 2pm), with the Saturday run as a bag sale. Activity is steady on the group's side too: its Facebook page asked for donated books at a drop-off on Saturday, October 10, in a post of October 7, 2026, and it has already scheduled a Book It 5K for May 1, 2027.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Wed 10am–9pm, Thu–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm (closed Sundays Memorial Day–Labor Day)Website

Friends Corner shelf and quarterly sales

Friends of White Lake Township Library

11005 Elizabeth Lake Rd, White Lake, MI 48386

Eight miles southwest in White Lake charter township, the Friends stock a standing sale shelf named the Friends Corner and, by their own account, hold quarterly used book sales in the library's Gathering Place. The next round is listed for December 2 to 5: Friends members on the Wednesday evening, then Thursday from 10am until 7pm, then Friday and Saturday from 10am until 4pm. Proceeds return to the library itself: the Friends page itemizes what it paid for in 2025, from podiums bearing the library logo to restroom changing tables.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 10am–8pm, Fri–Sat 10am–5pm; closed SunWebsite

Friends bookstore

Friends Bookstore, Brandon Township Public Library

304 South St, Ortonville, MI 48462

Eight miles north in Ortonville, the village inside Brandon charter township, the Brandon Township Library's Friends run a bookstore within the library on South Street and, according to their page, add new items weekly. Their bag deal is the number to remember: $10 to fill a Friends bag, then $5 to refill it on a later visit. The Citizen reported on January 31, 2026 that the group had handed the library $6,500 on January 12, raised through that bookstore plus online sales and fundraisers.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 9am–8pm, Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–2pm; closed SunWebsite

Friends fall book sale

Friends of the Auburn Hills Public Library Fall Book Sale

3400 E Seyburn Dr, Auburn Hills, MI 48326

Eleven miles east-southeast, also inside Auburn Hills city limits, the volunteer Friends of the library on East Seyburn Drive list their Fall 2026 Book Sale on the library's Friends page. Members get a preview on Wednesday, November 11 from 5pm to 7pm, and the public sale follows from 10am on Thursday, November 12 until 7:30pm, on Friday, November 13 until 4:30pm and on Saturday, November 14 until 4pm.

Hours: Next sale: Thu Nov 12 – Sat Nov 14, 2026: Thu 10am–7:30pm, Fri 10am–4:30pm, Sat 10am–4pmWebsite

Friends book and gift shop

The Friendshop, West Bloomfield Township Public Library

4600 Walnut Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48323

Due south of Clarkston by twelve and a half miles, in West Bloomfield charter township, the Friends group established in 1956 staffs the Friendshop at the Main Library, a volunteer-run room of used books, most of them in mint condition by the Friends' description, plus discs, audiobooks and gifts. Twice a year the Friends clear the unsold backlog at reduced prices in a meeting room at the Main Library, and the Fall 2026 Used Book Sale ran October 9 to 11, 2026. Donations go into the brown bin beside the Drive-Up Window on the building's west side, never inside in bags or boxes, and that bin is locked on sale weekends.

Hours: Mon–Fri 11am–5pmWebsite

Friends lobby shop

Friends Book Shop, Commerce Township Community Library

180 E Commerce Rd, Commerce Township, MI 48382

About ten miles south-southwest, in Commerce charter township, the Friends keep the Friends Book Shop going inside the library lobby, filled with community donations of books, DVDs and puzzles and open whenever the library is, until fifteen minutes before closing. On February 6, 2026 their Facebook page pointed shoppers to a new Children's Red Dot Bargain Book section, and a pop-up week that ended Sunday, April 12, 2026 put inspirational and religious titles at 50 cents on a blue cart outside the shop. Donations go in the blue bin in the vestibule, and the Friends turn down books with highlighting, underlining, handwriting or sticky flags.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 10am–9pm, Fri–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pmWebsite

Second Saturday Sale and Library Shop

Friends of the Bloomfield Township Public Library

1099 Lone Pine Rd, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302

Fourteen miles south-southeast in Bloomfield charter township, the Friends hold a Second Saturday Sale on the library's lower level, which their press release of September 29, 2026 calls a monthly sale of books and audiovisual material split across more than 50 subject categories plus a separate music and film room. The October round fell on Saturday, October 10, open to all from 11am to 3pm after a members' hour from 10am, with debit cards taken for any amount and credit cards from $5. Between sales, the Library Shop just left of the main entrance sells gently used books, movies, music, cards and gifts whenever the library is open, and by the Friends' count the sales have raised over $1.95 million for the library since 1995.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 9:30am–9pm, Fri 9:30am–6:30pm, Sat 9:30am–5:30pm, Sun noon–5:30pmWebsite

Scan before you buy

At every one of these spots, snap the shelf with BiblioScan: the AI identifies each book and shows its real resale price. Walk out with profitable books, not random boxes.

