books · Ontario

Where to sell books, records and media in Ottawa

5 businesses in and around Ottawa 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 →

5 places in Ottawa that take books

BuyTown BuyBack

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
Buysgold, silver, video games, brand-name power tools, musical instruments, electronics, cellphones, tablets, laptops, select watches, collectables
The dealTheir site runs two modes. They "buy many different pre-owned items" outright, and they separately offer "fast & easy collateral loans", which is secured borrowing: the shop holds the item as security and returns it when the loan is repaid on the agreed terms. No interest rate, fee or payout percentage is published on the site. Nearest of the pawn options to Ottawa's west end.
Where2066 Robertson Rd, Nepean, ON K2H 9R6
A "buy-back" or collateral loan is secured credit, not a sale. The site publishes no rate or cost figure.
Visit their site →613-829-9797

Ottawa Antique Market

Quote first May collect — ask
Buysantiques, collectibles, jewellery, silverware, early Canadiana, fine art, art deco, art nouveau, mid-century modern, Victorian and Georgian, folk art, Indigenous art, Persian rugs, vintage posters, records, classic toys and memorabilia, vintage clothing and textiles
The dealTheir site states: "Whether it is one item or an entire estate you can bring your items to the Market or give us a call at 613-730-6000 so we can arrange to view your items at your home." Whether a given item is bought outright or taken on some other basis is not stated on the site, so establish which before anything leaves the house. Useful when you are clearing a whole house and cannot sort it yourself.
Where1179A Bank Street, Ottawa, ON
For a house visit, establish in advance whether the visit is free, and whether you are being made a single offer for the lot or item-by-item prices.
Visit their site →613-730-6000

Patrick McGahern Books

Quote first Not stated — ask
Buysrare books in most subjects, Arctic and northern material, Canadiana, voyages and travel, military history, individual items and collections of all sizes
Won't takedamaged books, encyclopedias, textbooks
The dealAn antiquarian dealer whose site states: "We buy individual items and collections of all sizes. We buy rare books in most subjects," with particular interest in the Arctic, Canadiana, voyages and travel, and military history. This is the outlet for one good old book rather than twelve boxes of paperbacks. Their site says they welcome all enquiries; contact them with details before hauling anything in. No payout basis or percentage is published.
Where11 Murray Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 9M5
Their site states they do not buy damaged books, encyclopedias or textbooks. General used paperbacks and book-club editions are not what a rare book dealer is looking for.
Visit their site →613-230-2275

Spaceman Music

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
Buyselectric, acoustic and bass guitars, amplifiers, PA systems, recording gear, microphones, keyboards, effects pedals
The dealA Gladstone Avenue instrument shop whose site states: "We take trades, buy outright and consign." That means you can ask for all three numbers on the same instrument: a cash offer now, a trade value against something in the shop, or a price they would list it at on consignment. No consignment percentage is published. They also have an on-site service department, which matters because a setup or repair can change what a playable instrument is worth.
Where388 Gladstone Ave., Ottawa, ON K2P 0Z1
An outright cash offer, a trade credit and a consignment listing price are three different numbers for the same instrument, and only the first is money in hand today. Ask which one you are being quoted.
Visit their site →613-594-5323

Vertigo Records

Quote first May collect — ask
Buysvinyl: soul, funk, jazz, blues, punk, indie, metal, reggae, hip hop, classic rock, alternative rock, CDs and cassettes in good condition
Won't takeclassical, big band, easy listening, crooners, French-language pop, dance, any LP with mould, LPs with deep scratches or warps
The dealBring records in during business hours for a quote. Their site states they pay cash for used items, with a higher value available if you take store credit instead. If you are bringing more than 50 items they ask you to call the store first. House calls are available depending on the size and quality of the collection. Condition standards are published: LPs need no deep scratches or warps, CDs need minimal scratches, and cassettes must be complete and rust-free.
Where1208 Bank St., Ottawa, ON
Store credit is worth more than cash here by the shop's own account, but it is only spendable in that shop. Their site is explicit that mouldy LPs will not be bought under any circumstances, so check boxes that have been in a basement before loading the car.
Visit their site →613-241-1011
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 Ottawa →

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