My favorite used bookstore in Philly. When I donated books, I was greeted graciously and treated with courtesy. If you leave books, you can call and get an estimate usually the next business day, if its not a huge quantity. They keep your credit on file at the store (unlike Mostly Books who gives a sketchy paper coupon and no store record). Note that they do not do book credit appraisals on weekends, and parking nearby is limited. Expect to receive a few bucks only per hardcover book donated.

An incredible amount of items for people of all interest. Inventory ranges dozens of genres, from super popular titles to more obscure stuff. Its hard to come in and not find something wonderful. The prices are great. The staff has always been friendly over the years. Within walking distance to dozens of other cute stores and cafes. Plus they have a store cat.

I would say this is my favorite bookstore, out of all the bookstores Ive been to. Their music literature section is great. Cute fluffy cat is an added bonus.

This shop was very nice to browse through and it had an expansive collection. However, the best part of our experience was the cat running throughout the store! What a delight.

This is one of the best places I have ever been. The collection was extensive, the atmosphere cozy enough to lay down and fall asleep in, and the music playing phenomenal! The cute little record room could hold my attention for hours on end. The cat sleeping peacefully by a shelf and welcoming pets made my day. And to top it all off — one of the workers ran after me a block and a half down the street after I left to give me a stack of records from their free box because he noticed they matched my taste. A true gem.

Absolutely incredible environment, I could get lost here all day. Dr. Pickles is very cute and friendly as well, Im sure you can find them taking a nap somewhere around the store and say hi.

I highly recommend this awesome book store. Ive been coming the Book Trader for 22 years. Ive gotten many and rear cds and books from them. 📀📚📘

The book trader is a readers haven. So many areas of study and reading for entertainment as well. I go there for the theatrical plays they have. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. A 12 week program in discovering and recovering your creative self. I have bought that book for many people. Go there. Hold a book in your hand instead of your phone. The staff is always pleasant and accommodating. Love it there!

Great prices, huge selection, and a cute cat! Will definitely have to come by again and see what’s new! :P

Floor to ceiling books. Organized well. Shop cat. They also have dvds, records, and a kids section. Love this place.

Love this mess of an old shop! If you like used books this is a must visit. I bought 8 books $49. Very reasonable prices, good selection of new and used. Plus records and movies if that’s your thing.

College kid loved this place. Tons of books, overwhelming almost. Everyone in the store was kind and helpful. Loved the cat watching over the place.

Great used book store. Feels like what an old school book store should feel like

Go there to see Dr. Pickles, their adorable cat, and stay for the excellent variety of books and records

Lovely independent local bookshop (2 floors) packed full with well priced second hand editions in good condition by authors through the ages on a wide range of topics from fiction to philosophy & science to art & architecture to religion, young adult, antiques, and travel.

Great variety of books for low prices. Way better than Amazon!

It feels so good if ur a bookworm. So much tonpick from.😁😄😍

I love uses book stores!!! The staff here friendly and knowledgeable. The cat sleeping.

This place is phenomenal. They have an eclectic collection of books and an incredibly friendly staff. If you are overwhelmed by the sheer volume just ask the clerks they are happy to assist.

Friendly and helpful staff, great selection, great trade-in program. I am a regular and have been for some time.

This place is the promised land for any bibliophile. Books on every imaginable subject stacked higgledy-piggledy as high as you can reach. Priced well enough you can an justify leaving with a whole stack.

This place is like another Universe. Stacks and stacks of books at friendly prices. Staff were personable and lovely. There are cats and people reading casually. Beautiful.

Gem of a used bookstore that begs to get lost in. The book trader is like a comfort food for bibliophiles. With its tall labyrinthine stacks the experience feels like a muggle version of wandering around Ollivanders, or at least the prelude companion to reading on your couch under a blanket with a warm drink nearby.Along with two floors of books, helpful and friendly staff they also have a large library of DVDs, VHS and LPs to thumb through and various other items from time to time. Open until 10 everyday somehow and will trade books as their name implies for store credit. Careful, the cat bites.

The inside is claustrophic as one might imagine from an independent store such as this but it has an extensive collection of seemingly every topic if you care to explore. The hunt is half the fun!