Try BiblioScan for free

Local sourcing tips

Fifteen miles east-southeast and a little too far east to make the map, the Rochester Hills Public Library's Friends, whose building stands in the city of Rochester, run a Friends Library Store open seven days and post their sale calendar far ahead: a Fall Book Sale running October 14 to 18 and a Quality Sale from December 3 to 5 in 2026, then winter, spring, summer, fall and quality sales already dated for 2027, each regular sale closing on a $5 bag Sunday.
Two bookshops close to Clarkston sell new books only. Inscribe Books on Sashabaw Road in Independence Township is a new-title store built around book clubs and author events, and Balcony Row Books in downtown Holly answers its own FAQ question about new or used stock with "We sell only new books." Balcony Row does hold a book swap every three months with no limit on how many you bring, and that same FAQ sends secondhand shoppers to Cottage Used Books in Goodrich and R&B Books in Grand Blanc.
Three more Friends groups hold sales but had no next date posted as of October 15, 2026. The Springfield Township Library in Davisburg posted a Book and Bake Sale running from a Wednesday, September 30 to a bag-of-books Saturday, October 3, with nothing listed after it; the Oxford Public Library Friends held their spring sale in April 2026 and list nothing after it; and the Holly Township Library Friends collect donated books, typically on a month's final Saturday, for sales they do not date online.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Clarkston?

Friends groups decide the low end here. Orion's Twice Told Tales charges $1 for pocket paperbacks and children's books and two for $1 on discs and games, Brandon's Friends Bookstore fills a bag for $10 and refills it for $5, and the Clarkston Friends ended their Fall 2026 sale on a $5 bag day. Waterford's December 5 session is a bag sale too, and the Commerce lobby shop ran a 50-cent pop-up week in April 2026. Pontiac's Book Nook charges $1 per hardcover with paperbacks under that, and among the shops, RJ's five-book grab bags at $25 work out to $5 a book for a genre gamble.

Where do I sell used books in Clarkston?

For money, the counter is 2nd & Charles in Auburn Hills: bring up to three totes, take one combined offer, and choose cash or a bigger store credit, keeping in mind the buyback desk shuts an hour before closing. RJ's in Waterford and Cottage Used Books in Goodrich trade instead of paying, crediting what they accept against their own shelves. Sort before you drive: one shelf photo in BiblioScan picks out the spines in frame and shows what each of those books sells for secondhand, so you can list the strong ones yourself on eBay or Amazon and carry the rest to a counter.

When is the Friends of the Library sale in Clarkston?

The Clarkston Independence Friends hold theirs in the library on Clarkston Road: the Fall 2026 sale wrapped up on September 26, and their Fall 2026 newsletter dates the winter sale from Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23, with members admitted first. Highland's fall Big Book Sale runs from October 15 to 17, 2026; still ahead are Auburn Hills from November 12 to 14, 2026, White Lake from December 2 to 5 and Waterford on the Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, while Bloomfield Township holds its Second Saturday Sale every month and Orion has named April 2027 for its next sale.

Which day is best for book hunting in Clarkston?

Saturday covers the most ground. RJ's opens 10am to 4pm, 2nd & Charles 10am to 8pm, Page 18 10am to 5pm, Cottage Used Books 10am to 6pm, Codex & Curio 11am to 5pm and Pontiac's Book Nook 10am to 2pm, and the libraries in Clarkston, Orion, Waterford, White Lake, Highland, Commerce, Bloomfield Township and Brandon are all open, Brandon only until 2pm. Sunday is thinner: 2nd & Charles and Page 18 open at 11am, An Inkwell Spent opens on both of its published schedules, Bloomfield Township's Library Shop opens at noon, and the Clarkston, Orion, Waterford and Commerce libraries open for the afternoon, the first three outside summer. RJ's, Cottage and the Highland, White Lake and Brandon libraries stay shut that day, and Codex & Curio lists Tuesday to Saturday even though its host market advertises Sunday hours. Keep a weekday for West Bloomfield, whose Friendshop opens Monday through Friday.

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