Second-hand books in Saint John typically sells for C$4 to C$945 (about $3 to $675). Edition and condition decide the value, and for most books condition decides it almost alone. A first printing in poor shape is usually worth less than a later one that is clean.
Buying books in Saint John
Saint John is an industrial port on a bay with the highest tides in the world, dominated by a refinery and shipping, with a preserved nineteenth-century core that survived the city’s decline. Fog here is a defining feature of the summer rather than an occasional inconvenience.
Condition language means different things to different sellers, and a description of good covers everything from crisp to barely holding together. Handling a copy resolves that in seconds and is why serious buyers here prefer to come and look.
What to check in person
Fan the pages under a light and watch for foxing, the brown speckling that comes from damp storage and never lifts. Check the spine has not been rolled or cracked, and on a set make sure the volumes actually match rather than merely resembling one another.
Collecting it in Saint John
It fits in a bag, so most people meet on the way to something else. A station or a high street works, and neither side needs a car.
The uptown core is compact and hilly with limited parking, so confirm access for anything large. The city is spread around the harbour, so agree which side rather than assuming a short trip.
Selling your books in Saint John free
Industrial shift work runs on its own cycle and the older housing stock turns over with old contents. Damp and fog mean storage conditions matter more here than in most of the country.
Quote the ISBN where there is one, since it settles the edition question outright and saves a long exchange of messages. Sort a collection by subject before anyone comes, because a browsable box sells and a jumbled one does not. Textbooks move around the start of term; everything else is steady with a winter lift.
Interac e-Transfer is the norm and is instant and traceable, which suits a private sale well. It is what most buyers will suggest before anything else.
Books worth listing in Saint John
Same region (New Brunswick)
If nothing in Saint John suits, Moncton, Fredericton and Toronto each have their own books page, and a seller will often meet part of the way for something worth the trip.
More in Saint John: everything second hand in Saint John, or Books across Canada.
Prices converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate; sellers set their own price.