books · Ontario

Where to sell books, records and media in London

6 businesses in and around London 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.

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 London that take books

Game Cycle London Wharncliffe

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysVideo games, Consoles, Gaming accessories, Movies
Won't takeNot stated on their site
The dealAn outright sale, with a choice of payment form — their site says 'Bring in your games, consoles, and movies for cash or store credit.' Cash and store credit are two different offers on the same item, so ask for both numbers before deciding. The site does not publish what it pays relative to resale value.
Where79 Wharncliffe Rd. S., London, ON
Store credit is only spendable in that shop. If you are clearing a house for money, ask specifically for the cash figure — the site does not state how the two offers compare.
Visit their site →519-601-8990

Gardner Galleries

Consignment Bring it to them
BuysAuction-quality antiques, art and collectibles, Higher-value single pieces
Won't takeTotal consignments estimated under $2,000, Items already listed on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, Individual general household furnishings — dining sets, prints, glassware, porcelain
The dealAn auction house on consignment terms, stated plainly on their How To Sell page: 'The standard commission rate is 25%.' Higher-value consignments may qualify for a reduced rate; lower-quality consignments may face a higher rate or be refused. 'The current minimum consignment value is $2,000, with exceptions at our discretion.' 'Payment is issued by cheque within 30 days of the auction's conclusion and mailed to the consignor's address on file, unless alternative arrangements have been made such as e-transfer.' Send photographs first for a preliminary assessment. They note 'The standard rate for professional cartage in London is approximately $150/hour + HST' — your cost, not theirs.
Where407 Hamilton Road, London, ON
This is the wrong door for an ordinary house clear-out: they decline consignments under $2,000 and items already listed on Marketplace or Kijiji. You wait for the auction, then up to 30 more days for the cheque, and 25% comes off.
Visit their site →

Grooves Records

Quote first Not stated — ask
BuysVinyl records, CDs, Music ephemera, Used audio equipment (Wortley Road location only)
Won't takeTitles that do not sell well, Extra copies of titles they already hold too many of, Water damaged, scratched or otherwise poor-condition items, DVDs — they state 'Grooves does not buy DVDs (movies)'
The dealThey buy from the public directly. Their we-buy page says they 'could potentially do "House Calls" for large collections or Collectibles collections,' so call before hauling boxes downtown. The page does not state whether they pay cash, store credit, or both, or at what proportion of resale value — ask when you go in.
Where236 Dundas Street, London, ON N6A 1H3
Their page states 'we are required by law to check government-issued photo ID when buying product,' so bring photo ID.
Visit their site →519-640-6714

Odyssey Records

Quote first Not stated — ask
BuysUsed vinyl LPs and 45s, CDs, Cassettes, DVDs and Blu-rays, VHS tapes
Won't takeNot stated on their site
The dealThey buy used media from the public: 'We will buy your used media items, including vinyl LPs and 45s, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and VHS tapes.' They say they 'pay top dollar for rare and obscure titles,' but publish no percentages or valuation formula, and do not state whether payment is cash, trade credit or a mix. For large collections, or to leave items for later evaluation, they ask you to 'call us at (519) 694-3665 to discuss your collection and schedule an appointment.'
Where1025 Elias Street, London, ON N5W 3P6
Their site states 'Government issued photo ID is required by law when selling used product to Odyssey Records,' so bring it. Payment form is not published — agree what you are getting, and in what form, before handing anything over.
Visit their site →519-694-3665

Speed City Records

Quote first Not stated — ask
BuysRecords, Used CDs, Stereo and audio gear, Whole collections and estates
Won't takeNot stated on their site
The dealThey buy stacks, large collections and estates. Their sell-to-us page tells you to 'Call the shop before hauling boxes across town' rather than arriving unannounced, and says 'Paperwork for probate and insurance situations can also be provided when needed' — useful if you are clearing an estate. They describe giving 'a direct assessment based on condition, demand, format, and the kind of stock the shop can move.' The page does not state whether they pay cash or trade credit, or what proportion of resale value they offer.
Where294 Springbank Drive, London, ON N6J 1E9
Payment form is not published on their site. Agree what you are getting, and in what form, before you hand anything over.
Visit their site →519-858-2680

Yardigan's Estate Liquidation Services

Quote first May collect — ask
BuysWhole estate contents, Furniture, Collectibles, General household items with resale value, Storage unit contents
Won't takeNot stated on their site
The dealTheir services page describes an estate buyout: they are 'prepared to make a competitive cash offer for the estate in its entirety. One price and its all gone!' So this is one lump-sum purchase of everything rather than item-by-item pricing. They advertise a free assessment. They also run junk removal, downsizing and estate clean-out services alongside the buyout — their 'Junk Be Gone' service is framed as considering items with resale value instead of disposal fees. Make sure you know which service you are being quoted for and in which direction money is moving: a clean-out is a service you pay for, a buyout is money coming to you. Get the figure and the direction of payment in writing before anything leaves the house.
Where78 Firestone Blvd Unit 2, London, ON N5W 5L4
One price for everything means no itemised valuation, so anything genuinely valuable in the load is bought within the same lump sum.
Visit their site →519-697-7657
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 London →

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