I love the store needs better lighting

Cluttered old bookstore. Which is exactly what I like. Was alphabetized and found one of the books I was looking for.

Good stuff in there if you like books and other physical media. Complete with 2 floors so enough for hobbyist to take there time and browse

Awesome shop with a huge selection from books to vhs tapes! Shopkeepers are a delight and they have the cutest cat you can find napping around the store 🐈🤍 I picked up some manga for myself at a great price, I 100% recommend to anybody!

I love visiting the Book Trader! His prices are fair when you trade in books for credit, and it ends up being worth it because they have a great selection. If you don’t have credit and ads paying cash, the prices are honestly going to be more reasonable online, the majority of the time. I really do enjoy spending hours in here though, but I wish it were a little more organized in there.

Fun place to browse. An absolute jumble of books and you never know what you will find. All. Books in great condition. No strange smells or pet hair. It is hot thought in the summer the AC was pumping out cold air on the first floor but the second floor was intolerable due to heat.

This place is HUGE! So much that its a bit overwhelming! Best to have an idea of what youre looking for before visiting. Awesome shop for used books!

Very nice place they have a nice variety of books. If youre looking for something specific you may want to ask the cashier because its a lot of books in there and they have two floors. And if you have time to spare, take a look around. And the staff is nice.

Visited for the first time yesterday and loved it! They have 2 floors FILLED with books, some still in boxes or stacks on the floor. Definitely a little disorderly but that adds to the charm and wonder of a used bookstore imo. The guys working were nice and seem like they have fun there. The cat seemed a little intimidating at first but hes chill and let us pet him. Theres certainly hidden treasures throughout, I came across some quirky books and old books. My most exciting find was a Bantam edition of The Catcher in the Rye from 1965 (its my favorite book!) No cafe here, which I usually look for, but otherwise its perfect. I highly recommend giving The Book Trader a visit.

This review comes from a vet of used & new book stores . Its interesting, just a few months back, while coming up South st . As I passed fifth & South where the Booktrader was initially located, I tried to recall the very first book I purchased & couldnt put my finger on it simply because I purchased a few initially. Glad the move to olde city in Philadelphia came along with the first Friday art galleries began holding forth ! It has been a long time philadelphia landmark & still doing biz even during pandemic.....Always a Pleasure !!!!

Such a cool bookstore with a huge selection of every subject you could ask for and at veryy good prices, i wanted to spend hours more here than i had time for :( theres a fluffy cat that was upstairs napping in the sun too! i only wish there was some kind of inventory so the staff would know if they had a certain book, but i understand that might be hard since the collection is so big. loved it! definitely coming back again :)

I love this place. I bring my old books to sell and grab a few while there. Their prices are very reasonable and they have something for everyone.

Amazing bookstore. Should visit when you have a few hours to browse. Vast collection and being someone who loves buying old books, the store was a treat for me.

Great selection, somewhat disorganized, lovely bookstore cat Dr Pickles.

Youll find all sorts of things youd NEVER see in a big-box bookstore. Say hi to the resident bookstore cat, Dr. Abraham Horatio Pickles, but only when hes awake.

Awesome shop. Really takes you back in time. Gotta love the cat too! 😊

Very cozy

Who doesnt like books? This place is great!

Loved this place. You may not be able to find what you are looking for, but you will find amazing stuff in here. Give it at least two hours.

Great place to buy used books. They have a fantastic selection.

Love it couldnt find anything

Omg loved it if you like used bookstores you got to stop in!!

Super cool hole in the wall book shop. Tons of books, feels like youre in Diagon Alley. Staff was very friendly, definitely recommend if youre a tourist or just looking for cheap second hand books.

Truly diverse offerings and a friendly, masked-up staff makes this a great neighborhood haunt. Personally I appreciated the dense sci-fi section and its cozy aesthetic.

Been patronizing this shop for years & their selections have always satified both my intellectual & personal entertainment need.

I don’t know if the person behind the desk was the owner or not but I asked him for help looking for certain books that I needed. His response was “I’m on the phone try and find them yourself”.

An eclectic addition to the Old City neighborhood.

Good Selection of eclectic books.

You get to pet the kitty and smell old books 💯 Would go again

Amazing selection of books and classical records.

