Used Books

PLEASE NOTE: The Used Department will have a reduced schedule for buybacks during the holidays.

  • The week of Thanksgiving (November 24 - 30th) the Used Department will only be doing buybacks on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday (10am - 4pm).
  • The week of Christmas (December 22 - 28th) the Used Department will only be doing buybacks on Friday and Saturday (10am - 4pm).
  • The week of New Years (December 29 - January 4th) the Used Department will only be doing buybacks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (10am - 4pm).
  • The week of January 5 - 11th, we will return to our normal buying hours of Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm.

Visit Our Used Book Basement

Downstairs in Harvard Book Store, you'll find thousands of used books, including works of classic and modern literature, children's books, books in other languages and nonfiction works on history, art, architecture, religion, science, and much more.

As you browse the shelves, take a minute to look on the end of bookcases and on the walls—posted are the ephemera we find in used books we’ve bought from customers. There are bookmarks from around the world, ticket stubs from events, including one from the Republican Convention of 1948 and a piece of stationery from the Sheraton Hotel on which someone wrote "I cannot contain my loathing for Kant." 

WE BUY USED BOOKS TUESDAY - SATURDAY 10AM - 4PM

The used book buyers have total discretion to decide which books to buy, based on current inventory, as well as knowledge and experience regarding which books appeal to our customers.  

Requirements

We only buy paperbacks* in excellent condition.  We do not buy books with broken or creased spines, notations, water damage, highlighting or underlining.  We do not buy hardcovers* (see below for a few exceptions).  In order to comply with State and Federal tax regulations, you must present a photo ID when you sell books.  We do not accept donations.  We pay 15% of the cover price in cash, or 20% in store credit.  

Guidelines

We are particularly interested in books on the following subjects:

  • Chess
  • Classical studies (ancient Latin and Greek literature)
  • Decolonial studies
  • Foreign language fiction (especially Spanish)
  • Linguistics
  • Math
  • Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Science
  • Sheet music (classical)

We consider books on the following subjects:

  • Business (published in the last 3 years)
  • Contemporary Romance
  • Cookbooks (published in the last 5 years)
  • Drama
  • Eastern Religion, Islam, and Judaism
  • Essays
  • Fiction 
  • Science fiction
  • Writing guides

We do not accept the following types of books:

  • Computer programming
  • Ex-library
  • Galleys/advanced reader copies
  • Large format art books (until further notice)
  • Large print
  • Rare or antiquarian
  • Test prep 
  • Textbooks 
  • Travel guides

*We consider the following types of hardcovers:

  • Academic books that are not available as paperbacks 
  • Cookbooks (published in the last 5 years)
  • Everyman Library, Library of America, Modern Library, Loeb Classics
  • Gift editions
  • Graphic novels

Questions? Email us at [email protected], or call us at 617-475-8305. We do our best to answer emails and voicemails within 1 business day.

We do not accept donations

Here are just a few local options if you are looking to donate your books: