Where to buy used books in Manchester, North West England

Updated 01/10/2026

This guide covers Manchester, England, and the boroughs of Greater Manchester around it, with one shop just past the county line at Alderley Edge in Cheshire East. The city itself gives you Paramount Books on Shudehill, Didsbury's two old-school shops, a Levenshulme record-and-book shop, a multilingual charity bookshop on the Curry Mile and a year-round Sunday market in Openshaw. Further out, the hunting is done in the bookshops of Altrincham and Stockport's Underbank, charity bookshops in Heaton Moor and Oldham, Emmaus warehouses in Bolton, Salford and Mossley, Bury Market's book stalls and two seasonal car boot fields. Shop prices quoted here are in pounds sterling.

Opening days decide the route more than distance. Abacus Books in Altrincham keeps a three-day week, Thursday to Saturday; Bury's outdoor market only sets up three days a week; and Panda's in Levenshulme stays shut from Monday to Wednesday. The car boots are seasonal too, and Rochdale council's calendar for the Bowlee field ends on Sunday 11 October 2026.

Some of the city's best-known bookshops are missing on purpose, because they deal in new stock: Waterstones on Deansgate, Blackwell's on Oxford Road and House of Books & Friends on King Street, whose Bookshop.org page describes a wide range of new books for adults and children.

Spot map

The best spots

Second-hand bookshops

Paramount Books

25-27 Shudehill, Manchester M4 2AF

A Shudehill fixture that The Mancunion, in October 2025, dated back to 1965 and described as a second-hand bookshop spread over three floors of books, comics and magazines. Manchester Wire's bookshop guide of 16 September 2026 found the same jumble of classic books, vintage magazines and action comics behind the Printworks, with jazz and opera drifting out of speakers in the doorway. That guide also said the shop was opening on Saturdays only, while the City of Literature listing still shows both weekend days, 10am to 5pm, which makes a Sunday visit a gamble.

Second-hand bookshops

Didsbury Village Bookshop

The Art of Tea, 47 Barlow Moor Rd, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6TW

A secondhand room at the back of The Art of Tea, the Didsbury café and bar whose website sends customers through to the quality second-hand stock in the adjoining bookshop. Manchester Wire's guide of 16 September 2026 credits it with a large inventory of second-hand titles and dates the café to 2009. Manchester's Finest picks out orange-spined Penguins, art history, philosophy and Northern topography, and the shop's own Instagram was unboxing a set of new signs on 2 September 2026.

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

Second-hand bookshops

E J Morten Booksellers

6 Warburton St, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA

Down cobbled Warburton Street, about 200 yards from the Art of Tea, where Eric Morten began selling books in 1959 from the front room of number 4, as the Manchester Evening News told the story; the shop now trades from number 6. Northern Soul's profile of 20 December 2025 found the third generation of the family in charge, with new books beside a second-hand and antiquarian side strong on history, military history, sport, travel and English literature. The firm still publishes, including a local history of Didsbury, and its owner exhibits at second-hand book fairs in the UK and Europe.

Books and records

Panda's Books and Records

The Old Police Station, 963 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3NP

Levenshulme's old police station on Stockport Road, beside the antiques village, where novelist Paul Magrs and Jeremy Hoad opened this shop on 13 November 2025 after Bopcap Books gave up the premises. Its Instagram describes new and secondhand books and records alongside cards and prints, and a post of 18 November 2025 invited people in for a rummage. Writing for the Writers Review blog in February 2026, Magrs described disco and New Wave on the stereo, vinyl in the racks and 1970s Armada paperbacks laid out for young readers.

