Donating books

Running out of shelf space or downsizing your book collection? Give your books a second life! Donate them to your local Oxfam shop.

If you're unsure where to donate books, you can search for Oxfam charity shops that accept books near you with our shop finder.

Most of Oxfam’s +500 high street shops accept book, but there may be times in the year when we are at capacity for accepting donations. Please use the find an Oxfam Shop near you tab to contact your nearest shop to check.

If you are a UK taxpayer, you can help Oxfam make the most of your donated books for charity causes worldwide by signing up for Gift Aid. You can sign up online, or in person when you donate. This helps Oxfam raise an extra 25% on the value of your donation by reclaiming government basic rate tax.

You might not know that Oxfam is the biggest chain of second hand bookshops in Europe. So you know you're giving your donated books the best chance of finding a new home.

Use our donation bags to donate books by post for free. Just follow these steps:

1. You can reuse one of your own bags and generate a postage label, or order one of our recycled donation bags online.
2. Pack your books.
3. Add your Gift Aid number.
4. Then drop them off at your local DPD drop off point.

You can include any of the items that Oxfam accepts with your books for donation.

Many of our stores accept donations of textbooks, but please contact your local store first to check. Don't let your old textbooks gather dust on a shelf — recycle them with Oxfam. By donating your textbooks, you'll be supporting Oxfam's vital work fighting poverty and injustice around the globe. Your donation could help provide life-changing resources, such as safe clean water, to people who need it most.

Plus, by recycling your textbooks, you're also doing your part to protect the environment and reduce waste. It's a win-win situation — you clear some space and make a difference at the same time.

We accept all books, regardless of the genre, value, age or topic. Whether paperback or hardback, fiction or non-fiction. We also accept audiobooks on cassette and CD. Plus comic books and graphic novels. We especially welcome books that are in good condition.

Examples of popular genres that are donated to our charity shops include:

• Children's books
• Academic books and textbooks
• Rare and collectable books
• Fiction of all genres
• Informational books and guides on any topic
• Poetry and plays
• Reference books.

We're very happy to accept donations of rare and valuable books. From antiques to signed copies, collectables to first editions. Our volunteers are almost always able to research unusual and rare books. So we can make the most of your donations.

If you'd like to, you can speak to a volunteer, or include a note with the donation about what makes your books special, for extra peace of mind.

Don’t worry if your pre-loved books aren’t in perfect condition!

Any donated books that Oxfam can't sell, even after they've been up for sale in multiple shops, are used for wood pulp and recycled by our partners.

Because Oxfam’s recycling systems are so efficient, we make a profit even on books that can’t be resold.

We have over 120 dedicated Books and Music high street shops in the UK.

These only stock only books and music in the form of CDs, vinyl, cassettes, DVDs, Blu-rays. As well as musical instruments and sheet music.

They're sorted and organised by type and alphabetically by our fantastic volunteers. So it's easy to find what you're looking for.

If there isn't a dedicated Oxfam Books and Music shop in your town, then your local Oxfam shop will have a books section. Alongside clothing, accessories and homewares.

If you’re clearing out some space and want to refresh your book collection, you can find a huge range of books on our online shop.

We have over 100,000 books in stock at any one time. From bargains under £5, to recent bestsellers, to rare and antique collectables.

Books are listed online if they're unusual rare or collectors items. They may also be books that haven't sold in stores immediately, but are too valuable to recycle.

Categories include children's books, crime fiction, and romance, as well as non-fiction like biographies, art and photography, and food and drink.

Each category can be filtered into narrower subcategories. So you can browse to find exactly what you're looking for.

You can also search for your favourite titles and authors.

We never know what we'll receive in donations, so check back regularly to snap up bargains and hidden gems!

Oxfam book donations are sorted and prepared for sale by our fantastic team of volunteers.

We’re always keen to welcome new volunteers to help fund Oxfam’s vital work fighting poverty, whatever your reasons for volunteering.

Maybe you have expert knowledge of books or are keen to learn more. Maybe you'd like to meet new people. Or to find new favourite reads.

How much time you volunteer, and what you do is completely up to you.