As exam season winds down, households across Indian cities begin a familiar ritual: clearing shelves, sorting through stacks of notebooks, and planning for the academic year ahead. This transition period, typically spanning late March through May, marks more than just the end of a school session. It signals a shift in how families approach one of education’s recurring expenses: textbooks.
For many parents, the weeks following exams present a practical window. Old books are still in decent condition, new syllabuses haven’t been announced yet, and there’s time to explore options beyond the rush of new admissions. It’s a moment of both reflection and preparation, and increasingly, it’s becoming a moment of action.
During this phase, BookMandee observed nearly a 2× increase in searches for used textbooks compared to the quieter months outside exam periods.
2× increase in textbook searches
March-May 2024 vs. off-season months
This insight comes from aggregated platform activity tracked between March and May across multiple cities, focusing on search behaviour, listing uploads, and enquiry patterns.
The data reflects trends in metro cities as well as tier-2/3 towns, where secondhand book exchanges have grown quietly but steadily. Numbers have been anonymised and rounded to reflect broader patterns rather than exact counts.
What’s Behind the Surge?
Three factors appear to be driving this seasonal spike, and they reveal as much about household priorities as they do about market behaviour.
- Timing works in favour of resale
Both parents and children know that books sitting unused lose value quickly, especially if curriculum changes are rumoured or if the condition deteriorates over a long summer. Listing old books online immediately after exams, while they’re still relevant and in presentable shape, makes practical sense.
In cities like Bangalore and Pune, listing activity during April was notably higher than in January or February, suggesting that families are becoming more strategic about when they sell.
- Affordability remains a constant concern
Textbook prices have crept upwards, and buying secondhand isn’t just appealing but necessary for families with multiple children or those managing tight budgets. A full set of new NCERT and reference books for Class 10 can easily cost ₹4,000-₹6,000.
Used options, depending on condition, can bring that down to ₹2,000–₹3,000. That’s not a marginal saving. It’s half the budget freed up for uniforms, stationery, or tuition fees.
The pinch is felt more acutely in households where two or three children are in school simultaneously. For them, reuse isn’t a preference. It’s arithmetic.
- Local exchanges feel safer and simpler
Despite the growth of delivery-based marketplaces, many individuals still prefer meeting a seller nearby, flipping through pages to check for highlights or torn sheets, and closing the deal in person. There’s trust in the tangible. You see the book, you assess its usability, and you walk away with it the same day.
This preference for local, in-person exchanges was particularly visible in Delhi NCR, where enquiries specifying ‘pickup only’ or mentioning specific neighbourhoods increased during the March-May window.
Why does this matter now?
For parents planning ahead, this trend suggests a few practical takeaways.
- Browse early, decide later
Late April and early May tend to offer the widest selection. Supply is higher, sellers are motivated to clear shelves before the summer break fully sets in, and there’s less competition from the June rush when everyone scrambles at once. If you’re buying for the next academic year, this is the sweet spot for choice and negotiation room.
- Condition varies more than price
Not all used books are equal. Some have been lightly used for one session, with minimal markings. Others have been through multiple students and show it. The price difference between these isn’t always significant, but the usability difference is. Taking time to compare a few listings rather than jumping at the first cheap option often pays off.
- Certain subjects move faster than others
Mathematics and science textbooks, particularly for Classes 9-12, tend to get snapped up quickly. Language and social science books linger a bit longer. If you’re after high-demand titles, acting in early May rather than mid-June reduces the chance of settling for a less-than-ideal copy.
For those looking to sell, the window is just as instructive.
- List sooner rather than later
The online used textbook market is most active in April and early May. By mid-June, supply often outpaces demand, and prices soften. Sellers who list their books in late March or early April tend to close deals faster and often at better rates than those who wait until the last minute.
- Pricing matters, but so does presentation
A well-described book-ad with a clear mention of condition (mentions of highlighting, dog-eared pages, or cover wear) attracts more serious enquiries. Buyers appreciate honesty upfront. It saves everyone time and builds trust, which often leads to quicker transactions.
- Bundle strategically
If you want to sell multiple books from the same class or subject set, offering books as a bundle can be more appealing than listing individually. Parents buying for a new session often prefer the convenience of a one-time purchase, even if the per-book saving is modest.
A Shift in Behaviour, Not Just Numbers
What this trend may reveal goes beyond convenience or cost. It points to a quiet but significant shift in how families now think about educational resources.
A decade ago, buying secondhand textbooks carried a certain stigma in many households. It was seen as a compromise, something you did if money was tight. That perception has changed considerably, particularly in urban areas where sustainability, minimalism, and conscious consumption have entered everyday conversations.
Nowadays, choosing used books is less about necessity and more about practicality. Parents are comfortable with it. Students don’t feel shortchanged by it. In some circles, it’s even become a point of pride: a small, tangible way to reduce waste and make smarter financial decisions.
The secondhand textbook market is no longer a niche. It’s becoming infrastructure.
BookMandee has refined search filters to prioritise locality, condition indicators, and faster listing workflows, particularly during high-activity months. The goal isn’t to push volume but to make the process smoother when demand naturally peaks.
Looking Ahead
As academic cycles repeat, these seasonal patterns are likely to solidify further. What began as a cost-saving measure for some families now appears to be shaping how an entire generation approaches educational resources.
If current behaviour holds, the secondhand textbook market may continue growing not just in volume, but in acceptance and sophistication. Parents will expect better search tools, more transparency on condition, and faster local exchanges. Sellers will get smarter about timing and pricing. The ecosystem will mature.
That’s a shift worth watching, and more importantly, worth participating in.
Note: Insights are based on aggregated, anonymised activity observed on the BookMandee platform over a defined period. Numbers are indicative and rounded.
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