Your options
Local bundles: Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji
A box of books or DVDs for local pick-up avoids shipping and fees altogether. Bundle by author, series or theme, or sell a box of kids’ books as one lot.
Game trade-ins: quick for recent games
EB Games (formerly GameStop Canada) and other game stores buy games and consoles for cash or store credit. It’s quick, but you’ll often get more selling recent games yourself.
Textbooks: buyback sites
Buyback sites such as BooksRun take some textbooks from Canada: you enter the ISBN, get an offer and ship the book. Compare the offer with what the same edition sells for locally.
eBay: rare, collectable and retro
eBay’s buyers search for exact titles and editions, including buyers in the US. It’s the place for first editions, signed copies, retro games and complete box sets. Search the title and tick “Sold items” to see what it actually sells for.
Used bookstores
Some independent bookstores buy books or give store credit, especially for good-condition non-fiction and collectable titles. Call first to ask what they’re looking for.
Tips for a better price
- Bundle the cheap ones. Books by the same author, a series, or a set of kids’ books.
- Check the discs. Scratched discs and missing cases are the most common reason for returns and rejected trade-ins.
- Note the edition. For books, include the ISBN, the edition and any signatures. For games, say which console and whether the case and manual are included.
What won’t sell
Books, DVDs and games nobody wants can go to a thrift store, a library book sale or a little free library. See where to donate.