Used Oxford University Press books, music & hobbies in Islamabad & Rawalpindi
Is a used Oxford University Press books, music & hobbie worth buying?
Oxford's Pakistan branch prints here for the private school market, so used copies appear in quantity at the start of each session. What makes them awkward to buy second-hand is not condition but identification: the English and maths courses run as named series with their own level numbering, and a book that does not match the series and level on the school's list is of no use however clean it is.
Made or assembled in Pakistan
Spares are widely stocked locally and most technicians in the twin cities have worked on these, so common faults are usually economic to repair.
There are no spare parts for a book; the equivalent question is whether the edition is still the one being taught. Because Oxford prints locally, that is settled in an afternoon — the current series, level numbering and cover run can be held against the shelf in any school bookshop in Islamabad or Rawalpindi before you commit to a second-hand set.
Checking a used Oxford University Press books, music & hobbie
These are specific to Oxford University Press. The general books, music & hobbies checks apply too and are on the books, music & hobbies page.
Name the English series
Oxford runs more than one English course here, and New Oxford Modern English and Oxford Progressive English are not interchangeable. Schools list one of them by name, so "Oxford English" on a booklist is never enough to buy from.
Countdown or New Countdown
The maths course exists as an older Countdown and a revised New Countdown, with book numbers running in parallel. A Book 5 from one is not the Book 5 from the other, and the word "New" on the cover is the whole difference.
Read the level number
Series such as New Oxford Modern English and New Countdown begin with primers before Book 1, so the book number and the class number do not line up. Match the level printed on the spine against the school's list rather than against the child's class.
Date the atlas edition
School atlases go out of date faster than the rest of a set because administrative maps change. A Pakistan atlas printed before the 2018 merger still shows the tribal areas separate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is exactly the sort of thing a class is marked on.
Spot a photocopied copy
Oxford's school titles are among the most heavily copied in the local market. Compare the illustrations: a printed copy holds fine colour and halftone detail, while a copy has grey, soft text, flat pictures and a cover printed on plain card.
What Oxford University Press books, music & hobbies are worth
- Value follows the series name, because schools list New Oxford Modern English or Countdown by title, so a worn copy of the exact series sells while a rival publisher's tidier equivalent does not.
- A revision resets the market for a whole series: when Oxford re-issues a course as a "New" edition, the earlier run stops matching booklists while the covers stay close enough to catch buyers out.
- An Oxford course level is a coursebook plus a consumable workbook, so a second-hand "set" is really the coursebook alone and the offer reflects the workbook still having to be bought.
- Atlases hold across sessions better than the graded course titles, since they are not tied to a class level — until a boundary or administrative revision dates the maps inside.
Model lines you will see second-hand
- New Oxford Modern English
- Oxford Progressive English
- Countdown and New Countdown mathematics
- Oxford school atlases
General books, music & hobbies checks
These apply whatever the badge on the front says — the books, music & hobbies page covers them in full.
Check the edition page
On a textbook or exam preparation set, the edition is most of the value. Read the copyright page for the edition number and printing year, and check whether an online access code or disc that came with the book has already been redeemed, because a used code cannot be passed on.
Open the book flat
Hold it open at the middle and look along the spine. Glued paperbacks crack and start shedding pages in blocks. Fan the pages for loose sections, highlighter running through the whole text, silverfish holes, and the wavy edges that mean the book has been wet at some point.
Smell a stored box
Books kept in a damp store room or under a leaking roof smell musty, and the smell does not leave. Look at the closed page edges for the brown speckling of foxing and for grey-green mould. If one book in a box has it, treat the whole box as a single problem.
Hold discs to the light
Tilt a CD or DVD against a lamp and look for pin-holes or a bronze tinge creeping in from the edge, which means the reflective layer is lifting and the disc is finished. Concentric scratches read worse than radial ones. On cassettes, check the tape is wound evenly and not crinkled.
Count every game piece
Work through a board game or model kit against its piece list and rules sheet before agreeing anything. One missing pawn, die or rules leaflet turns a boxed game into a parts box when the title is out of production. Check the box corners, which is where storage damage shows first.
Run the motors and servos
On remote-control models, drones and motorised telescope mounts, fit a known-good battery and work every control: the motor should spin up without grinding or stalling, servos should answer at once and return to centre, and a mount should track smoothly rather than stepping. Refuse any pack that is swollen or leaking, and check the charger and connectors are present and matching.
Oxford University Press books, music & hobbies — questions
Are used Oxford school books worth buying in Islamabad?
Why does the class number not match the Oxford book number?
Other books, music & hobbies brands
Selling one instead? We buy used Oxford University Press books, music & hobbies for cash.