books · Ontario

Where to sell books, records and media in Toronto

5 businesses in and around Toronto 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 5 will not take anything damaged or stainedBMV Books, Sonic Boom Records

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 Toronto that take books

BMV Books

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysBooks — fiction, non-fiction, recent releases and classics, Comics, pre-1990s or very new, and timeless classics, Antiquarian books, first editions and signed books, Vinyl LPs and some 45s, and select CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays — sci-fi, horror, Criterion, Kino, classic TV, Music, film, fashion and vintage magazines, Board games and action figures, complete and in original packaging, at the Bloor Street store only
Won't takeBooks in poor condition — water damage, cracked spines, yellowed pages, Encyclopedia sets and old atlases, Outdated reference books on computers, travel, health and politics, Hardcover pop fiction already available in paperback
The dealStraightforward counter purchase: bring items to the buying counter at any of the three stores, they make an offer on what they can resell, and you "Take the Cash" on the spot. Anything declined you can donate to them or take home. "No appointment is necessary, but we strongly recommend you call ahead if you have more than two boxes of material." They will look at anything from a single item to a full library. No ID requirement is stated on their site.
WhereThree stores: Annex, 471 Bloor St. West (416-967-5757); Uptown, 2289 Yonge Street (416-482-6002); Downtown, 10 Edward Street (416-977-3087). Board games and action figures are bought at the Bloor Street store only.
No house calls are mentioned, so a large library means several car trips — call ahead if you have more than two boxes rather than arriving with a full trunk. Condition decides everything: cracked spines, yellowed pages and water damage are refused, as are encyclopedias, old atlases and dated reference books, which is a large share of what comes out of a cleared house. Expect to donate or re-load some of what you bring.
Visit their site →416-967-5757

Pawn Kings

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
BuysJewellery — rings, chains, necklaces, earrings, watches, Power tools — drills, saws, welders, Electronics — TVs, game consoles, laptops, cameras, Cellphones and accessories, Collectibles — box sets, action figures, coins, cards, comic books
The dealTheir site asks you to "Simply decide if your looking to sell your item or do a buy-back" — an outright sale, or an arrangement under which you get the item back. NOTHING about the buy-back side is published: no interest rate, no term, no fee, no statement of what happens if you do not return. No ID requirement is published either. The value of this entry is geographic — it is the Brampton option.
WhereBrampton: 73 Main Street N (905-497-7296). Hamilton: 501 Main St E (289-389-0757). The site claims "We have multiple location across the GTA" but lists no Toronto address and no third location.
A "buy-back" is not the same as a sale — you are getting the item back only on terms the site does not publish anywhere. Before agreeing to one, ask for the cost, the deadline and what happens on default, in writing. The homepage claims GTA locations it does not list, so confirm the branch and its hours before travelling.
Visit their site →905-497-7296

PayMore

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysPhones and iPhones, Laptops and MacBooks, iPads and tablets, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles, Video games, Computer parts, Cameras, headphones, smartwatches and audio equipment
Won't takeItems with no resale value — the site states they "can only pay for items that have resale value"
The dealA storefront buyer, not a mail-in service: bring the device in, they evaluate it, and the site states "If you accept, you'll receive immediate payment in cash – no waiting periods or delayed transactions." You are told to bring "your valid ID". Damaged devices are considered, with condition affecting the valuation. No pickup or collection service is mentioned.
WhereNO store inside Toronto. Brampton: 380 Bovaird Drive East, L6Z 2S1, (289) 948-1810. Kitchener: 945 Victoria Street North, N2B 3C6, (226) 812-1333. Hamilton and Oakville are listed as coming soon.
Despite appearing under a Toronto heading, the nearest branch is Brampton — check the map before driving out from the city centre or the east end. Factory-reset and sign out of every device first; an account still signed in usually means the device cannot be resold. Bring valid photo ID, which they ask for.
Visit their site →(289) 948-1810

Queenglad Pawnbrokers

Buys or lends Not stated — ask
BuysJewellery, Computers and electronics, Power tools, Musical instruments, Video games, Home audio
The dealBuys, sells, trades and lends. PAWN LOAN: the ticket is "valid for one year", during which you may return to repay the loan plus any fees, or renew. The site states plainly what happens otherwise: "If you're unable to repay the loan or don't return within the year, the item will become the legal property of Queenglad Pawnbrokers and be sold at a reasonable rate." It advertises "zero lending limits on instant cash loans" and claims "some of the lowest interest rates in the GTA" but publishes NO rate — none is stated here because none is published. OUTRIGHT SALE is offered on the same categories. No ID requirement is stated on their site.
Where1200 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1J6
"Some of the lowest interest rates in the GTA" is a marketing claim with no number published behind it. Get the rate, the fees and the total cost to redeem written on the ticket before handing anything over. Forfeiture of an unredeemed item after one year is stated on their own site.
Visit their site →416-536-2020

Sonic Boom Records

Buys outright May collect — ask
BuysVinyl LPs across Rock, Pop, Soul, R&B, Blues, Jazz, Reggae, International, Punk, Metal, Psychedelic, Garage Rock, Hip Hop, Electronic, Country, Folk and Soundtracks, 45s, CDs, Inherited and collector record collections of any size
Won't take78s, Badly scratched or water-damaged records, Classical, Vocal, Easy Listening and Religious records are rarely bought
The dealCounter purchase, with a buyer on duty 11am to 8pm, 364 days a year. They buy from a few LPs up to a whole collection and state most purchases take 30 minutes or less, longer at busy times or for large collections. Records brought in after 7pm are processed the next business day; you can also leave them for evaluation and a callback within 48 hours. They state they "will happily travel to take a look at larger collections of greater value". Every record is condition-checked individually.
Where215 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON
Their site states "Government issued photo ID is required by law when selling used product to Sonic Boom" — turning up without it ends the trip. If the collection is mostly Classical, Vocal, Easy Listening or Religious, call first; they rarely buy those genres and you would otherwise carry the boxes both ways. They travel only for larger collections of greater value, so do not assume a house call for a few crates.
Visit their site →416-532-0334
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 Toronto →

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