Secondhand books are a substantial part of reading and book commerce. A 2024 study from the Ministère de la Culture and SOFIA, using Kantar and GfK estimates for France, counted millions of used-book buyers in 2022. The same research shows growth in used purchases across literature, youth books, comics, and leisure titles, while later sustainability reporting describes a large international rehoming operation.
Contents
- How many people buy used books?
- How large is the secondhand market?
- Which book categories are bought used?
- Where do readers find secondhand books?
- How do people resell and pass on books?
- What do dealer surveys show?
- What does sustainability reporting measure?
How many people buy used books?
The 2024 Ministère de la Culture/SOFIA study gives two estimates for France in 2022. Kantar estimated that 7.0 million people bought at least one used book, while GfK estimated 8.9 million. These are different measurement series, so they should be read as separate estimates rather than combined.
The two series agree on the direction of change. Between 2014 and 2022, Kantar recorded a 37% increase in used-book buyers, and GfK recorded a 27% increase. The study also describes average annual increases of 4% in the Kantar series and 3% in the GfK series. Across the period, it says the rise represented 1.9 million additional used-book buyers.
Among people who bought books in 2022, Kantar found that 26% had purchased at least one used book. GfK placed the comparable share at about one-third. Kantar recorded a 7-percentage-point increase in this share between 2014 and 2022; GfK recorded a 9-point increase. Over Kantar’s longer 2012–2022 series, the share rose by 8 points.
Looking at the French population rather than only book buyers, GfK estimated that 17% of French people had bought at least one used book in 2022, compared with 13% in the Kantar estimate. The same study reported that 59% of French people bought books in any format during the survey period, leaving 41% who did not.
The transition from new-only buying to mixed buying is also visible in the printed-book data. In the GfK series, the share of printed-book buyers fell from 53% in 2016 to 47% in 2022. In 2022, 28% of printed-book buyers mixed new and used purchases in GfK, up 4 points, while Kantar measured 23%, up 2 points.
The longer Kantar comparison shows a 9-point fall in exclusive-new buyers and a 7-point rise in mixed buyers from 2012 to 2022. Exclusive used-book buyers remained a smaller group: 5% of printed-book buyers in GfK and 4% in Kantar in 2022.
How large is the secondhand market?
The 2024 Ministère de la Culture/SOFIA study estimated the French used-book market at €211 million in 2022 in the Kantar series and €351 million in the GfK series. The difference reflects the separate research approaches and estimates, not a single combined market total.
Both series show expansion over time. Kantar measured 30% growth in used-book market value between 2014 and 2022. GfK reported that market value doubled over the same period.
| 2022 measure in France | Kantar estimate | GfK estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Used-book market value | €211 million | €351 million |
| Used books as share of printed-book spending | 8% | 9% |
| Used books as share of all-format market value | 7% | 9% |
| New printed books for households | €2.6 billion | €3.6 billion |
Used books represented 8% of printed-book spending in Kantar’s 2022 estimate and 9% in GfK’s. In the all-format market, which includes more than printed books, used books represented about 7% of market value in Kantar and 9% in GfK. For comparison, the market for new printed books aimed at households was estimated at €2.6 billion by Kantar and €3.6 billion by GfK.
The buyer mix helps explain why the used market can grow without exclusive used-book buyers becoming the majority. In 2022, exclusive-new buyers accounted for 50% of printed-book purchases by volume in GfK and 56% in Kantar. Mixed buyers accounted for 47% by volume in GfK and 42% in Kantar. In Kantar’s estimate, exclusive-new buyers represented 66% of printed-book spending; in GfK, mixed buyers represented 41% of spending.
Which book categories are bought used?
Literature is the largest detailed category in the supplied French study. Used general-literature purchases increased from 32.4 million to 42.5 million copies over five years, a 31% rise. New general-literature purchases rose from 86.5 million to 88.1 million copies, or 2%, over the same period. In 2022, used literature purchases totaled 42.5 million copies.
The 2022 used-literature total included 14.9 million contemporary novels, 14.3 million detective novels, 2.6 million science-fiction and fantasy books, and 1.2 million sentimental novels. The study estimated that one in three novels was bought used, including one in four contemporary novels and one in two detective novels.
Youth books also showed strong growth. Used youth-book purchases rose from 7.5 million to 11.6 million copies over five years, an increase of 56%. The 2022 total comprised 1.8 million adolescent novels, 4.7 million youth-reading books, and 4.9 million illustrated albums. The study estimated that one in six youth books was bought used.
