What a fair price looks like
Condition on WishThrift is described by the seller against five grades, and nobody inspects them on your behalf — so the description and the photographs are what you are buying on.
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £35 (~$47) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £30 (~$40) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £23 (~$30) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £16 (~$21) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £9 (~$12) | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Sterling guide ranges with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). Sellers set their own asking price; these are a starting point for judging an offer. All five grades explained.
The checklist before you pay
Damp, which spreads to whatever you shelve beside it and cannot be reversed. Then edition — a later printing described loosely as a first.
Run through these before money changes hands — they are the things that decide whether textbooks is worth what is being asked:
- Superseded editions, which lose most of their value overnight
- Heavy highlighting and margin notes
- Used access codes, which cannot be reused
- Selling mid-term when demand has passed
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- Current editions still set on reading lists
- Unmarked pages with no highlighting
- Access codes unused where bundled
- Selling at the start of an academic term
Common faults and fakes
Book-club editions and later printings sold as firsts, usually without intent. The copyright page settles it.
Ask for a photograph of the copyright page and the spine, and ask directly whether there is any musty smell. An honest seller will say.
WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or grade anything, and no marketplace check replaces your own. If a seller will not answer a direct question about condition or origin, that is the answer.
Questions to ask the seller
These are the three that get asked most often about textbooks, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Check and answer honestly. Access codes are single-use and often worth more than the book; claiming an unused one that has been redeemed is a guaranteed dispute.
Flick through and photograph a representative page. Some students prefer annotated copies, so honesty here does not cost you the sale.
Read it from the copyright page. A course requiring the 12th edition has no use for the 11th, whatever the price.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Check the edition number against the current one
- Flick through for highlighting and note it honestly
- List at the start of a term rather than the end
Photographs to ask for
If the listing does not already show these, ask — a seller who has the item will send them in minutes:
- The front cover straight on
- The copyright page showing edition and ISBN
- A typical interior page, showing any highlighting
- The spine and corners, plus any water damage or loose binding
Details to confirm before you commit
- Title, author, edition number and ISBN
- Extent of highlighting or annotation, honestly described
- Whether any access code was included and whether it is unused
- Binding condition, and whether any pages are loose or missing
Live textbooks listings
Nothing matching is listed at the moment. Browse books for what is live now, or everything on the site — stock changes daily and new listings are free to post, so it is worth checking back.
When to buy
Sharply seasonal, peaking in late August, September and January as terms begin. Selling mid-term means waiting or discounting heavily.
Prices move against that cycle for a buyer: the cheapest time to buy is when sellers are listing most, not when demand peaks.
Paying and collecting safely
WishThrift does not process payments, hold funds or offer buyer protection — you agree the price and the method with the seller directly, which is what keeps the platform free on both sides. Meet somewhere public where you can, inspect before you pay, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed. Be wary of any seller who wants to move the conversation elsewhere before you have agreed anything.
Selling one instead?
If you already have textbooks sitting unused, it is free to list and there is no commission — the price you agree is the amount you keep. Read how to sell textbooks for what to photograph and how to price, or what textbooks are worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for used textbooks?
Around £3 to £23 in good condition, more for barely-used examples and less for anything with a described fault. Compare against the seller’s photographs rather than the grade alone.
How do I check textbooks before buying?
Ask for a photograph of the copyright page and the spine, and ask directly whether there is any musty smell. An honest seller will say.
Is buying textbooks second hand safe?
Yes, with the ordinary care any private sale needs. WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or hold funds, so inspect before you pay where you can, meet somewhere public, and keep the conversation on the site. Damp, which spreads to whatever you shelve beside it and cannot be reversed. Then edition — a later printing described loosely as a first.
See also: all buying guides · textbooks value guide · selling textbooks · Books · condition grades.