Used-book purchasing has become a substantial part of book buying in several European markets. France recorded an estimated 48 million to 80 million used books purchased in 2022, depending on the measurement series, while the Netherlands reported that 55% of new-book buyers also sometimes bought used books in 2025. The figures below keep each source’s geography, period and methodology visible.
Contents
- Used-book buyer reach and trend
- Purchasing volume, value and price
- Where people purchase used books
- Buyer motivations and household behavior
- Genres, formats and general literature
- Youth, comics and cross-market segments
Used-book buyer reach and trend
France provides the most detailed long-term comparison in the available research. For 2022, the French study estimated 7.0 million used-book buyers in Kantar’s series and 8.9 million in GfK’s series. These are alternative estimates, not a single combined total. The same study reported that used-book buyers represented 26% of French book buyers in Kantar’s data and about one-third in GfK’s data.
The difference between the two series also matters when reading growth. From 2014 to 2022, the number of used-book buyers increased 37% in Kantar’s series and 27% in GfK’s series. Average annual growth over that period was 4% in Kantar’s series and 3% in GfK’s series. France added about 1.9 million used-book buyers between 2014 and 2022.
At the population level, GfK reported that 17% of French people bought at least one used book in 2022, compared with 13% in Kantar’s data. The share of French book buyers who purchased at least one used book rose by 7 percentage points in Kantar’s data and 9 points in GfK’s data between 2014 and 2022. Together, these measures show broader reach over time while retaining the distinction between the research series.
The Dutch figures describe a related but different population: people who bought new books. In the Netherlands, 55% of new-book buyers said they sometimes bought used books in 2025. The corresponding share was 50% in both 2021 and 2022. KVB Boekwerk, De tweedehands-boekenkoper onder de loep reports these results for the Netherlands.
Purchasing volume, value and price
The estimated scale of French used-book purchasing in 2022 depends on the source series. Kantar recorded 48 million used books purchased, while GfK recorded 80 million. Used books accounted for 17% of French printed-book purchases in Kantar’s data and 20% in GfK’s data. Across all paid book formats in Kantar’s data, used books represented about 16% of purchased quantities.
The long-term direction was upward in both series. Between 2014 and 2022, French used-book purchasing volume grew by 26% in Kantar’s series and doubled in GfK’s series. Average annual volume growth was 3% in Kantar’s series and 9% in GfK’s series. Kantar’s longer series shows a 36% increase in used-book purchasing volume from 2012 to 2022.
The market-value estimates follow the same pattern. The French used-book market was estimated at €211 million in Kantar’s data and €351 million in GfK’s data in 2022. From 2014 to 2022, market value increased 30% in Kantar’s series and doubled in GfK’s series. Average annual value growth was 3% and 9%, respectively. Kantar’s longer 2012–2022 series shows a 44% increase in used-book market value.
| French used-book measure | Kantar | GfK | Period or year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyers | 7.0 million | 8.9 million | 2022 |
| Books purchased | 48 million | 80 million | 2022 |
| Market value | €211 million | €351 million | 2022 |
| Share of printed-book purchases | 17% | 20% | 2022 |
| Buyer share among book buyers | 26% | About one-third | 2022 |
The average price paid for a used book in France was generally €4 to €4.50 over the decade ending in 2022. That price range describes the observed period rather than a current price forecast. The gap between the Kantar and GfK totals means the market should be discussed as a range of estimates, not as one precise national figure. The figures and methodology are from the French Ministry of Culture study, Le livre d’occasion.
Where people purchase used books
French purchasing data shows a fragmented channel mix. Nearly 30% of used books purchased in 2022 were bought directly from other individuals. More than one-quarter came through unidentified internet sites. Amazon, eBay, Rakuten and Cdiscount together accounted for about one-tenth of French used-book purchases.
Physical and unidentified channels also retained a meaningful role. Unidentified physical channels accounted for about one-fifth of used-book quantities purchased in France in 2022. Bookstores accounted for about one-tenth, while supermarkets accounted for under 5%.
The buyer-reported sourcing picture was even more internet-oriented. In 2023, 60% of French used-book buyers said they sourced used books mainly through the internet, compared with 6% who cited bookstores. The difference between purchase quantities by channel and reported main sourcing route is useful: a channel may account for a share of transactions without being the buyer’s primary route in every purchase.
