Nanaimo's secondhand book trade is compact and falls into two clusters. Downtown, Literacy Central's Well Read Books on Commercial Street and Arbutus on Nicol Street sit roughly half a kilometre apart, while north-west of downtown, along Bowen Road and out to Rutherford and Turner roads, sit two charity thrift shops and the mall where the Rotary Club stages its book sales. This guide follows the Nanaimo metro as Statistics Canada draws it, Lantzville and the surrounding rural areas included, and adds Gabriola Island across the harbour; where a stop lies beyond city limits, the opening line of its entry says so. Dollar figures are quoted in Canadian currency throughout.
Two names still circulating on older lists no longer lead anywhere useful. Best Choice Quality Used Books announced on Facebook on June 7, 2026 that it was closing after almost 16 years at 1300 Waddington Road, with Saturday, August 15, 2026 as its last day open to the public. Down the highway in Ladysmith, directories still carry Salamander Books, yet Quill & Quire reported in January 2026 that the shop was taken over and reopened as Boundless Books on July 1, 2025, and that the new owners stock new titles only.
Nonprofit used bookstoreWell Read Books (Literacy Central Vancouver Island)
19 Commercial St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G3
Downtown on Commercial Street, Literacy Central Vancouver Island runs this donation-stocked, mostly volunteer-staffed shop as the social enterprise that helps fund its free and low-cost literacy programs. NanaimoNewsNOW reported on August 6, 2025 that most of the charity's tutoring happens inside the bookstore, and that some of its roughly 150 volunteers also look after the shelves. A $20 membership, valid for a year and for up to two cards per household, takes 25 percent off used books and 35 percent off sale books, while the request service keeps a wanted title on file for twelve months, three titles per author at most. Donors can bring at most two bags or boxes per day, and encyclopedia sets, magazines, library discards, Reader's Digest condensed volumes and Harlequins are turned away.
Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pmWebsite Used bookstoresArbutus Quality Used Books
87 Nicol St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 4S7
A one-owner shop on Nicol Street, just south of downtown, that calls itself Nanaimo's longest-running used bookstore: its site says owner Neal Brown opened it in 1993 after amassing a large personal collection. The shelves run to marine and outdoors titles, Canadiana, vintage stock, foreign-language books, graphic novels and comics, plus DVDs, and payment is cash only. A form on the website takes requests for titles you can't find. The Nanaimo News Bulletin located the Garden Studio art space just below Arbutus Books on April 28, 2026, previewing a weekend exhibition there.
Hours: Mon–Sat 1pm–4pm; closed SunWebsite Rotary charity book saleRotary Club of Nanaimo Used Book Sale
Nanaimo North Town Centre, 4750 Rutherford Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9T 4K6
Nanaimo North Town Centre on Rutherford Road, about 9 km north-west of downtown, hosts the Rotary Club of Nanaimo's donated-book sale twice a year, going by the club's own page, which also calls the sale the only way it raises funds. Its fall 2026 edition runs from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, October 4, with cash or debit preferred and Visa and Mastercard also taken. The Nanaimo News Bulletin reported on September 20, 2026 that the spring sale in March had moved 49,164 books and raised $136,000, and the mall's own listing for the fall run promises over 100,000 used books with more added daily. Book donations are accepted only at the club's bins by the mall's north-east entrance, across from London Drugs, whenever the centre is open.
Hours: Fri September 25 and Sat September 26, 2026 8am–6pm; Sun September 27 9am–5pm; Mon September 28–Sat October 3 9am–6pm; Sun October 4, 2026 11am–5pmWebsite Where can I find cheap used books in Nanaimo?
Time a visit for the Rotary Club of Nanaimo sale at Nanaimo North Town Centre, where the club prices donated books at $3 and under; the fall 2026 run is on until Sunday, October 4. Between sales, Arbutus on Nicol Street says many of its pocket books start at a dollar, and a paid yearly membership at Well Read Books knocks a quarter off its used stock. The charity shops, the hospital auxiliary in Northridge Village and the hospice shop on Bowen Road in Northfield, both put books on the floor among their donated goods.
Where do I sell used books in Nanaimo?
None of the six stops on this page publishes a buying policy: Arbutus says nothing about trade-ins on its website, and the rest are stocked by donations. Selling is therefore an online job, through Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon.ca, AbeBooks or eBay.ca. One step first: photograph a whole shelf with BiblioScan, read off what each recognized spine should fetch secondhand, then list the handful that justify the postage and bag the remainder for the Rotary bins.
When is the big book sale in Nanaimo?
The Rotary Club of Nanaimo holds it at Nanaimo North Town Centre and says it runs twice a year, a tradition the club dates to 2007. In 2026 the spring edition ran from Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 29, and the fall one began on Friday, September 25, doors at 8am that day and the next, and wraps up at 5pm on Sunday, October 4. Watch the club's book sale page for the next dates.
Which day is best for book hunting in Nanaimo?
Wednesday or Saturday, the two days when every stop listed here may be trading, because GIRO on Gabriola opens on nothing else; on either one, Arbutus keeps its short afternoon window from 1pm to 4pm, and the Rotary sale counts only when its dates cover the day. Sunday leaves you with Well Read Books from noon, plus the Rotary sale's closing day on October 4, 2026. Monday is the weakest day: the hospital auxiliary's thrift store is shut and GIRO is closed too.