Today, we’ll discuss another location quite popular among students and graduates—San Diego. We’ll also share a list of the best places where you can sell used books and textbooks to local stores and online.

Just like Seattle, which we recently discussed, San Diego also attracts a large number of students every year. There are plenty of reasons for this, and apart from the obvious—great education opportunities—San Diego boasts fantastic weather, the beautiful Pacific Ocean, stunning beaches, and plenty of other stuff that makes it an ultimate destination for college students.

All in all, NCES’s list includes 33 schools and colleges in the city, including prominent examples such as San Diego State University (SDSU). The third-largest in California, it offers exceptional education and “provides more than 37,000 students with the opportunity to participate in an academic curriculum.” It’s also famous for its amazing architecture and fantastic campus grounds. We’ve once mentioned it when we were discussing the 10 most beautiful college campuses.

With so many colleges and students, the city has to offer plenty of places for the latter to concentrate on campus grounds and outside. And it does, as you can learn from our post about the top 11 best study spots in San Diego.

It’s also important for San Diego to have many bookstores that cater to all students and their needs and spots that sell and buy back all kinds of literature. Although finding a bookstore with a selection of great reads isn’t usually a problem, finding a place to sell used books can be hard. In this post, we’ll focus on places that offer a buyback program and discuss brick-and-mortar stores and online services in San Diego.

1. How to Sell Books in San Diego?
2. Where to Sell Used Books in San Diego? Brick-and-Mortar Stores
3. Where to Donate Books in San Diego?
4. How to Sell Books Online in San Diego?

How to Sell Books in San Diego?

Just like in any other place, San Diego offers two options: you can sell used books and textbooks to a physical bookstore (by visiting it in person) or do it online. The choice usually depends on your preferences and the books (genre, condition, etc.).

Where to Sell Used Books in San Diego? Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Bookstore	Books They Buy
Verbatim Books (619) 501-7466 3793 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104 Fri and Mon: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.	You can bring up to 50 books to sell/trade without an appointment. Accepted: Recent and classic novels, horror, contemporary romance, SF/Fantasy, decorative antiquarian books, recent architecture, art, photography books in good condition, and children’s board books in like-new condition. Not accepted: textbooks, encyclopedias, damaged books, books with moisture damage, dirty or dusty books, books stored in unsuitable conditions, books that smell of smoke, or hardcover mysteries/suspense novels without their original dust jacket.
Maxwell’s House of Books (619) 462-3387 8285 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942 Tue – Sat: 11 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Sun: 12 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.	Gently used, high-quality goods, “Maxwell’s House of Books wants to help you earn money from books you no longer want.” They pay a percentage on the spot of what they sell your books for.   Not accepted: textbooks, magazines, or books with writing in them.
La Playa Books (619) 226-2601 1026 Rosecrans St, San Diego, CA 92106 Mon – Sat: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.	Fine books in almost-new condition for trade credit. House calls for estates of 500+ books. Store credit is typically 25% of what they list the book for. Not accepted Hardcovers without jackets, books with highlighting or underlining, books with loose bindings, smelly, moldy, or water-damaged books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, ex-library books, recent/contemporary hardcover fiction, Readers’ Digest books, certain romance and mystery publishers, test prep books, textbooks, Time-Life Books and certain other publishers, magazines.
BOOKOFF San Diego (858) 836-4177 4240 Kearny Mesa Rd, San Diego, CA 92111   Mon – Sun: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.	Used books (and other stuff) for cash. Accepted: Comics, manga, graphic novels, fiction, non-fiction, paperbacks, hardcovers, coffee table books, dictionaries, children’s books (picture/chapter books), audiobooks, Spanish books, and select Japanese books and magazines. No appointment is needed, but a government-issued valid photo ID is required.
Bluestocking Books (619) 296-1424 3817 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 Mon – Tue: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Fri – Sat: 10 p.m. – 7 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.	Used books for trade credit (no cash). 50% off of used-book prices. Contact the store in advance.
UC San Diego – Course Materials Center (858) 534-4557 UC San Diego Bookstore, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093 Mon – Fri: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sun: Closed	Textbooks and course materials in good condition. Up to 50% of a book’s original price during major buyback periods.
Artifact Books (760) 452-4211 1501 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas, CA 92024 Mon – Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sun: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.	Used books, including rare editions, literary fiction, and art books. Contact the store in advance.
Footnote Books (619) 294-8455 1627 University Ave San Diego, CA 92103 Mon – Sun: 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Tue: Closed	Selling and buying books and ephemera since 1991. No website; visit in person and check with the owner whether they are currently buying.
Helen’s Book Mark (760) 745-5010 133 E Grand Ave, Escondido, CA 92025 Wed, Fri, Sat: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.	Books and puzzles for trade credit.  It’s 95% paperback fiction bookstore and a paperback book exchange established in 1974. Contact the store in advance. Call ahead for large quantities.
Book Place (619) 462-1111 7398 University Ave, La Mesa, CA 91941 Wed – Sat: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.	Gently used books for trade credit. Accepted: Current hardbacks, current bestsellers, Harry Potter books, large print books, memoirs, recent non-fiction and fiction, and new adventure and suspense titles. Not accepted: Moldy, dirty, very old books in unacceptable condition, magazines, Reader’s Digest, Harlequin books, Regency era novels, encyclopedias.
Rare Book Buyer (646) 469-1851 11112 Vista Sorrento Pkwy A209, San Diego, CA 92130 Main office: 1050 2nd Ave #90, Manhattan, NY 10022	Old and rare books, libraries, and estates nationwide. Accepted: Pre-1800 material, fine bindings and sets, important illustrated works, limited edition, fine press books, signed books, illuminated and text manuscripts, as well as scholarly books in all fields and entire libraries. Contact them at WeBuyRareBooks@gmail.com or send photos to (646) 469-1851 for a free evaluation.
Southern California Comics (858) 715-8669 8280 Clairemont Mesa Bl #124 San Diego, CA 92111 Mon – Tue: 10 a.m – 5 p. m., Wed – Fri: 10 a.m – 6 p. M., Sat: 10 a.m – 5 p. m., Sun: Closed	Comic books Contact to arrange an appointment for comic book and collectible appraisals.
Mesa College Bookstore (619) 388-2703 7250 Mesa College Dr, San Diego, CA 92111 Mon – Fri: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sat – Sun: Closed	Buys back textbooks used in Mesa. Accepts college textbooks, along with a selected list of trade books in good condition. In-store buyback only. No online services at the moment.
Barnes & Noble – Mission Valley, CA (858) 537-0505 Hazard Center, 7610 Hazard Center Drive #315, San Diego, CA 92108 Mon – Frit: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sat: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.	Buys back used textbooks and trade books, though the availability of buyback services may vary. Check their Sell Your Textbooks page to understand their current demand.