Used comic-book purchases rose from 5.3 million to 7.4 million copies over five years, a 39% increase. The 2022 total consisted of 4.8 million Franco-Belgian or comics albums and 2.6 million manga volumes. The study estimated that one in 11 comics was bought used.
| Category | 2022 used copies | Five-year change | Estimated used share |
|---|---|---|---|
| General literature | 42.5 million | +31% | One in three novels |
| Youth books | 11.6 million | +56% | One in six youth books |
| Comics | 7.4 million | +39% | One in 11 comics |
| Science, humanities, technical, and religion | 2.5 million | −3% | One in eight |
Science, humanities, technical, and religion books followed a different pattern. Used purchases slipped from 2.6 million copies in 2018 to 2.5 million in 2022, a 3% decline. The 2022 total split into 1.4 million science, humanities, and technical copies and 1.1 million religion and esotericism copies. The study estimated that one in eight books in this combined category was bought used. Spending fell from €17 million to €15 million over five years, with €8.9 million for science, humanities, and technical books and €6.2 million for religion and esotericism.
Leisure and lifestyle books grew sharply in copies and spending. Used copies rose from 3.1 million to 6.1 million over five years, a 96% increase, while the number of buyers rose from 1.5 million to 1.7 million, up 15%. The 2022 copy total included 2.4 million health-family copies and 3.0 million practical copies. The study estimated that one in six leisure or lifestyle books was bought used. Spending rose from €19 million to €40 million, up 105%, and included €12.8 million for health-family titles and €22.7 million for practical titles.
Where do readers find secondhand books?
Online sourcing was the leading route in the 2024 Ministère de la Culture/SOFIA study. Sixty percent of used-book buyers said they primarily sourced used books online. About one quarter cited Vinted, Leboncoin, Amazon.com, or Momox. Eighteen percent named flea markets, markets, book fairs, or bouquinistes, while 6% named bookstores.
Used buying can be planned, but it can also be triggered by availability or price opportunities. Forty-eight percent of used-book buyers often switched from a planned new-book purchase to a used purchase. Among all used-book buyers, 40% said they switched because they found an opportunity in the market, and 24% said the book was unavailable new.
The reasons varied by category. In young-adult books, 66% switched by opportunity and 31% because the new title was unavailable. In romance, the corresponding figures were 48% and 31%. In health books, they were 47% and 39%. In beaux-livres, 49% switched by opportunity and 44% because the title was unavailable new.
How do people resell and pass on books?
The Ministère de la Culture/SOFIA synthesis reported that 40% of French people had already resold a used book. Its study also reported that 40% of French people sell books in some form. These measures describe related but not necessarily identical questions, so they are best kept separate.
Resale is often small scale. Two-thirds of used-book resellers sold fewer than 10 books per year, and these small-scale resellers typically earned less than €50 a year from used-book resale. The population also included people whose buying and selling patterns differed: 9% of French people were both resellers and exclusive new-book buyers, 16% were both resellers and used-book buyers, and 15% sold books even though they did not buy books.
Giving books away is another route through the secondhand ecosystem. Forty-two percent of book givers handed books directly to other people. Thirty percent left books in public places or book-sharing boxes, and 27% donated books to schools, associations, libraries, or bookstores. These figures describe reported giving routes rather than sales.
What do dealer surveys show?
The BookSaleFinder used-book dealer survey had 823 respondents. Forty-seven percent said book selling was their primary job, while 53% sold books part time. The survey therefore covered both dedicated sellers and people operating a used-book business alongside other work.
Amazon was the venue that accounted for at least half of sales for 60% of dealers in the survey. eBay was second at 16%, followed by ABE at 8%, Half.com at 5%, Alibris at 4%, and Biblio at 2%. These figures describe the survey’s reported sales concentration, not the total market share of each platform.
More than half of both full-time and part-time dealers primarily sold used hardcover or trade paperbacks. About 10% said most of their stock was rare or antiquarian books, while slightly more dealers than that said most of their stock was mass-market paperbacks.
Inventory sizes varied by work pattern. About half of full-time sellers had fewer than 5,000 books for sale at one time. Among part-time sellers, 80% had fewer than 5,000. Slightly more than 7% of full-time sellers had over 50,000 books listed at one time.
What does sustainability reporting measure?
World of Books reported that 31.8 million books were rehomed in 2025 and that it sold used books online to more than 190 countries. In its 2025 Sustainability Report, the company also reported 211,320 trees saved, 50,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions diverted, and 16,000 tonnes of books diverted from waste.
The same report said that 130,000 brand-new books were rescued from pulping in 2025. World of Books reported that buying preloved books emits 46% less CO2 than buying new and that a used book produces 46.6% less carbon than a new one. It put the average used-book carbon saving at about 1.409 kilograms of CO2 per book.
These are company-reported 2025 sustainability figures and claims, while the French buyer, market, and category figures above describe 2022 estimates from the Ministère de la Culture/SOFIA study. Keeping the measurement year and source distinct is important when comparing the scale of secondhand book activity across markets.