books · Ontario

Where to sell books, records and media in Kitchener–Waterloo

6 businesses in and around Kitchener–Waterloo that buy used books from the public — what each takes, and whether you are offered a purchase, a consignment or a loan.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • LPs in almost any genre except classical, opera and overstocked easy listeningLook up the exact pressing's completed sales on Discogs, not its asking prices. Audiopile says it reads the median price rather than the highest, also looks at the "Wants" count to judge sellability, and warns that online prices do not necessarily reflect the local market. Pressing origin matters — it pays more for Japanese, UK and other imports — so read the catalogue and matrix numbers on the label and in the run-out groove, not just the artist.
  • Records you were about to throw out because they look roughPut the visibly damaged records in a separate box and take them along anyway rather than sorting them into the bin.
  • Antiquarian books, modern firsts, fine bindings and local historyLook for a dust jacket present and intact, a date on the title page matching the copyright page with no later printing line, and an author signature. With none of those it is probably an ordinary secondhand book — but anything pre-1900, finely bound, or local history should be seen by a dealer before you decide.
  • Books published in the last five years, and classics in new editionsCheck the copyright page. If the newest date is more than five years old and the book is nonfiction, Halifax is not the stop for it — and its cap is 20 items per household in any case.
  • Children's and teen books printed since 2000, in gift conditionIt specifically wants board and baby books, preschool titles, popular series, graphic novels, non-fiction on nature, animals and space, and books with diverse characters. Its refusal list is short and exact: textbooks, encyclopedias, workbooks, library books, self-published books and damaged books.
  • CDs with no scratches, with their original linersA disc in a wallet or binder that still has its liner meets Halifax's rule. Discs stripped of their artwork are the hard ones to place.
  • Cassettes, where they are collectible rather than commonAudiopile's distinction is between common commercial tapes and collectible ones; a tape recorded or dubbed at home is neither. Sealed or small-run commercial releases are the ones worth asking about.

What this list turns away

Counted from what each place says on its own site, not from what is generally true. Most refusals are about condition and completeness rather than category.

  • 2 of 6 will not take anything damaged or stainedJanus Books, KW Consignment Inc.

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • General mass-market paperbacks
  • Reader's Digest Condensed Books and other book-club condensed editions
  • Encyclopedia sets
  • Ex-library books and library discards
  • Outdated textbooks and computer manuals
  • Travel guides
  • Magazines, including long runs of National Geographic
  • Classical and opera LPs
  • Easy-listening and middle-of-the-road LPs
  • VHS tapes and ordinary audio cassettes
  • Used DVDs and Blu-rays, as a sale
  • Anything mouldy, musty, water-damaged, yellowed or heavily highlighted
  • Self-published books and workbooks
  • Hardcovers and spiral-bound books, as a prison donation
Prison book programs take softcovers only, and screen the content Canada — correctional institutions, via Books to Prisoners BC (Vancouver)

Books to Prisoners BC says that most prisons in Canada do not accept hardcover books, so it prefers that you do not donate them; it adds that hardcovers weigh more and cost more to ship. Spiral-bound books are also on its not-accepted list, along with damaged books, pornography, anything explaining how to immobilize a person, Canadian true crime about people currently incarcerated, and books critical of Canadian police and prison systems. Do not mail books to a prisoner directly on the assumption they will arrive.

Read the rule →
Hardcover books must be taken apart before the parts go in the carts City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary instructs residents to remove cardboard hard covers and spines and recycle them as separate items from the pages, and to put coverless and loose pages into the recycling. Leather, canvas and plastic book covers go in the black cart as garbage. Old and unusable paper books may go in the blue cart or a community recycling depot.

Read the rule →
Discs and tapes that cannot be reused are garbage; only the paper parts are recyclable City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary directs old and broken discs and tapes — vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and video tapes — to the black cart as garbage, while paper covers, music liners and record sleeves go in the blue cart. Its first advice is to pass usable media on to family and friends, sell it, or donate it to a local charity.

Read the rule →
Tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be reused go in the garbage; cases and inserts go in recycling Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Ontario

Peel Region states that video and audio tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be re-used may be placed in the garbage for disposal, and that empty cassette or video boxes, printed paper sleeves and inserts go in the recycling cart or a clear or blue transparent plastic bag. Reusable items in good condition may be donated at some Community Recycling Centre locations, where staff have the right to refuse items on inspection.

Read the rule →
Cassettes, CDs and DVDs are not accepted in the Blue Bin City of Toronto, Ontario

Toronto's Blue Bin page names cassettes, CDs and DVDs under other plastics that do not belong in the bin. Books are not listed on either the accepted or the not-accepted side — they appear only in a photo caption of paper items — and the page tells residents to check the Waste Wizard tool when they are unsure, which is the only authoritative answer for books in Toronto.

Read the rule →

6 places in Kitchener–Waterloo that take books

Encore Records Ltd.

