Second hand bookseller is a person who has a second-hand bookshop A second hand book is a book which has been owned by an owner other than the publisher or retailer, usually by an individual or library Used books typically become available on the market when they are sold or given to a second-hand or used bookstore, they are usually sold for about half or three-quarters the price of what they would cost new Though rare books and others still in demand or hard to obtain might sell for more than this.