Reading for Less – Secondhand Books
Without wishing to go over ground already covered in detail, the fact remains that Amazon.com is also a powerful resource for finding secondhand books. The big difference here is that books bought from the Amazon Marketplace cannot be combined for shipping discounts and therefore other sites can compete on a more even footing.
The fixed price for shipping a book from the Amazon Marketplace is currently $3.99. Some of that shipping cost must be going to the vendor or else it is impossible to explain the variety of books on sale for $0.01!
But when you combine the shipping and the nominal cost of the book, it may still be possible to find better deals.
For example, Thrift Books has a wide variety of books for sale for that same $0.01 but with $3.95 shipping for the first book and $3.49 for each subsequent book, they come in marginally cheaper than Amazon.
ABE Books lists secondhand books for a huge variety of sellers. Despite their recent acquisition by Amazon they seem to have remained independent with each bookseller fixing its own shipping costs. It’s a great place to check prices and sometimes you can even go back to the original bookseller for an even sweeter deal.
If you enjoy hunting for bargains the secondhand book market can be fun. Don’t be afraid to try eBay or their subsidiary half.com.
Finally, if you’re happy to purchase books that aren’t new, you may find the best bargains in your local secondhand bookstore. Half Price Books is a chain of secondhand bookshops that carries an impressive range of books you’ll want.
Do you buy secondhand books? Tell us about the best bargains you have found in the comments section.
Comments
Great tips. I have a few more ideas for getting books and dvd for less. Lots of options these days.
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I use the book search engine addall.com. It will search all the major internet bookstores (new and used) and quote you prices including shipping.
Many local libraries have annual or semi-annual book sales from inventory donated by area residents. Paperback novels can be extremely cheap (50 cents or less) and hardcover fiction or non-fiction can be had for $2.00 or slightly higher depending on the publication date. These are fun events for browsing and great finds!