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What are the effects of used book market’s digital transformation on traditional bookstores? This research examines the functioning of the second-hand book market which is today an essential but unrecognized arena for the diffusion of books. This article first gives a definition of used books as cultural goods analysing them in the light of booksellers’ business activities and skills. It then studies different categories of retailers (traditional shops and newcomers in the business such as indie bookstores, e-commerce, charity shops, individuals) and examines their respective supply chains. In order to understand the effects of digitalization, the analysis will finally focus on price-setting practices. It notably shows that algorithms and individual retailers who practice low prices have destabilized the business habits and tools of traditional booksellers. The democratization of the second-hand book market hence inflicts losses in traditional booksellers’ profits and skills.