This oxfam is one of the best charity shops in the areas for books although this comes at a cost as it is also one of the more expensive charity shops for books in the area. Personally I think the extra money is worth it in the quality of books you get here. Of the book sections you obviously have fiction books and this is a good selection of good fiction books (you often get a lot of rubbish in some charity shops), but the standout sections are the Biographies, Education and Travel section. If you are into books and want specific types of books rather than just wanting a book to pass the time this will be more your shop. If you are the latter then there are cheaper places to go. I would recommend coming here, being more of the former, as the books here are great books - just the other day I got an autobiography and a cook book I'd wanted for ages, both the sort of books that don't come around very often and I was greatful for them even though they did cost a fair bit more than books elsewhere. read more

Oxfam - Thrift Stores Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This is one of the two Oxfam shops on Clerk Street, which sells books, whilst the other specialises in clothing. I'm always impressed at how organized both shops are, and it's so pleasant to be in there an hour can pass without one really noticing. On a recent visit, the books of the display shelf made me giggle; they were copies of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer! With the new movie Ecilpse in cinemas, any other book store would have done the same, and you get the feeling Oxfam's attempting to narrow the gap so that shoppers can feel as though they're in a first hand bookshop! I did wish I'd come here when I started my Twilight collection, as I'd have saved a lot of money; most of the books in here are in fantastic condition, and at an average of £2 a copy, any frayed pages will certainly be overlooked by me! read more

Oxfam - Thrift Stores Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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There are loads of reasons why I don't read enough. I usually blame laziness, lack of time and most of all the price of books when you buy them brand new. Which is why this place is so good, as it gives me no excuse to hide behind: its central location means it takes less than 10 minutes for me to walk here and start browsing, which combats the first two. My third excuse is also blown out of the water by the unbelievable prices. Ok, so you'll have to wait a few months after the latest blockbuster release before you can buy it hre for under a fiver, but for your run-of-the-mill reading material for holidays or when you just get sick of your old stuff, this place is an aladdin's cave. It's also good for buying presents for people with very particular tastes; when you're looking for a particular title for a fussy friend or relative, but a title that the mainstream high street book shops will no longer have in stock. The other good thing about this place is the staff. Rather than being there because they're on an hourly wage, these guys are here because, aside from wanting to do a good thing, they have a genuine love of books so if you ask for a particular title or author then they help you because they genuinely want to, not because they're on minimum wage and they know there's a camera on them. read more

Oxfam - Thrift Stores Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I can't understand why anyone would buy secondhand books from Amazon when they could just stroll down the road and visit this Oxfam. A cracking charity shop that specialises in books, music and vintage clothes, it's clean, tidy and staffed by obvious culture vultures. Whilst the music section is a bit too mainstream and dated for my taste, there's usually a promising selection of hardbacks, paperbacks and unusually, comics and graphic novels. Last time I visited, I found recent novels by Lionel Shriver, Louise Welsh, Barbara Kingsolver and Maggie O'Farrell next to a whole set of Ian Rankin thrillers. All of them had clearly been read and enjoyed but at £2.50 a pop, who cares if there's a coffee strain or a couple of pages are torn? If anything, it's a sign the last reader didn't want the story to end. read more

Love this place! I am a thrift store addict so I have made my way around quite a few thrift stores in my time. The charity shop itself with the clothes and everything is laid out very nicely - always clean and organized. I have bought several sweaters and miscellaneous items here on occasion. The really great stuff is next door though in their bookshop. Wowwie wowwie! They have so many amazing books. I've even been in there a few times looking for a particular one and they've had it! With an awesome-sauce price tag attached to it too! For the win! I could, and have, stayed in this book store for hours. I have fingered through the entire huge box a the front register with millions of different awesome post cards. I have forked over the teeny pence to buy one of said postcards. I have framed said postcard in my teeny flat because it was just such a wee cute picture of a naked man taken by Mr. Andy Warhol. Yes, random indeed. This. place. is. awesome. the end. read more

