World of Books is a small business based in West Sussex, England. Their business entails purchasing unsold inventory of used books from UK charity shops and reselling them on various online sites such as Amazon.com. The company purchases books in bulk, paying by tonnage rather than paying for individual titles. World of Books also own the 'instant cash for stuff' website Ziffit.com that pays people low prices for their books, dvds, cds and games so they can be sold on for a higher price. Using custom-designed software, they evaluate each title for saleability and set selling prices accordingly. According to Stephen Boobyer, managing director, "It’s a constantly moving matrix and even once listed, a book’s selling price is constantly adjusted so it matches the lowest offered by World of Books’ many competitors. We decided not to offer the books at a cheaper price as we think we will win the sale because we donate some of the proceeds to charity," Boobyer says. "It’s a good USP". In 2010 alone the business recycled 26 million books.
The origins of the business began "when Simon Downes and two friends (co founders Ben Maxfield and Michael Laundon) auctioned on eBay some second-hand books they had picked up at car boot sales".
As of October 2009, the company had an annualized income project of ₤5 million.
In 2009, World of Books won the Worthing Business Award for New Business of the Year.
In December 2012, World of Books was ranked in 22nd place in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.