Where to buy used books in Leeds

Updated 01/10/2026

Secondhand books in Leeds, West Yorkshire, are scattered over a sprawling metropolitan district, which makes a book hunt here a string of short hops rather than one walk. In the centre, a secondhand room hides beneath Albion Place, a converted coal barge sells books at Leeds Dock and Emmaus runs a multi-room charity superstore in Lincoln Green; Headingley adds Oxfam's bookshop and a bar with shelves in its annex, Meanwood and Bramley each have a Sue Ryder shop, and Hunslet has a reuse shop. The district's outlying towns carry the rest: Morley to the south-west, Otley up in Wharfedale, Wetherby to the north-east and the Harewood estate in between. Every price below is given in pounds sterling.

North of the district boundary, Harrogate in North Yorkshire, roughly fourteen miles up the A61, keeps Oxfam's books-and-music branch and a first-edition dealer a few minutes' walk apart, close enough for one afternoon. To the west, the big pop-up book sales at Greengates, less than eight miles out, are worth knowing about even though they sit on the Bradford side of the line.

Some names on older lists have closed. Leeds Community Trust announced on Instagram that its two Meanwood shops, book room included, would close on 28 September 2024, though its website still describes them; and in Otley, Visit Otley reported on 5 December 2025 that the premises of Chevin Books, whose owner had died, had become an upholstery workshop.

Spot map

The best spots

Secondhand book room in a café-bar

ifounditinbooks at Holding Patterns

2 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL

Down a flight of steps on Albion Place, among the shopping streets at the core of the city, a secondhand dealer trading as ifounditinbooks fills the back room of the Holding Patterns café and listening bar. Its website lists literary fiction, SF and fantasy, art books, anthropology and philosophy among the shelves, with Fitzcarraldo, Gollancz and Penguin runs, and suggests coming in the morning or during a quiet spell to browse undisturbed. The seller announced the arrangement on Instagram on 2 July 2025, began adding some new stock alongside on 4 January 2026, and was still posting finds from its fiction section on 7 September 2026. The venue warns that it is underground with no step-free access.

Hours: Sun–Wed 10am–10pm, Thu–Sat 10am–midnightWebsite

Floating bookshop (new and secondhand)

Hold Fast Bookshop

Upper Dock Mooring, Leeds Dock, Leeds LS10 1LJ

At Leeds Dock, about two-thirds of a mile south-east of the centre, Hold Fast trades from the hold of the Marjorie R, a coal barge built at Knottingley in 1946 that its owners rescued as a burnt-out shell and opened as a shop in late 2022, as the Yorkshire Evening Post tells it. The paper's feature of 30 July 2025 described a stock blending second-hand and new books, with gifts and plants on sale as well. The shop's website places the mooring opposite Canary Bar and suggests parking on Chadwick Street or catching the water taxi from the railway station's south entrance.

Hours: Thu–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 11am–4pmWebsite

Oxfam Books

Oxfam Bookshop Leeds

13-15 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3AA

Oxfam's specialist bookshop sits on the Otley Road run through Headingley, two miles out to the north-west, and its shop page mentions poetry readings and book group meetings alongside the stock of books and cards. The shop's Instagram bio promises fiction, non-fiction and textbooks, plus CDs, DVDs and comics, and the account was posting through 2026, on 18 August and again on 18 September, when a batch of BFI and Artificial Eye films went out on the shop floor. Oxfam's own listing leaves the hours blank and tells you to contact the shop, and the times on other sites disagree with each other, so phone 0113 274 3818 before making a special trip.

Website

Charity superstore (Emmaus)

Emmaus Leeds Secondhand Superstore

St Mary's Street, Lincoln Green, Leeds LS9 7DP

In Lincoln Green, half a mile from the shopping core on its east-north-east side and, the charity reckons, a five-minute walk from Leeds bus station, this is the shop Emmaus Leeds calls its largest. Books are kept in a room the charity calls The Snug, together with vinyl, cassettes, board games, puzzles and DVDs, while furniture, white goods and clothing fill the other rooms and there's a car park for customers. Emmaus Leeds marked World Book Day, 5 March 2026, with a Facebook post describing the shop's stock of pre-loved books as a library in itself. The takings support a community of 28 formerly homeless people, and the website lists weekday trading, with no Saturday or Sunday hours.

Hours: Mon–Fri 9am–4:30pmWebsite

Charity bookshop (Lions Club)

Otley Lions Bookshop

5 Mercury Row, Otley LS21 3HQ

In Otley, nine and a half miles north-west of the centre, Otley Lions Club runs this volunteer-staffed bookshop off Mercury Row; the Wharfedale Observer reported in December 2020 that second-hand book sales were the club's main income. Among the World Book Day contributions the same paper collected on 4 March 2026 was one from Stephen Bellerby, named as the club's president and the bookshop's manager. The extra Sunday session coincides with the farmers' market, according to the club's website.