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

Second-hand bookshops

Abacus Books

24 Regent Rd, Altrincham WA14 1RP

Over in Altrincham, in Trafford, a shop that Altrincham Today, on 11 December 2025, traced to 1979, when the founders opened it in a former jeweller's on Regent Road. The paper found floor-to-ceiling shelves running from leather-bound volumes worth hundreds of pounds to recent children's books, with local history and art as the strengths, vintage cookery titles at £4.99 and 100-year-old books for £10. Stock changes weekly, bought from collectors, country houses and dealers, and the rare books sold online come from a separate stock. Doors open Thursday to Saturday from 10:30am; Altrincham Today gives 5pm as the official close, the City of Literature listing 4:30pm.

All spots by type

Second-hand bookshops

Multilingual charity bookshop

Alexandria Library

247 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M14 5LW

A bookshop on the Curry Mile in Rusholme, listed by Manchester City of Literature as an independent charity bookshop, with stock in English, Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish and Urdu. Its website says new and second-hand books share the shelves with Bibles in several languages, dictionaries and language-learning titles. The shop's Facebook page announced a new collection of Arabic books on 29 December 2025 and gave the same Monday-to-Saturday noon-to-8pm opening in an April 2026 post, and free English classes run from the same room.

Hours: Mon–Sat noon–8pmWebsite

Rare and secondhand bookshop

Manchester Rare Books

Platform 1, Alderley Edge Station, Alderley Edge SK9 7QA

Just outside Greater Manchester, in Cheshire East, on platform 1 of Alderley Edge station. Alderleyedge.com reported the opening on 1 June 2026: a second-generation dealer and PBFA member has turned what is believed to be a former waiting room into a shop for rare editions, out-of-print works and good second-hand books, with film and music ephemera on the side. Stock can travel the other way too, since the shop takes books in and values them free of charge, and its website advertises seven-day opening.

Website

Bookshop and café

Greenhouse Books

13 Great Underbank, Stockport SK1 1LF

On Great Underbank in Stockport's old town, a plant-based bookshop and café whose Bookshop.org page promises a curated selection of weird and wonderful second-hand books alongside new titles by Manchester writers. The same September 2026 Manchester Wire round-up that lists Paramount called it a veggie literary labyrinth, with novels and comics to browse over soup, cakes and artisanal coffee.

Hours: Tue 12:30pm–5:30pm, Wed noon–5:30pm, Thu–Sat 11am–5:30pm, Sun noon–3pmWebsite

Charity shops

Oxfam bookshop

Oxfam Bookshop Altrincham

86 George St, Altrincham WA14 1RF

Also in Altrincham, Trafford, a dedicated Oxfam bookshop on George Street, which the charity's page says also stocks CDs, DVDs, vinyl and greetings cards. The Visit Altrincham account appealed for donations of preloved books, CDs and vinyl on its behalf on 1 June 2025, pointing donors with a car to the back entrance on Central Way, and asked again on 29 July 2025. Oxfam's own page for the shop leaves the opening times blank and points you to the branch phone, 0161 928 1877.

Website

Charity bookshop (The Children's Society)

The Children's Society Bookshop

212 Heaton Moor Rd, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 4DU

In Heaton Moor, in the Borough of Stockport, a Children's Society branch given over to books. Its Heaton Moor Facebook group was showing off four editions of The Hobbit on 28 July 2026 and a run of Dilbert books on 7 September 2026, with jigsaws and greeting cards also on sale. A May 2026 post had the doors open on the bank holiday Monday from 10am to 4pm.

Hospice bookshop

The Furniture Hub bookshop (Dr Kershaw's Hospice)

Neo House, Shaw Rd, Oldham OL1 4AW

In Oldham, on Shaw Road, the first floor of Dr Kershaw's Hospice furniture warehouse is a bookshop, which the Furniture Hub called an outstanding success since its opening in a Facebook appeal to bookworms dated 25 July 2026. That appeal adds that every one of the hospice's shops sells books, and the hospice's shop page credits book sales across its branches with raising £14,598 in 2025.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pmWebsite

Emmaus

Emmaus Bolton

Derby Barracks, Fletcher St, Bolton BL3 6NF

In Bolton, the Emmaus community trades from the former Derby Barracks on Fletcher Street, and The Bolton News, visiting for a piece published on 4 July 2026, found books among the clothes, sofas, pianos and paint in the main shop. The bulk of the reading matter is in The Cottages, packed with bargain books, music, collectables and games by the paper's account, where the charity's own page lists crime paperbacks, hardback biographies and cookbooks. A café shares the building.