Love love love. Looks small from the outside but is quite a large store. Books from wall to wall. Narrow isles to fit more books. And upper floor, with more books. This is a great place to go to look for stuff for a collection or just to find something new. Also theres a cat here. He likes me.

Ive been shopping there for almost 45 years.Two fioors of books.Today,i purshased a large hardback book, new condition for just about $13.00.

Great used book store.

An absolute DREAM for book lovers! And I always love old stores that are jam-packed with books of every kind in every nook and cranny in the building.I was out with some friends celebrating the night before my old roommate’s wedding and we passed by this place after dinner. And then spent more of the evening there. And my roommate couldn’t have asked for a better bachelor party.

I could spend HOURS at this place and hardly scratch the surface. Great spot to get lost and forget about the outside world.

It was a very good experience and had an amazing atmosphere. The car wasnt a bother at alk and there was an outstanding amount of books

Feels like youre in a scene from a movie. Full of so many books you wouldnt be mad if they tumbled on top of you. In fact, be careful, skinny passages make it difficult to move around but its the adventurous attitude thats required. The cat is cute and grumpy, or at least the day that I visited. I def recommend checking it out. The smell is what you expect from an old book store, its quite inviting.

Charming, packed book store reminiscent of the tight, floor-to-ceiling stacks of Pariss Shakespeare and Company. Staff is helpful and friendly. There is a cat, so allergies beware, but this bookstore is the perfect place to find hidden gems and long-forgotten classics. I found a like-new hardcover classic printed in 1950 for less than the price of a cup of coffee!

Amazing bookstore! Give yourself time to dig and climb the stacks. Friendly staff. Recommended if youre a book store lover!

Great finds in a unique store!

I loved this place

So many books, so many great choices. I could spend hours in here. The music is always different. Really helps capture the ambience. Thank you for your store!

Had exactly what I was looking for

This book store is amazing. They have great options of books for all ages, & even records. They have old books, new books, all genres. You can even trade in for credits! All books are priced cheap, I bought a 15 dollar new book by a popular author for about 4 dollars, & it’s in great condition. I recommend this book store to anyone who loves to read actual books, & wants to read on budget. We all know books can be so expensive. Love this place.

Great place to browse for hours. Two floors. You can bring your old books for store credit. A very nice selection.

This is the classic used book store- looking messy but somewhat organized, treasure mixed with trash. And a plush bookstore cat. The devoted bibliophile will be rewarded.

Great selection. Never know what youll find. Prices are reasonable. Some books are not in great shape, though.

A marvelous store with an excellent selection. Its very cozy, and if dust isnt your thing it might not be the store for you. I dont think Ive ever walked out of here empty-handed. For the most part, non fiction and DVDs are downstairs, with fiction and some non-fiction upstairs.

Bookshop that is so good youll never want to leave. The whole place feels like something out of a Harry Potter movie: crammed to the ridge with shelves, narrow aisles in between for you to wander through and booksellers with unkempt long beards. Definitely recommended - you wont go home empty-handed!

Adorable little book shop with a ton of options for every reader. Staff were all incredible nice and helpful. Got 3 books and I cant wait to read them!

My niece and I love it there!!!!

My favorite used bookstore recently closed in Montreal. This was my hottest find during my time in Philly. Biggest regret was not having enough room in my carry on to bring home extra loot. Great selection and despite the apparent mess, actually well organized. And bonus! They have vinyl. Definitely coming back next time Im in town.

If I can say anything for Book Trader, its that they definitely pack a lot of books into the space. Im talking 12 inch wide aisles between ten foot shelves jammed with books! It is huge, two floors, and they must have thousands of books here. That being said, its far from the worst selection Ive ever seen, but it is definitely loosely curated. Its one of those bookstores with a high percentage of books that will probably never be sold. Now, that being said, there are definitely gems to be found if you are willing to spend some time digging, and that is part of the point and fun of bookstores like this. Prices seem pretty reasonable and standard for a used book store. It is super cramped though, and can sometimes be a bit claustrophobic.I would for sure spend more time here, but I took off one star because of the curation of the offerings. There is a lot of junk here, and I had trouble finding titles I was interested in. Again, lots of fun to search, but they could probably weed out some of the stuff with no value.

