Where to sell or donate used books in Clackamas County

A move, a downsize, or just an overflowing shelf — eventually every reader in Clackamas County faces a stack of books that needs a new home. Here’s how to clear them out without sending good books to the landfill.

Trade them for credit (our favorite)

If the books are in good shape, trading beats selling outright: you turn old reads into store credit toward new ones. To Be Read in Milwaukie takes trades in person — here’s exactly how our trade-in credit works, and what we tend to look for.

Sell them outright

Want cash instead of credit? Online marketplaces and buyback sites are an option, though payouts on common titles are modest. Our guide to selling your used books walks through what’s worth the effort and what isn’t.

Donate the rest

Books that don’t sell or trade still have value. Local libraries (and their Friends-of-the-Library book sales), thrift stores, and Little Free Libraries around Clackamas County all welcome gently used books. It keeps them in circulation and out of the recycling bin.

A quick sorting tip

Before you haul everything out, make three piles: trade-worthy (clean, popular, in-demand), sellable (collectible or in-demand nonfiction), and donate (everything else). It saves a lot of back-and-forth at the counter.

Bring the good ones to us

Check our hours and directions, then bring your trade pile in. While we look it over, browse the shelves — or see where Portland-area readers trade their books.