Library Book Sales: How to Find Them and What to Expect

Q: Can you just buy a book from the library?

Not from the regular circulating shelves, which are for borrowing. But most libraries do sell used books through periodic book sales, a year-round sale cart, or a Friends of the Library bookstore. Larger Friends groups also sell valuable titles online through eBay and Amazon stores, which is why you will find ex-library copies for sale.

Q: Who runs library book sales?

Almost always the Friends of the Library, an independent volunteer nonprofit that supports the library. They sort donated books and items the library has withdrawn from its collection, run the sale, and send the money back to the library for programs, equipment and events. The American Library Association provides toolkits to help these groups operate.

Q: How much do books cost at a library book sale?

They are cheap by design. Paperbacks typically run $0.25 to $1 and hardcovers about $1 to $3, with children's books, DVDs and audiobooks in a similar range. Many sales end with a fill-a-bag deal, often around $3 to $10 for a whole grocery bag. Exact prices are set by each Friends group and vary by sale.

Q: How do I find a library book sale near me?

Check four sources: your library's events calendar (most reliable for dates), the Friends of the Library group's own page, the national directory BookSaleFinder.com (browse by state), and listings for big annual community sales. Search our city directory or browse by state to find your local branch, then check its calendar.

Q: What kind of books are sold at library book sales?

A mix of donated books from the public and withdrawn or weeded library books pulled from the collection. You will typically find fiction and nonfiction, children's and young-adult books, cookbooks, and often DVDs, CDs and audiobooks. Selection is unpredictable since stock is whatever came in since the last sale, which is part of the appeal.

Q: What is a members-only preview night?

At larger sales, the Friends of the Library often open the doors early to members before the public, so dues-paying members get first pick of the best titles. Membership is usually inexpensive, commonly $10 to $20 a year, and that fee is itself a donation to the library. If a sale offers a preview, joining the Friends is often the cheapest way to shop first.

What library book sales are, who runs them, typical prices, how to find one near you, and whether you can buy books straight from the library.

By the Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team · Updated October 4, 2026

In this guide

What is a library book sale?
What you'll find and typical prices
Member preview nights (how to shop first)
Where to find a library book sale near you
Can you buy books directly from the library?
Buying vs. donating — the same cycle

Quick answer: A library book sale is a fundraiser that sells used books the library no longer needs plus donated books — usually run by the volunteer Friends of the Library, with money going back to library programs. Prices are low (often $0.25–$3 a book, and many sales end with a "fill a bag" deal). Find one through your library's events calendar, its Friends group, or a national listing like BookSaleFinder.com. You generally can't buy a book off the regular shelves, but many libraries run a permanent used-book shop or an eBay/Amazon store year-round.

What is a library book sale?

A library book sale is a used-book sale held to raise money for the library. The stock comes from two places: donated books the public drops off, and "weeded" or withdrawn items — books the library has pulled from its own collection because they're worn, outdated, or duplicated. The sale turns that material into cash for programs, equipment and events rather than sending it to the landfill.

Most of these sales are organized not by library staff but by a Friends of the Library group — an independent nonprofit of volunteers whose whole purpose is to support the library. The American Library Association notes that when you donate books, the library is free to "put it in a book sale to raise funds for the library," and in practice most donations flow to the Friends for exactly that (ALA). The ALA's Friends program offers toolkits to libraries nationwide on running these groups (ala.org).

What you'll find and typical prices

Book sales are deliberately cheap — the goal is to move volume and raise funds, not to maximize per-item price. Exact prices are set by each Friends group and vary, but the ranges below are typical of what you'll see. Many sales also run a "bag sale" on the final day, where you fill a grocery bag or box for a flat price.

What's on the tables	Typical price
Paperbacks (fiction, genre, mass-market)	$0.25 – $1
Hardcovers	$1 – $3
Children's & kids' picture books	$0.25 – $1
Coffee-table, art & specialty books	$2 – $5+
DVDs, CDs & audiobooks	$0.50 – $2
"Fill a bag" (final-day deal)	$3 – $10 per bag

Real examples make the pricing concrete. The Friends of the Newport Beach Public Library in California run a quarterly sale where Saturday is "3 Bucks a Bag" all day for the general public (newportbeachlibrary.org). Selection is broad — fiction and nonfiction, children's books, cookbooks, and often music, movies and audiobooks — but it's unpredictable, which is half the fun: stock is whatever was donated and withdrawn since the last sale.