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

Emmaus

Emmaus Salford Community Homestore

Emmaus House, 101 Fitzwarren St, Salford M6 5RQ

Over in Salford, close to Salford Precinct in Pendleton, Emmaus Salford's homestore lists bargain books and vinyl alongside furniture, clothes, DVDs and computer games. Salford Now reported on 20 February 2026 that the charity's lease expires in February 2028 and that it needs £200,000 to repair or move its premises, so this address may change in the years ahead.

Hours: Mon 9am–3pm, Tue–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat 10am–3pmWebsite

Emmaus

Emmaus Mossley Secondhand Superstore

Longlands Mill, Queen St, Mossley OL5 9AH

In Mossley, in Tameside, the Emmaus community fills Longlands Mill on Queen Street with a secondhand superstore whose page describes a large book department of paperbacks and hardbacks, part of a first-floor 'Sound & Vision' area shared with vinyl, CDs, DVDs and games. The Saddleworth Independent previewed a Spring Fayre at the superstore for Saturday 21 March 2026, with new displays promised for the day.

Hours: Tue–Sat 10am–4pmWebsite

Car boot sales & markets

Market book stalls

Bury Market book stalls

Bury Market, Murray Rd, Bury BL9 0BJ

In Bury town centre, the market's stall directory lists two traders for new and secondhand books and jigsaws: Eagles Book Stall on the Market Plaza, stall 10, and The Book Exchange in Garden Block B, stall 25. Eagles posted in August 2026 that its books cost £2 each, with 50p of credit when you bring one back, and that it trades on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the outdoor market's days. The indoor market hall has been shut since October 2023, when RAAC concrete turned up in its roof, as the Bury Times recalled on 11 July 2026, so go by stall numbers rather than old directions.

Hours: Wed, Fri 9am–4:30pm, Sat 9am–5pmWebsite

Sunday market and car boot

Smithfield Sunday Market and Car Boot

New Smithfield Market, Whitworth St E, Openshaw, Manchester M11 2WJ

In Openshaw, the wholesale site at New Smithfield Market turns into a covered market for new and pre-owned goods plus an outdoor car boot every Sunday, by its organiser's account. Facebook posts of 25 September 2026 gave buyers 7am to 1:30pm with free entry, and told sellers there is no booking, first come first served, from 3:30am. The organiser's list of goods runs to tools, homeware, clothes and fresh goods, with no word on books.

Hours: Sun 7am–1:30pmWebsite

Car boot sale

Bowlee Car Boot Sale and Market

Bowlee Community Park, Heywood Old Rd, Middleton, Manchester M24 4SB

In Middleton, in the Borough of Rochdale, a council-run car boot on Bowlee Community Park, running each Sunday from April to October, plus the bank holiday Mondays. Rochdale Borough Council lists Sunday 4 October and Sunday 11 October 2026 as the last two dates of this season, with free entry for buyers from 6:30am and £2.50 parking. If bad weather is forecast, the council aims to post any cancellation by 3pm the day before; its page lists sellers' rules and prices but nothing about books.

Hours: Sun 6:30am–1:30pmWebsite

Car boot sale

Barton Aerodrome Car Boot

Barton Aerodrome, Liverpool Rd, Eccles, Manchester M30 7SA

In Eccles, in the City of Salford, National Car Boot Sales runs a weekly sale at Barton Aerodrome, with buyers let in from 9am for £1. A Tuesday sale ran for part of 2026, but a post by the organisers on 22 September 2026 put Barton back to Saturdays only, even though the aerodrome's own page still advertises Tuesdays. Neither page mentions books or gives a closing date for the season, so check before a late-autumn trip.