There's more than one Oxfam in Edinburgh, and certainly many many charity shops. But I want to review this particular Oxfam because, like the other reviewers, I think its one of the best places to browse for books in the area. Next to the book section of this Oxfam is a bigger section dedicated to clothes and Nick knacks. All of that is fine but the book collection is superior. I do agree with the others that it can be a bit more pricey than other charity shop books, but its still cheaper than buying it first hand round the road at Blackwells, and the condition of the books is always superb. They have a good selection of classic fiction, but the one genre that has stood out to me is sci-fi and fantasy. For some reason every time I go in they seem to have some great classic scfi-fi, from Ian Banks to J G Ballard. I've also come across some interesting titles I've never heard of before. Just next to this section they also have a collection of comics and graphic novels. This is where I went home with several hundred copies of classic 2000AD! Unfortunately for some reason the comics are slightly less well ordered than the rest of the book shop, with several comics in one series I was looking at scattered throughout the piles, which is understandable I suppose given that most people consider comics to be only semi-literate and self contained. A fantastic book shop that always seems to have something that catches my eyes. read more

As the previous reviewer said this is a more expensive option for second hand books but I can't begrudge that, even if more expensive it's still better than paying full price and you know your money is going to a good cause. There have been a couple of occasions when I have gone in with a specific book in mind and come away successful. This is quite a novelty in a second hand bookshop where often it is just potluck. They have a great range of books including travel guides and text books both of which I always hate paying full price for when I know I'll only use it for a short length of time. My last point is kind of anal and maybe I'm the only one who cares about this but I'm putting it out there anyway; the Oxfam Bookshop is really well organised!! They put books in clear categories and alphabetise, I might be alone but this counts for something in my eyes. read more

Oh man!! I get all my work shirts from this place. Not so keen on the trousers but hey, we can't please everyone. The fact all the money is going to a great cause too is just amazing. I love oxfam. read more

Oxfam in Nicolson Street sits amongst a wide range of charity shops and so needs to do something pretty special to attract customers. This shop does not disappoint. It has a wide range of second hand goods laid out in a mostly logical way, as well as a large selection of new fair trade goods and foods. As such it is a great place to do your Christmas shopping! The bookshop next door is fabulous with a huge range of books, however they are quite pricey - good quality books are £3.99. Now, this is a good price compared to bookshops but cannot compete with the supermarkets or with Amazon (even the Tesco a few doors down has a small selection of books for £4). However, the money all goes to a worthy cause (unlike in many supermarkets) and so it is still a great place to find that book you've been wanting for ages, or to simply browse their vast selection. read more

A friend recently showed me the dedicated book section of this Oxfam and it really opened my eyes. The literature section is fantastic, with great classic books just waiting to be discovered at a bargainous couple of quid each; much better than what one would pay in Waterstones. If you're looking for something specific maybe give this a miss, but if you're not sure what you want to read next and you want to save some money whilst supporting a good cause you should definitely go here rather than one of the big chains. read more

There are some pretty dire charity shops in Edinburgh, but the Oxfam on Nicolson street definitely isn't one of them. Cleverly separating their bookshop from the general clothes and items shop, this Oxfam stocks a lot of great stuff. The clothes section is spacious and has enough variety to ensure you'll find something to your liking once in a while, and there is an excellent range of Oxfam merchandise and sweets/spices/chocolates/etc. to keep your ethical snack cravings at bay. There's also a sizeable changing room and generally the staff are quite friendly. Probably the best charity shop on Nicolson Street apart from BHF, if not the biggest. read more

The bookstore section of this store is fantastic. I can easily spend a good hour browsing the fiction section of this store. The staff provide an excellent service and the shop offers a fantastic range to rival any bookstore. The selection includes a lot of newly published books as well as lot of classics and the extremely cheaply priced hardback section is well worth a look. For owners of an old school vcr like myself, there's also a great vhs section which is clearly benefiting from donations from those who've abandoned their vcrs in favour of dvds. I never come out empty handed! read more