Member preview nights (how to shop first)

At larger sales, the best pickings go fast, so many Friends groups hold a members-only preview before the doors open to the public. Newport Beach, for example, opens its Friday session to members only (3 books for $1) before the Saturday public bag sale (newportbeachlibrary.org). Membership is usually inexpensive — often $10–$20 a year — and that fee is itself a donation to the library. If a sale you're eyeing has a preview night, joining the Friends is frequently the cheapest way to get first crack at the collectible and like-new titles.

Where to find a library book sale near you

There's no single calendar for every sale, but these four sources cover almost all of them:

Your library's events page. Nearly every library posts upcoming sales on its own website calendar and newsletter — the most reliable source for dates and hours. Not sure which library is yours? Use our search-by-city directory or browse public libraries by state.
The Friends of the Library group. The Friends usually have their own page (or social-media accounts) listing sale dates, preview nights and membership — search "Friends of the [your] Public Library."
BookSaleFinder.com. A long-running national directory you can browse by state to find upcoming used-book sales across the U.S. and Canada, including library and Friends sales (booksalefinder.com).
Big annual community sales. Beyond libraries, civic groups run huge yearly sales worth a road trip — the AAUW State College sale in Pennsylvania, held every spring since 1962, offers up to a quarter-million books and bills itself as one of the largest in the country (aauwstatecollege.org).

Can you buy books directly from the library?

Not usually off the regular shelves — the circulating collection is for borrowing, not buying, and it isn't for sale. But "can you buy books at the library?" has a real yes behind it in a few forms:

Book sales and ongoing sale shelves. Many libraries keep a permanent cart or shelf of withdrawn and donated books for sale year-round, in addition to their big periodic sales.
A Friends bookstore. Some systems run a full used-book shop inside the library. The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, for instance, operate a bookstore at the Main Library (members get 10% off) alongside their monthly sales (friendssfpl.org).
Online stores. Larger Friends groups sell the more valuable finds through eBay and Amazon stores — the Friends of SFPL run both (friendssfpl.org). That's also why you'll see "ex-library" copies for sale online, complete with pocket and stamp.

What you can't do is pull a book you're currently borrowing and buy it to keep — but if you love a title, the sale shelf or Friends store is the place to ask.

Buying vs. donating — the same cycle

Book sales are one half of a loop: the public donates books, the library and Friends sell what they can't shelve, and the proceeds fund the library. If you're on the other side of that cycle and want to contribute, see our guide to donating books to the library — including what condition they actually accept and why most donations end up at the Friends book sale. And remember the cheapest option of all is still getting a library card and borrowing for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you just buy a book from the library?

Not from the regular, circulating shelves — those books are for borrowing, not sale. But most libraries do sell used books through periodic book sales, a year-round sale cart, or a Friends of the Library bookstore. Larger Friends groups also sell valuable titles online through eBay and Amazon stores, which is why you’ll find “ex-library” copies for sale.

Who runs library book sales?

Almost always the Friends of the Library — an independent volunteer nonprofit that supports the library. They sort donated books and items the library has withdrawn from its collection, run the sale, and send the money back to the library for programs, equipment and events. The American Library Association provides toolkits to help these groups operate.

How much do books cost at a library book sale?

They’re cheap by design. Paperbacks typically run $0.25 to $1 and hardcovers about $1 to $3, with children’s books, DVDs and audiobooks in a similar range. Many sales end with a “fill a bag” deal — often around $3 to $10 for a whole grocery bag. Exact prices are set by each Friends group and vary by sale.

How do I find a library book sale near me?

Check four sources: your library’s events calendar (most reliable for dates), the Friends of the Library group’s own page, the national directory BookSaleFinder.com (browse by state), and listings for big annual community sales. Not sure which library is yours? Search our city directory or browse by state to find your local branch, then check its calendar.

What kind of books are sold at library book sales?

A mix of donated books from the public and withdrawn (“weeded”) library books pulled from the collection. You’ll typically find fiction and nonfiction, children’s and young-adult books, cookbooks, and often DVDs, CDs and audiobooks. Selection is unpredictable since stock is whatever came in since the last sale, which is part of the appeal for bargain hunters and collectors.

What is a members-only preview night?

At larger sales, the Friends of the Library often open the doors early to members before the public, so dues-paying members get first pick of the best titles. Membership is usually inexpensive — commonly $10 to $20 a year — and that fee is itself a donation to the library. If a sale offers a preview, joining the Friends is often the cheapest way to shop first.

Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team

Public-Libraries.com is an independent, reader-supported directory of every U.S. public library. Our editorial team compiles verified hours, services and resources from official sources — see how we verify our data.