Used-book buying was usually planned. During 2016–2022, French used-book purchases were 60% to 75% premeditated, while spontaneous purchases ranged from 25% to 40%. In 2022, the spontaneous share fell below one-third. Among French online used-book purchases, title-specific purchasing rose from 58% to 70% between 2016 and 2022. These figures point to an online market in which shoppers increasingly arrive looking for a particular book.
Buyer motivations and household behavior
Price comparison is common among French used-book buyers. In 2023, 64% said they frequently compared offered prices. Among buyers of both new and used books, 56% said they first checked used availability when looking for a specific title. In the same 2023 research, 65% were open to buying used when searching for books.
Environmental considerations were important for a substantial minority. In France, 33% of used-book buyers cited ecological reasons for buying used books in 2023. The response differed by age: ecological motivation was reported by 39% of used-book buyers under 45, compared with 19% of those over 65.
Condition remains a barrier for some non-buyers. Among French new-book buyers who did not buy used books, 26% cited concerns about the condition of used books in 2023. This concern sits alongside the high level of willingness to consider used books, suggesting that openness to the category and confidence in an individual book’s condition are separate measures.
Used-book purchases often serve the buyer’s own reading. Among French used-book buyers, 64% reported buying for themselves and 29% for their children in 2023. Buyers of both new and used books also reported strong recent and future demand: 50% said they bought more books in 2022 than in 2021, and 51% said they intended to buy more books in the future.
The Dutch study provides a separate annual-volume benchmark for hybrid buyers. Dutch buyers who purchased both new and used books bought an average of 6 used books and 5 new books per year in 2025. This is an average for that buyer group, not for all Dutch residents or all book buyers.
Genres, formats and general literature
Used-book purchasing in France has a different genre profile from new printed-book purchasing. During 2018–2022, literature represented 54% of used-book purchases, compared with 28% of new printed-book purchases. BD, manga and comics represented 10% of used-book purchases versus 18% of new printed-book purchases. Children’s books represented 14% of used-book purchases versus 21% of new printed-book purchases.
Humanities and technical books were closer in the two markets, representing about 5% of both new and used printed-book purchases during 2018–2022. Across the studied French categories, used books averaged 22% of purchases overall, 23% for paperback and 21% for hardback. In 2022, used books represented 27% of printed-book purchases overall, 29% of paperback purchases and 25% of hardback purchases.
The used format mix was nearly balanced. About half of used printed books purchased in the studied French categories were hardback and half were paperback during 2018–2022. The category-level shares therefore describe both a strong role for literature and a broad presence across physical formats.
General literature grew in both buyer reach and copies purchased. French used general-literature buyers increased from 5.3 million in 2018 to 5.8 million in 2022, a 9% rise. Used general-literature purchases increased from 32.4 million copies to 42.5 million over the same period, a 31% rise.
The 2022 general-literature total included 14.9 million contemporary novels, 14.3 million crime novels, 2.6 million science-fiction and fantasy novels, and 1.2 million romance novels. These are purchase quantities within French used general literature, not buyer counts.
Youth, comics and cross-market segments
Children’s used books expanded notably in France between 2018 and 2022. Used children’s-book buyers rose from 1.8 million to 2.0 million, a 13% increase. Purchases rose from 7.5 million copies to 11.6 million, a 56% increase, while the used children’s-book market rose from €23 million to €36 million, a 60% increase. Used books represented about one-sixth of French children’s-book purchases in 2022.
The subcategories did not all move at the same pace. Used adolescent-novel buyers increased 42% over 2018–2022, while copies purchased increased 137%. Used illustrated children’s-album buyers increased 23%, while copies purchased increased 6%. The contrast indicates that buyer growth and purchase-volume growth can diverge sharply by segment.
Comics also recorded growth, although used books remained a smaller share of the overall comics market. French used-comics buyers increased from 1.1 million in 2018 to 1.6 million in 2022, a 46% rise. Used-comics purchases increased from 5.4 million copies to 7.4 million, a 39% rise. About one in eleven comics purchased in France was used in 2022.
Germany’s second-hand books and media research offers another cross-market measure. In 2023, 59% of German respondents said they bought used books and/or media products, unchanged from 2022. Among German second-hand shoppers, 67% bought used books and/or media at least once per year in 2023.
Online shopping was prominent among German second-hand shoppers: 72% shopped online in 2023, with online marketplaces accounting for 47% and used-goods webshops for 25%. Among German respondents who bought second-hand books and/or media, 92% cited low price as a purchase reason and 73% cited sustainability. These results come from the momox Second Hand Bücher & Medien Report 2023, and the reported category combines books with media products.