Hours: Tue 9:30am–3:30pm, Wed–Thu 11am–2pm, Fri–Sat 9:30am–3:30pm; last Sun of the month 10am–1pmWebsite

All spots by type

Second-hand bookshops

Bar and venue with secondhand shelves

Hyde Park Book Club

27-29 Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 1BL

On Headingley Lane, about 1.5 miles out of town towards the north-north-west, this bar, café and gig venue is the second outlet for ifounditinbooks, whose stock sits in the annex, the left-hand part of the building as you look at it from the road. The bookseller's site also points to the club's own books spread through the rooms and calls them worth a look. Hyde Park Book Club's website was billing an art show running from 11 September to 8 November 2026, The bookseller's tip for its Albion Place room, to come in the morning or at a quiet time, makes sense here too, where gigs and events fill the evenings.

Website

Pre-loved book shop

Pink Lady Books

Unit 4, 91 Queen Street, Morley, Leeds LS27 8DW

In Morley, a little over four miles out to the south-south-west, a small business sells pre-loved books and jigsaws from a unit on Queen Street, going by its Facebook profile. On 10 August 2026 the owner posted that a new batch had arrived and that the true crime had sold before it reached the shelves. Short-notice early closings were announced on the same page on 8 and 14 September 2026, and no regular opening times are published, so check Facebook on the day.

Rare and first-edition dealer

John Atkinson Fine & Rare Books

5 Royal Parade, Harrogate HG1 2SZ

Also in Harrogate, a few minutes' walk from the Oxfam shop, this firm deals in first editions, with Harry Potter, James Bond, Tolkien and Roald Dahl as its stated specialities and a showroom pitched from £50 to £50,000. It says it is keen to buy first editions, offers a free evaluation to anyone who brings books in, and belongs to the ABA, ILAB and PBFA. On 29 September 2026 the firm posted on Facebook that it had photographed and catalogued 105 newly acquired books that afternoon. The BADA dealer directory prints the same timetable as the firm's website.

Hours: Mon–Tue, Thu–Sat 10am–1pm, 2pm–5pm; Sun 10am–4pm; closed WedWebsite

Charity shops

Charity shop (Sue Ryder)

Sue Ryder Meanwood

Unit 7, Northside Retail Park, Meanwood, Leeds LS7 2TT

Up in Meanwood, roughly 2.3 miles out of Leeds towards the north-north-west, Sue Ryder runs what its store page calls a large-format shop on Northside Retail Park, selling donated clothing together with books, toys, CDs and DVDs, with up to four hours of free parking. On 24 September 2026 the Meanwood branch posted on Facebook that a load of furniture and white goods was arriving, and on 27 September it ran a white-goods-for-Christmas promotion.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Charity shop (Sue Ryder)

Sue Ryder Bramley

Unit 13, Bramley Shopping Centre, Lower Town Street, Leeds LS13 2ET

Out west in Bramley, some 3.5 miles from the centre, Sue Ryder's unit in the shopping centre on Lower Town Street carries new goods and clothing plus books, CDs and DVDs, going by the charity's page for the branch. The shop's own Facebook page was asking for summer donations on 30 April 2026 and, on 22 June 2026, said staff had been working to get more summer outfits out before a heatwave. On 5 August 2026 it reminded followers that the charity lists its more valuable donations on its eBay store rather than in the shop.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Reuse shop (Revive)

Revive Hunslet

Hunslet Green Retail Park, 1 The Oval, Leeds LS10 2AP

In Hunslet, 1.4 miles from the city centre to the south-south-east, this unit is the third Leeds outlet of Revive, a community interest company that resells reusable goods intercepted at council recycling sites; Revive dates its opening to 21 August 2024. Leeds City Council's release on the launch named books, music and clothes on the shelves and credited Revive with selling 40,968 books over the previous year. Revive celebrated the shop's first anniversary on Facebook on 20 August 2025 and announced an eBay page for it on 5 December 2025. Its older branches sit at the Kirkstall and Seacroft household waste sites.

Hours: Mon–Sun 9:30am–5:30pmWebsite

Church-run secondhand bookshop

Margins Bookshop

3 Church Street, Wetherby LS22 6LP

In Wetherby, eleven miles north-east of central Leeds, members of Wetherby Baptist Church run this secondhand book room on Church Street and invite people to donate books to it. The church's web page asks donors not to leave bags in the doorway out of hours, and notes that a Wednesday opening was added to make five days a week. A Facebook post by the church on 29 July 2026 still gave Margins as the meeting point for its monthly men's breakfast on Saturday 1 August.

Hours: Tue–Sat 10am–3pmWebsite

Volunteer-run estate bookshop

Harewood House Secondhand Bookshop

Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG

On the Harewood estate, almost seven miles north of the centre, volunteers founded this bookshop in 2011, and every sale of donated stock helps support Harewood House Trust, according to the estate's volunteer recruitment page. That page describes seven-day opening from 10:30am to 4:30pm across the main season, while the estate's daily timetable for Thursday 1 October 2026 showed the shop closing at 4pm. Harewood's Christmas listing, running from Friday 6 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, points visitors to the bookshop and includes that event in a standard day ticket.

