Ammareal
Ammareal is a French e-commerce marketplace that resells over one million second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music to individual consumers across France, Spain, Germany, and Italy, donating up to 15% of sale proceeds to charitable partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersMorangis, Île-de-France, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ammareal does
Ammareal SAS is a French privately-held e-commerce operator founded in 2013 and headquartered in Morangis, Île-de-France, that runs a multi-country online marketplace for second-hand cultural goods — books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music. The platform holds over 1 million items at price points starting from €1, refreshes inventory with approximately 30,000 new products weekly, and is accessible through country-localized web storefronts in France (ammareal.fr), Spain (ammareal.es), Germany (ammareal.de), and Italy (ammareal.it), as well as iOS and Android mobile applications.
The business model is built around a circular supply loop: Ammareal acquires used inventory from individuals, libraries, associations, and businesses (including via a dedicated 'Valoriser mes livres' book buyback service), inspects and grades the items, and resells them through its owned storefronts and through third-party marketplaces including Amazon, Fnac, Rakuten, and eBay. Distribution is supported by a logistics stack anchored by Mondial Relay (free shipping in mainland France from €10), Chronopost, Colissimo, and Colis Privé, while payments run through PayPlug, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet on infrastructure hosted in France via Arcplex.
Commercial activity is complemented by a differentiated social-impact layer: Ammareal donates up to 15% of sale proceeds to charitable partners — Mots & Merveilles Foundation, Decitre Fund, and Secours Populaire Français — positioning the business as a values-driven cultural commerce platform for budget-conscious, sustainability-minded European consumers. Acquisition is driven by a multi-channel marketing stack combining paid search (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising), paid social (Meta), affiliate (Awin), email/newsletter promotions, SEO, content marketing, and CRM/lifecycle tooling (Splio, Kameleoon, Unbounce).
Ammareal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ammareal
- Legal name
- AMMAREAL SAS
- Website
- https://ammareal.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ammareal is a French e-commerce marketplace that resells over one million second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music to individual consumers across France, Spain, Germany, and Italy, donating up to 15% of sale proceeds to charitable partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ammareal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Second-hand Books & Media Retail
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Used Merchandise Retailers (45951)
- SIC
- Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961), Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Books, Media & Entertainment Resale (CRAFAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Books, Media, Collectibles & Hobby Marketplaces (CRAFABAL), Books, Media & Entertainment Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAM)
Keywords
Where Ammareal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morangis, Île-de-France
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ammareal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Sales of Second-hand Cultural Products: Ammareal purchases or accepts second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music from individuals, libraries, and associations, then resells them through its e-commerce platform and marketplace listings at competitive prices. Revenue is generated through one-time transaction fees on each sale.
- Book Buyback and Resale: The company operates a book resale service where individuals can sell their used books to Ammareal. The books are then inspected, processed, and made available for resale on the platform, creating a continuous inventory cycle.
- Marketplace Commissions: Ammareal sells products through third-party marketplaces (Amazon, Fnac, Rakuten, eBay), earning commissions on sales facilitated through these channels.
- Book Donation Processing: While donations are free, the company monetizes received donations by reselling them, with portions going to charitable partners. Libraries, associations, and schools donate books which Ammareal processes and sells.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product pricing starting from €1 |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free shipping threshold - Free delivery from €10 in mainland France |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Welcome discount - 15% off first order from €25 |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Newsletter subscription discount - 5% off |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Ammareal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ammareal purchases and accepts second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music from individuals, libraries, associations, and businesses, inspects and resells them through its own e-commerce storefronts and third-party marketplaces at prices starting from €1. The platform also operates a buyback service (Valoriser mes livres) where users can sell used books back to Ammareal, and donates up to 15% of each sale to charitable partner associations such as Mots & Merveilles, Decitre Fund, and Secours Populaire Français.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Livres d'occasion (Used Books) Used books sold on the Ammareal platform at prices starting from €1, sourced from individuals, libraries, associations, and businesses, with quality verification before resale. Targets individual consumers seeking affordable reading material.
- CD d'occasion (Used CDs) Second-hand CDs across genres including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Electronic, and Hip Hop, sold on the Ammareal platform at low prices. Targets individual consumers seeking affordable music.
- DVD d'occasion (Used DVDs) Second-hand DVDs across categories including Animation, Cinema, Documentaries, Series, and Sports, sold on the Ammareal platform at low prices. Targets individual consumers seeking affordable video media.
- Vinyles d'occasion (Used Vinyl Records) Second-hand vinyl records across multiple music genres, sold on the Ammareal platform. Targets individual consumers and collectors seeking affordable records.
- Partitions (Sheet Music) Second-hand sheet music for various instruments including piano, guitar, voice, and orchestral instruments, including educational materials and songbooks. Targets musicians, students, and teachers seeking affordable scores.
