5 ways to Save Money on Books
I love books. I used to hate reading, therefore I hated books as well. But, as soon as I got out of school I began to enjoy reading - probably because I was no longer forced to do it. So now I collect good books, but I can’t remember the last time I paid full price for a book, or even half price for that matter. These are the 5 ways I save money on books:
1. Amazon.com
It doesn’t get much better than Amazon.com
2. The local Library
I can’t speak for all libraries, but ours has a website that allows to us to browse the library database and request items to be sent to the nearest branch. Once they arrive, I get an email notification that they have arrived. Even though I prefer to own the books, this is a great option to have free access to a lot of books.
3. Check out thrift stores for used books
I just discovered this one a few months ago on a suggestion from a friend that they have tons of books for about a dollar. I was pleasantly surprised! I walked out with three famous business and finance books, a dictionary, and a thesaurus (all hardbound) for $5. I added up the retail price for kicks and the 5 books went for $142 new. Beware, you may have to wade through many romance novels to find the gems! 
4. Trade your books with others
Swaptree.com has a cool service that allows you to trade your books, CDs, and DVDs with others online. The service is free, the only expense is the shipping cost of your item.
5. Borders
If you are into NEW books, signing up for Border’s email list may be a good way to go. On about a weekly basis I get a coupon from them, sometimes as much as 40% off.
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Comments on 5 ways to Save Money on Books »
I love how interconnected libraries are! I can get something either from the county library system or from a big college system at Mr. Micah’s university. It doesn’t cover every book, but I feel pretty well off.
Libraries are my favourite way to save money on books, with second hand bookshops or book exchanges following directly after.
Here’s one of my favorite things about libraries: There are so many books that look promising initially that don’t really pay off in the end. If I’m browsing a topic at the library, I can take home several books on the topic and, at my leisure, decide which books are worth my time.
Some books are only worth reading for one chapter. If I borrow from the library, I get to read the chapter, take the book back, and lose no money or time to speak of.
Good article.
I’ve found quite a few good books at library book sales, especially many repair-type books that I have frequently used for reference over the years.
In 400 B.C. Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough, and a fulcrum upon which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Tools and books are my levers and fulcrums. Once you have them there is no stopping you, you can repair anything.
@Cory
Good point - I do the same thing, usually walk out with 6 books on whatever is interesting me at the time and skim through them and only maybe read the best one… It is a great way to figure out what is really good…
I find lots of good books at garage sales during the summer.
Regarding Borders, I get those too, but even with 40% off it’s frequently cheaper to purchase from Amazon or one of the other large online sellers. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Borders…could live their, but they aren’t the cheapest.
@GLBLguy
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Agreed - I am an Amazon nut first, so I would get a new book there first, but if I happen to need to get a birthday present, say, the day of the party - Borders it is!! Amazon doesn’t have same day delivery (yet, anyway
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A couple of other ways:
The ultimate book buying site is called BestWebBuys. This site does a search by title, author, ISBN, or Keyword and does a search of the top 20 or so book buying sites including half, amazon, abebooks, walmart, and a bunch of others. You can’t go wrong. Another good one is Google’s Shopping Place - Froogle. Last buy not least always good to check ABEBooks - used by BestWebBuys but always good to double check.
Got my links a little muddled there, sorry about that!
I wouldn’t want you guys to miss out on Betterworld.com. Not only do you get books with free shipping in the U.S., you are also contributing to literacy worldwide.
The prices used to start at $3.48. I guess with shipping prices higher, it’s now $3.98. But this is still 1 cent cheaper than Amazon (if you can find a good buy).
If you go to retailmenot.com and type in betterworld.com, you’ll find coupons for 15% discount or 10% discount. It’s a great deal.
If you live internationally, the books are shipped to you for only $2.97. It sure is a deal for me.
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That is why I created http://www.StudentBookTrades.com. An easy way to find college textbooks that other students have already completed courses for. Students are automatically matched with each other to trade textbooks for classes they have completed. Trade, Swap, sell, or buy college textbooks from other students. Search the book database, contact the student at your home campus, city, state, or nationwide about the book and save money.
Those are some great ideas and I will try them out next time I need a book for school.