Quote first Not stated — ask
BuysUsed vinyl LPs, Used compact discs, Large collections and estate purchases
The dealTheir site states "We buy used compact discs and vinyl records", that they are particularly interested in rock, jazz, blues, soul and heavy metal in excellent condition, and that they often buy large collections and estate purchases — which makes them a useful contact when clearing a house. Trading in Kitchener since 1981.
Where206-301 King Street East, Kitchener, ON N2G 2L2
Their site does not state whether they pay cash or store credit, what they pay, whether a large collection needs an appointment, or whether they will view a collection at your home. It is a second-floor unit. Phone first before moving heavy boxes of records across town.
Visit their site →(519) 744-1370

Janus Books

Quote first Bring it to them
BuysClassics and recent paperback fiction, Bestsellers, Philosophy, Indigenous, ecology and poetry titles, High-quality art and design books, Unusual and uncommon titles
Won't takeMagazines, Hardcover thrillers, Books with stains, tears or smells, Titles they are already overstocked on
The dealOutright purchase of second-hand books in good condition. Their site states: "We buy for cash or offer 50% more in store credit." Collections of 25 books or fewer can be brought in during opening hours without an appointment; their site asks you to email selling@janusbooks.ca if you have more than 25 books. They have traded in downtown Guelph since 2012.
Where10 Paisley Street, Guelph, ON
Two timing rules on their site will cost you a trip if missed: they do not buy books on Tuesdays, and they do not take purchases in the final 30 minutes of the business day. No phone number appears on their site — contact is by email. Their site does not mention house calls for large libraries, so arrange anything big by email first. The 50% uplift for store credit is only worth having if you buy books there.
Visit their site →

KW Consignment Inc.

Consignment Not stated — ask
BuysDesigner and luxury clothing, Accessories, Jewellery, Furniture and home decor, Collectibles, Unique finds, Electronics, Media
Won't takeLingerie and underwear, Maternity wear, Children's wear, Fast fashion and most mall brands, Unlaundered, wrinkled or damaged clothing
The dealConsignment. Their site says only that "This ensures you get the majority of the proceeds while we take a commission" — the actual percentages appear in an image and are not stated in text anywhere on the site, so ask for the number in writing before you hand anything over. Payment is by e-transfer once you request it, processed within 1-3 business days. They also run online auctions through HiBid and advertise estate sale services.
WhereUnit 4, 86 Rankin St., Waterloo, ON
The commission split is not stated in text anywhere on their site — get the percentage, the consignment period and what happens to unsold goods in writing before leaving items. Their site states: "Items are subject to be sold via auction as per the contract, if the items have not sold online through our website after a period of time. You will be contacted if this occurs." Establish what that period is and whether you can decline the move to auction, since an auction result can differ substantially from the shop price.
Visit their site →519-778-4415

Kelso & Company Auctioneers (KelsoBid)

Consignment Not stated — ask
BuysEstate contents, Household goods from downsizing, Collections, Industrial surplus
The dealAn auction house rather than a shop. Their site invites you to "Sell one item or the whole collection here" and lists services for estates, downsizing and industrial surplus across Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. Goods are consigned and sold at auction, so you are paid after the sale and only if the lot sells — this is not money on the day.
WhereServes the tri-city area of Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. No street address is published on their site.
No commission rate, seller fee or settlement timeline of any kind is published on their site, and no street address is given. Ask for the complete fee schedule in writing — including anything charged for collection, photography, lotting or unsold lots — and for when you are paid after a sale, before committing a houseful of goods. Auction results are not guaranteed and a lot can sell for far less than retail, so also ask whether reserves are permitted.
Visit their site →519-837-7653

Once Upon A Child Kitchener

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysGently used children's clothing, Children's shoes, Toys, Books, Children's furniture, Baby gear, Maternity apparel
Won't takeItems that are not freshly laundered
The dealOutright purchase, not consignment — their site states you are paid cash on the spot for gently used children's items. Their site asks that items be "freshly laundered, and brought in a container such as a bag, bin, box, or tote", and that you "call our store 30 minutes before you head into our store" to check what they currently need and what container limits apply.
WhereTheir brand site publishes a Kitchener, Ontario location page, but the street address, phone number and opening hours are not rendered on it. Confirm the address through the brand's store locator before travelling.
No public premises listed. We could not find a street address or phone on their site.
Their site is explicit that you must bring government-issued photo identification: "bring a government issued photo ID (drivers license)" and "You will not be able to sell to us without your ID." The address, phone number and hours are not shown on their own location page, which also makes the 30-minute courtesy call they ask for difficult to place — get the number from the brand's store locator first. No payout percentage is published.
Visit their site →

PayMore Kitchener

Buys outright Not stated — ask
BuysiPhones and smartphones, MacBooks and laptops, Tablets, Cameras, Gaming consoles, Video games, Other consumer electronics
The dealOutright purchase. Their site states you get paid cash on the spot with no appointment needed, and that devices are evaluated in store. Store credit is offered as an alternative to cash, and their site says trade credit never expires.
Where945 Victoria Street North, #1, Kitchener, ON N2B 3C6
No payout percentage is published, so the offer is whatever they quote on the day. Their site offers a choice of cash or store credit but does not state the value of either, so ask for both figures before deciding. Back up and sign out of your own accounts before handing a device over — removing an activation lock afterwards is difficult.
Visit their site →(226) 812-1333
We could not verify this city’s municipal rules for second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers from an official source, so we state none. Check with the City or the province before relying on anything you read about them elsewhere.

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

See what it's worth Donate it instead → Everything in Kitchener–Waterloo →

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