Website

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

In Hyde, in Tameside, GET Free Books runs a volunteer shop in the Clarendon Square Shopping Centre where visitors leave with up to three donated books at no charge. The Tameside Correspondent reported on 17 September 2025 that the branch had taken in 100,000 donations in a single year and was giving away around 5,000 books a month.
Jot is a pop-up rather than a shop: Manchester Wire's September 2026 guide has it at Station South in Levenshulme every other Sunday, with a small permanent selection at Altogether Otherwise in NOMA, and new and second-hand literature, poetry, essays and critical non-fiction on its tables.
Trafford Books is an auction house, not a shop, and despite the name it is based in East Didsbury. Its website says catalogue sales of books, stamps, postcards and paper collectables come round every six weeks, consignments go through an appointment, and winning bidders can collect in person.
The BIG Stockport Car Boot Sale at Waterside Farm on Otterspool Road, Romiley, describes itself on Facebook as open every Sunday from 8am to 1pm, with free entry and parking for buyers. Watch its posts all the same: in 2026 it stood down on 26 July for the Romiley Young Farmers Show and on 30 August for another event at the farm.
In Saddleworth, the Towpath Bookshop on Uppermill High Street turned 30 in 2022, when the Saddleworth Independent counted more than 2,000 volumes, many of them second-hand, plus local-interest titles and Ordnance Survey maps. The opening times printed in that piece are four years old, so phone the shop first.
Oxfam's shop finder lists a second Oxfam Bookshop at 605 Wilbraham Road in Chorlton, without opening times. The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association has no fair in Greater Manchester on its 2026 calendar; its closest dates were at Bakewell in Derbyshire and Ilkley in West Yorkshire.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Manchester?

Start at Bury Market, where Eagles Book Stall was pricing everything at £2 in August 2026 and giving 50p towards the next book for each one returned. GET Free Books in Hyde lets you walk out with three donated books for nothing. Altrincham Today found vintage cookery books at £4.99 in Abacus Books, and the Emmaus sites in Bolton and Salford keep bargain shelves among the furniture.

Where do I sell used books in Manchester?

For anything rare, Manchester Rare Books at Alderley Edge station buys single volumes and whole collections and offers free valuations, and Trafford Books takes consignments for its auctions by appointment. Everything else you list yourself, on Amazon.co.uk, Vinted and eBay.co.uk. Before anything leaves the house, give BiblioScan one picture of the bookcase: it matches the spines it recognises and pins an estimated resale value to each, which splits the copies worth a listing from the charity-bag pile.

Which day is best for book hunting in Manchester?

Saturday. Paramount was opening only on Saturdays in September 2026, Abacus and Panda's both trade, Bury Market's stalls run from 9am to 5pm, the Barton Aerodrome car boot is on, and all three Emmaus shops open by 10am. Sunday has its own circuit: the Smithfield market in Openshaw from 7am, the Didsbury café bookshop from 10am, Panda's from 11am, Greenhouse in Stockport from noon to 3pm and, until 11 October 2026, the Bowlee car boot in Middleton. Monday is the thin day, with Abacus, Panda's, Greenhouse, Emmaus Mossley and Bury's outdoor market all shut.

Which charity shops have books in Manchester?

Look for the ones that specialise. Oxfam runs a dedicated bookshop on George Street in Altrincham, The Children's Society keeps a bookshop on Heaton Moor Road, and Dr Kershaw's Hospice has given the first floor of its Oldham furniture warehouse to books. The Emmaus communities in Bolton, Salford and Mossley all carry book stock, Mossley in a large book department, and on the Curry Mile, Alexandria Library, a charity bookshop, mixes second-hand and new titles in five languages.

Before you go

Do you run a store here?

Bookstore, thrift store or consignment shop in Manchester: get listed in this guide for free, or tell us what to fix.

Nearby cities

Warrington Wigan Huddersfield

← Used books by city The guide: how to source books for resale →