Plymouth, Devon, the city on Plymouth Sound between the mouths of the Tamar and the Plym, has a second-hand bookshop on the Barbican again, with The Book Cupboard reopening in the Old Custom House in August 2026. Further out, Plymstock Broadway pairs a St Luke's Hospice bookshop with the Samaritans' Sam's Place, and in Plympton the Red Cross gives a whole shop over to books. Any amounts quoted are in pounds sterling.
The National Trust fills the gaps: Saltram, on the Plympton side of town, runs a donated-book shop plus café shelves of used reading, while Buckland Abbey in West Devon and Cotehele across the Tamar in Cornwall run donated-book rooms of their own. Tavistock, about 12 miles north, adds an Oxfam stocked with books and records and, in its Pannier Market, a book stall that paused in 2024 and was back in the market by September 2026.
Second-hand bookshopThe Book Cupboard
18 The Parade, Barbican, Plymouth PL1 2JW
Down on the Barbican, 0.35 miles to the south-east along The Parade, The Book Cupboard trades from the Old Custom House, a building the Plymouth Post dates to 1586. That paper's piece of 21 August 2026 covered the relaunch of a second-hand bookshop it describes as part of the Barbican for around 30 years. A day earlier, the local Facebook page Plymouth Gossip Girls HQ announced the reopening after a closure dating from January, quoting £1 paperbacks, hardbacks at £4–£6, opening from 10am to 4pm each day and over 100,000 books to be sold in the months ahead, but the shop has not published those times itself.
Charity bookshop (St Luke's Hospice)St Luke's Hospice Plymstock Bookshop
33 The Broadway, Plymstock, Plymouth PL9 7AF
In Plymstock, 2.4 miles out to the east-south-east, St Luke's Hospice keeps a bookshop of its own on the Broadway precinct, a separate unit from its everyday charity shop at 43-45. The hospice's blog post about the move, which the Wayback Machine had already archived by 16 July 2025, reports more than 27,000 books sold in a year from under 200 square feet before the space was quadrupled. The Gruffalo cut the ribbon at the reopening, and the post promised Owen's Coffee to sip while you browse. That post also mentioned Sunday trading, but the hospice's current list of shops gives Monday to Saturday only, so phone 01752 491627 before counting on a Sunday visit.
Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–4:30pmWebsite Charity bookshop (British Red Cross)British Red Cross Plympton Bookshop
15 St Stephens Place, Plympton, Plymouth PL7 2ZN
Out in Plympton, 4.1 miles to the east-north-east, the British Red Cross runs a bookshop in the St Stephens Place precinct off the Ridgeway, separate from its clothing shop at 57 Ridgeway. Its shop page, identical in a Wayback Machine copy of 15 April 2026, covers fiction, non-fiction and reference, children's books and fairy tales, and rare and collectable titles, plus stamps, maps, postcards, sheet music, CDs and vinyl. The charity says times occasionally change, so ring 01752 348722 if you're making a special trip.
Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pmWebsite National Trust second-hand bookshopSaltram second-hand bookshop
Saltram, Plympton, Plymouth PL7 1UH
Saltram, the National Trust house within the city boundary at Plympton, 2.7 miles away to the east-north-east, sells donated books in a second-hand bookshop that its eating and shopping page, in the form the Internet Archive preserved on 7 June 2026, calls full of stories just waiting to be rediscovered. That page adds that the shelves often need refilling because the shop is so popular, and that the Welcome Centre takes donations of unwanted books. The Chapel Cafe keeps second-hand shelves too, so you can pick a read and settle into an armchair with coffee and cake.
National Trust second-hand bookshopCotehele second-hand bookshop
Cotehele, St Dominick, Saltash PL12 6TA
Across the Tamar in Cornwall, 9.3 miles north-north-west near Calstock, Cotehele's volunteer-run bookshop occupies part of Retainers' Court. The Trust's shopping page, in a Wayback Machine snapshot dated 6 June 2026, speaks of hundreds of quality donated books and says each sale helps look after Cotehele, Cotehele Mill and Cadsonbury nearby. According to that same page, donations and purchases together brought in more than £9,000 over the preceding year.
Where can I find cheap used books in Plymouth?
Head first for the Barbican, where the local Facebook post that announced The Book Cupboard's return in August 2026 put paperbacks at £1. Then try donated stock: the hospice and Red Cross bookshops on the east side and Sam's Place all sell it, and every purchase funds the hospice, Samaritans or Red Cross work behind the counter. Saltram adds a used-book room without leaving the city, though the National Trust properties are a day out rather than a quick stop.
Where do I sell used books in Plymouth?
No shop or stall in this guide advertises buying, so the money is in selling online yourself; Vinted is one outlet, with Amazon.co.uk and eBay.co.uk the obvious others. Photographing the bookcase once in BiblioScan gives you a quick first sort: the app recognises the titles along the spines and attaches a resale price to every one, leaving you a short list to post online and a stack for the Plympton Red Cross or Saltram donation boxes.
Which charity shops have books in Plymouth?
St Luke's Hospice and the British Red Cross both run dedicated bookshops, in Plymstock and Plympton respectively, and Tavistock's Oxfam on Market Street specialises in books and music; Sam's Place in Plymstock shows off its books on its own website. Saltram, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele sell donated books for the National Trust.
Which day is best for book hunting in Plymouth?
Every day but Sunday works for the Plymstock and Plympton bookshops and Sam's Place, none of which lists Sunday hours. Sunday rests on The Book Cupboard, which a community page said would open daily after its relaunch, a claim the shop has yet to confirm on any channel of its own. Tavistock needs more planning: Oxfam there asks you to phone, and the market book stall announces no days, so glance at the stall's Facebook posts before you set off.