Where to Donate Books in San Diego?

As you can see, not many bookstores in San Diego accept books (mostly for store credit), and even fewer accept textbooks. However, there are those that accept donations. You can check this option as well. Here are a few places that are not Goodwill, Salvation Army, Better World Books, etc. (though they are great organizations to donate to), but you may want to check out some local brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries in the San Diego area. You can also browse our posts about textbook donations and places to donate used books.

Grace’s Book Nook

10301 Scripps Lake Drive, San Diego, CA 92131

Grace’s Book Nook is a part of The Scripps Ranch Friends of the Library (SRFOL) that exists to support the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library Center. It welcomes “donations of new and used hardcover and softcover books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks. In addition, the Book Nook is happy to accept donations of (unused) greeting cards, intact jigsaw puzzles, educational games, etc.”

Libélula Books and Co

950 S 26th St, San Diego, CA 92113

Libélula Books and Co. claims that it ” hopes to become a learning and sharing space where folx of all walks of life can exist and grow together.”  Its website has a donation page, so you can check it out as well.

Friends of Santee Library

9225 Carlton Hills Blvd #8, Santee, CA 9207

Friends of Santee Library accepts donations in the form of books of all kinds except for encyclopedias, magazines, and textbooks over five years old.

Friends of the Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library

215 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

Friends of the Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox library accepts small book donations: books in good condition, books published in the last few years, fiction and nonfiction, foreign language books, children’s books, young adult books, and textbooks. They do not accept books with missing covers or pages, musty, odorous, moldy, or heavily annotated titles, or magazines older than two issues.

How to Sell Books Online in San Diego?

For those who prefer to do things online, we suggest online marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay, and Better World Books, as well as online booksellers like SellBackYourBook, eCampus, etc. You can find our advice on how to sell textbooks on Amazon and eBay—our short step-by-step guide in our blog.

Alternatively, if none of the above works for you, you can check BookScouter. Here’s why it might be the best solution regardless of your current location. BookScouter can show you the offers from more than thirty vendors—buyback services and bookstores willing to buy your book wherever you are in the US: San Diego, Seattle, Boston, etc. You can compare offers in seconds and choose the best one to sell your books. Here’s how it works.

Now, imagine that you’re an aerospace engineering major student deeply intrigued by aviation disasters. You’re not just studying aircraft—you’ve watched every Air Crash Investigations documentary from National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, and more, covering the most tragic plane crashes in aviation history. You probably even visit the NTSB’s official website to read reports and get technical information from real accidents (and, of course, check The Aviation Herald daily).

You likely have many books on this topic, including both textbooks and nonfiction. While aviation engineering—and aviation disasters—are quite specialized subjects, BookScouter can still give you a good estimate of how much your copy of Understanding Air France 447 is currently worth in the buyback market. Not much we have to admit, only $1.26, but many brick-and-mortar booksellers may not even accept such a niche title.

However, you can get way more for one of your textbooks. For example, the buyback offers for Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students (Aerospace Engineering) and Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach are almost half of their purchase price (which is higher than most campus offers usually offer):

Also, if you want to check offers for several engineering and aviation disaster-related books at once, you can use the multiple search feature. Just enter the ISBNs in the pop-up window.

You click Add ISBNs and get the price data from all currently buying vendors, with the best offers highlighted for your convenience.

If you decide to sell your copy of Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach to BlueRocketBooks (which has the highest quote so far), you simply click on the price and are transferred to the vendor page, where you can complete the buyback order and receive the follow-up instructions.

You can also use the free BookScouter mobile app to do the same. It’s even more convenient since you can scan book barcodes without entering ISBNs. The app is widely used by students and book scouts who want to sell books online quickly and easily.

Conclusion

As you can see, San Diego offers several options for frugal students and book lovers: there are several brick-and-mortar bookstores where you can sell books, from Verbatim Books or La Playa Books, where you can get store credit to college bookstores like UC San Diego, where you can bring your gently used textbooks. You can also get help from BookScouter to quickly scan all the available buyback vendor offers and sell your books online. The choice is yours, but we recommend considering the latter if you want to earn more.

If you’re not in San Diego or planning to move elsewhere, you might find our reviews of locations and bookstores that accept used books for store credit or cash helpful. Whether you’re in Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Ashburn, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, San Antonio, or New York City, we have detailed guides to help you find the best places to sell your used books.