- Valoriser mes livres (Book Buyback Service) Service allowing individuals to sell back their used books to Ammareal via web and mobile applications, with books inspected, processed, and resold on the platform, with proceeds optionally linked to charitable associations. Creates a continuous inventory cycle for the retail business.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 15% of purchase price donated to charitable associations
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ammareal
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ammareal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration18 records
Feature3 records
Ammareal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mots & Merveilles FoundationcoreAmmareal supports Mots & Merveilles through financial donations and book donations equivalent to the regional council subsidy. The foundation serves 700 learners and develops cultural and citizen workshops with Ammareal's support over a 3-year partnership.
- Decitre FundcoreDecitre Fund receives financial donations and support from Ammareal for installing book exchange boxes (boîtes à lire).
- Secours Populaire FrançaiscoreLong-standing partnership with shared values of solidarity. Ammareal provides ongoing financial support and donations to the national charity.
- Mondial RelaycorePrimary logistics partner for delivery in mainland France. Offers free shipping for orders over €10 to pickup points.
- ChronopostminorExpress delivery partner offering next-day delivery for orders placed before noon, Monday to Friday.
- ColissimominorStandard delivery option through La Poste network for broader geographic coverage.
- Colis PrivéminorAlternative delivery partner for customer convenience.
- PayPlugcorePayment processor for secure credit and debit card transactions.
- PayPalcorePayment option providing additional security for online transactions.
- ArcplexcoreIT hosting provider and website development partner. Servers exclusively hosted in France for data security and GDPR compliance.
- AwinminorAffiliate marketing network that tracks customer referrals and manages partner commissions for sales driven through affiliate partners.
- Amazon MarketplaceminorThird-party marketplace listing for expanded reach to Amazon's customer base.
- Fnac MarketplaceminorFrench cultural products marketplace listing reaching Fnac's customer base.
- RakutenminorMarketplace listing on Rakuten platform for additional sales channel.
- eBayminorGlobal marketplace listing reaching eBay's international buyer base.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Ammareal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Momox: Germany-based recommerce specialist buying and reselling used books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl across Europe; operates at significantly larger scale than Ammareal and is the benchmark specialist competitor across continental Europe.
- World of Books: UK-headquartered second-hand bookseller sourcing from libraries and charities for resale online; operates a similar buyback/resale circular model and competes for cross-border supply and demand in the European second-hand books market.
- RecycLivre: French social-purpose recommerce platform for second-hand books with charity tie-ins; the most direct French-headquartered competitor to Ammareal, competing for the same supply from libraries and individuals and the same value-driven consumer segment.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon (Used Books): Amazon Marketplace is a primary distribution channel for Ammareal and a direct competitor for used book, CD, DVD, and vinyl sales; competes on price, speed, and trust at a global scale Ammareal cannot match.
- Fnac Marketplace: French cultural-products retailer whose marketplace hosts Ammareal as a third-party seller; competes head-to-head for the French cultural-goods consumer while also being a channel partner.
- Rakuten: Global marketplace that lists Ammareal inventory and also competes for used-media and book buyers; comparable through the marketplace channel and overlapping customer base in Europe and the US.
- eBay: Long-standing global marketplace for second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl; lists Ammareal as a seller and competes for the same long-tail used-media buyer.
- AbeBooks: Owned by Amazon, AbeBooks is a major global marketplace for new, used, rare, and out-of-print books; overlaps directly with Ammareal's book category and offers consumers a much larger long-tail catalog.
Emerging players
- ThriftBooks: US-based online seller of used books with strong operational scale and a buyback program; comparable in business model (buyback + resale + circular narrative) but primarily focused on the North American market today.
Regional players
- CEX: UK-based retail and buyback chain for second-hand games, phones, and media including CDs, DVDs, and books; comparable recommerce/buyback model and pricing strategy but primarily serves the UK market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ammareal social profiles
Digital presenceAmmareal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ammareal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ammareal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ammareal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ammareal
What does Ammareal do?
Ammareal purchases and accepts second-hand books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and sheet music from individuals, libraries, associations, and businesses, inspects and resells them through its own e-commerce storefronts and third-party marketplaces at prices starting from €1. The platform also operates a buyback service (Valoriser mes livres) where users can sell used books back to Ammareal, and donates up to 15% of each sale to charitable partner associations such as Mots & Merveilles, Decitre Fund, and Secours Populaire Français.
Is Ammareal a public or private company?
Ammareal is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Ammareal founded?
Ammareal was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ammareal based?
Ammareal is headquartered in Morangis, Île-de-France, France, in the Europe region.
How does Ammareal make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales of Second-hand Cultural Products are the primary driver. The others are book Buyback and Resale, marketplace Commissions and book Donation Processing.
Who are Ammareal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Momox, World of Books and RecycLivre. Broad incumbents are Amazon (Used Books), Fnac Marketplace, Rakuten, eBay and AbeBooks. ThriftBooks is listed as an emerging player. CEX is listed as a regional player.
Does Ammareal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ammareal.
What industry is Ammareal in?
Ammareal's product category is Second-hand Books & Media Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAGAF, Books, Media & Entertainment Resale, with a secondary code of CRAFABAL, Books, Media, Collectibles & Hobby Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5961.