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Here are some additional tips and links to help you find the books you want at the best prices. |
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When purchasing used books, the keys to price are availiblility (how many copies were printed, how many
of them are on the market), condition (are all the pages intact, writing inside, pages folded down, spine
etc.) and don't forget, shipping and handling.
I hope you enjoy this guide, please let me know if you know of other ways to read/aquire/buy books online, mailto:callie@runningbloodfarm.com and I will ad it to this page.
Keep an updated list of books you want and books you have with you all the time, you never know when you will drive by
a used book store!
Places to Buy Books
Online Bookstores
Online booksellers like Amazon.com often have places for people to resell their used copies of books. Simply by
searching for the book you can find and compare prices for new vs. used or new and used from third party sellers. Be
sure to read the fine prine as sometimes different editions are listed by third parties than what is listed by the main store,
so if you really want the hard cover, be sure it specifies, or ask.
This method is generally very safe, as Amazon.com will back you up if the third party doesn't perform.
Barnes and Nobel
Amazon.com (not my store)
Online Conglomerate Stores
Online Conglomerate stores are stores where the web page itself doesn't sell books. What they sell is a search
engine and a reputation for other, smaller booksellers to operate. Here, read the discriptions carefully regarding shipping
time, book condition, edition, etc. because many of the sellers at these locations are professional used book dealers and
lots of information is usually present about the book. Unlike at Amazon, where if you buy multiple books new they automatically
combine shipping, sometimes it pays here to see if one bookseller has copies of several of the books you want. Combining
shipping can end up saving you more money than buying the cheapest copy availible from different sellers.
Again, the main site is vouching for the store selling there, so if there is a problem with your order you can usually
get assistance.
Advanced Book Exchange
Alibris
Book Finder
half.com
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Using Google
By doing a Google search on the book you can often find books in the online seller's personal store page. Sometimes
you can get great deals on these books if they are outside the expertiese of the store owner. (That's how I aquired
a first edition of Riding and Driving for Women). This method can be time consuming, looking at all the pages
in the search, and trying to evaluate condition etc. Also, this kind of buying is less safe as there is no middleman
to support you in a dispute.
Google also has a books online project where you can seach the full text of books scanned in there. They also offer
library cataloge searching.
Google Search
Google Books
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Ebay
Ebay can be a good place to buy books, I would reccomend setting up a faviorite search if you are looking for a specific
book, due to the limited duration of the auctions. This setting can send you an e-mail when new items with that discription
are listed. Keep an eye on price at other places though, because often the bidding goes higher than a savvy shopper
can get it elsewhere, and be sure to check the shipping and handleing, some .99 cent auctions have $20 S&H.
Usually e-bay works like it should, but some fraud happens.
Ebay
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