Website

Oxfam Books

Oxfam Bookshop Harrogate

43 Oxford Street, Harrogate HG1 1PW

Over the district boundary in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, 13.6 miles due north of Leeds city centre, Oxfam runs a specialist books and music shop on Oxford Street. Its shop page ranges from recent popular fiction through history, politics and biography to rare and collectable titles, and adds CDs, vinyl, sheet music, maps, stamps, postcards, comics and graphic novels. A Facebook appeal from the shop on 9 June 2026 asked for donations of books on any subject, sheet music, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, cassettes, stamps, coins, maps and postcards. Hours aren't given on Oxfam's listing, so call 01423 506262 first.

Website

Car boot sales & markets

Car boot sale

Pontefract Lane Car Boot Sale

Temple Green Park & Ride, Pontefract Lane, Leeds LS9 0AA

Three miles east-south-east of town, at the Temple Green park-and-ride site, the Leeds City Afternoon Car Boot Sale describes itself on Facebook as running every Sunday. The organisers posted on 26 September 2026 that they would be open the following day, Sunday 27 September, and as the name says, this one trades after lunch rather than at dawn. Books are whatever the sellers happen to bring, so treat it as a lucky dip.

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Local sourcing tips

The Leeds Library, the subscription library on Commercial Street, opens its doors for second-hand book sales with prices starting at 50p and no booking needed. Its events pages list sales on Saturday 26 October 2024, Saturday 21 June 2025 and Saturday 18 July 2026. No further sale was on its events calendar at 1 October 2026; the library's Instagram is where the next one should surface.
Out by the airport on Otley Old Road, the Leeds & Bradford Airport Car Boot Sale says on Facebook that it has been running for 35 years. On 30 September 2026 its organisers were inviting buyers back every Sunday. A Facebook group for the Thorp Arch Car Boot & Indoor Market, on the retail park near Wetherby, also advertises Sunday trading all year, but its notice carries no date.
UK Bookfest, run with the Bradford dealer Stephen White Books, advertises a used book sale of 100,000 books at Albion Mills in Greengates from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October 2026, with adult titles from £3 and falling, children's books at £1, and a fill-a-bag offer for £10 on the final day. Its other autumn weekends at the same mill are new-book events, with the organisers stating that no secondhand stock will be on sale. Greengates is in Bradford, about seven and a half miles west-north-west of central Leeds.
Harrogate's antiquarian fair, organised by the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association, filled the Garden Room of the Old Swan Hotel on 6 and 7 March 2026, with free entry on a printed ticket. By 1 October 2026 the association had listed no Harrogate date for 2027.
Books For All, at the bottom of Commercial Street in Harrogate, describes itself on Visit North Yorkshire as the town's oldest independent second-hand bookshop, with three rooms upstairs and around 20,000 books. That listing is undated, so ring before travelling.
Sue Ryder also has a shop in the Penny Hill Centre in Hunslet, a few minutes from Revive, and its store page mentions a varied selection of books, music and electricals. Nothing on that listing is dated, so phone before making the trip.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Leeds?

Start with the Snug, the book room at Emmaus's Lincoln Green superstore, where bargain books share the space with records and board games, then try the Revive reuse shop in Hunslet, fed by what people drop at the council tips. The Leeds Library's second-hand sales, the last on 18 July 2026, start at 50p a book, and the Sunday car boots at Temple Green and out by the airport are pot luck. For a cheap bulk haul over the boundary, UK Bookfest's Greengates sale ends on 31 October 2026 with a £10 bag.

Where do I sell used books in Leeds?

On this page the buyer is John Atkinson in Harrogate, which wants first editions and will look over books you bring in without charge; everyday paperbacks are better donated to Oxfam in Headingley or Harrogate, to Emmaus, or to Margins in Wetherby. Ahead of any packing, give the whole bookcase to BiblioScan as a photo: that snapshot of the spines comes back with a likely resale price beside each title the app recognises, and that settles which copies deserve a listing through Amazon.co.uk, Vinted or eBay.co.uk and which belong with the donations.

Which day is best for book hunting in Leeds?

Saturday lines up most of the fixed counters: Otley Lions and Margins trade Tuesday to Saturday, Hold Fast Thursday to Sunday, Revive Hunslet and the two Sue Ryder shops all week, and the Harrogate dealer takes customers on Saturdays too. Emmaus is the exception, open on weekdays alone. Sunday adds the car boots, out by the airport and in the afternoon at Temple Green, while Hold Fast, Revive, Sue Ryder, Holding Patterns and the Harrogate dealer keep trading and Otley Lions opens once a month. Monday is thin, because Otley Lions, Margins and Hold Fast all stay shut.

Which charity shops have books in Leeds?

In the city, Oxfam's Headingley bookshop and the Emmaus superstore in Lincoln Green both make books a named part of their stock, and Revive Hunslet, a reuse shop rather than a charity shop, sells them as well. Sue Ryder's shops in Meanwood and Bramley both list books on their store pages. Further out, Otley Lions Club and Wetherby Baptist Church each run a volunteer book room, the Harewood estate has its own volunteer bookshop, and Oxfam keeps a books and music shop in Harrogate.

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Nearby cities

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