I love the atmosphere of this place. I adore how many books there are too choose from and how well theyre sorted for a used book store. I love that they always take books for trade in. However the big issue is that these books are definitely overpriced for used books. I get that they have bills to pay but the fact that I can buy a new copy of a book for over the price of a used book often makes buying here a struggle. Maybe they should at least do a discount if you use your credit or buy x amount of books.

The book trader is a great place to find interesting used books of every genre. There are so many books its a little overwhelming, I would venture to guess there is over a million books in the store. If you like diving in and searching for a rare and interesting book, you could spend all day at the book trader. Also the books a fairly priced.

This place is very charming! It is a little disorganized, with stacks of books all over the place, but that’s part of the appeal of it, I think.I definitely enjoyed spending a half an hour wandering around in the Book Trader, especially through their back room with old records.Plus, the resident cat, Dr. Pickles, was a sweetheart. I might go back just to see him again

A special gem in Old City Philadelphia unique unto itself amongst all other used and vintage book stores! Learn more about trading books for books, buying books and donating books! Absolutely for Book Lovers nothing else like it that I know of on two floors!

Love it! Used book stores always have a much better selection of books because they are not limited to what is currently being printed. It is so much fun to browse and see what I might find.

There full of wonderful books and people. I was in a car accident in front of there establishment and one of the gentleman remembers my truck being rear ended. Wonderful place wonderful people great books. Everyone should check it out.

The best place...couldve spent hours on here...any book, CD, VHS you can think of is here!!! Great prices as well

Best bookstore ever! Think of the bookstore from the Neverending Story with a wise old shop owner but with the addition of a chubby cat. There are books everywhere! In fact, there are so many books, they are literally falling off the shelves.

Lots of books, plus the cat was super cute

This is my absolute favorite used bookstore in Philadelphia. Everyone who works there is trusting and unintrusive, but helpful when asked questions. They have an incredible fiction selection upstairs, and even though it can be a little tight to maneuver, its really exciting being able to explore all the nooks and crannies this place has to offer. Ive only ever traded in a few books, but the pricing was fair and have gotten many, many books in return.

I love an independent book seller. As such The Book Trader is a treasure. Excellent selection of books, tchotchkes galore, friendly and helpful staff. Theres much to recommend about The Book Trader.

Excellent. Not only do they have a massive variety of books, I also found just what I was looking for. Thanks Book Trader. 😃

Very large selection of books, including traditional books, a few comics, maps, reference books and more.However, the extremely narrow and tall bookcases on the first floor can get very crowded even with just a few people. It also makes finding things tricky even though things are organized relatively well.Second floor is better. There is more space between shelves and things arent packed a high and tightly.

Very interesting place with nice people but the narrow aisles are difficult to navigate. I use a medium-sized backpack and I had to pull it off and hold it close against my chest because I was afraid of knocking stuff over with it. I did enjoy my visit though.

LOVE this place. Very fair prices on trade-ins and purchases. Super friendly and helpful staff!

2 levels worth of books! I have found many titles in perfect condition for half their usual price. Definitely worth the visit. The people there are super nice too.

Its always a great experience. The only drawback (and I say this with sarcasm) is that in addition to getting what I went in there for, I end up leaving with several other books that I hadnt planned on buying (but am always glad I did).

I have general anxiety but as soon as I entered the ground floor room, I felt a weight lifted from my head and shoulders. Such a beautiful and calming store.

Its my favorite hideout between work and home. If you have the patience to sift you can find some great things. Their records shouldnt be over looked!

I love used book stores

What a treasure

A messy bookstore needs to be careful. Dont cross the line to full blown madness. This store comes close. Some of the towering aisles of books are claustrophobic. A good earthquake could kill you. But what a way to go.Upstairs, fiction. After ten minutes of looking, I found two books that appealed. Then I stopped looking. If Id continued, I would have left with armloads of books.If youre not a random book shopper, this store will drive you crazy. If you like picking up random books, taking a gander, buying what appeals - this bookstore is a great find.

This is definitely the kind of place you can get lost in for hours which makes it amazing. The shelves are very high so its difficult to see past a certain point and its hard to get around people in the isles. That being said, thats part of the places charm and its a great used book store.