There are thousands of websites online to purchase new books, but there are only a few that sell used books. We are going to take a look at some of the used sites you likely have never heard of, but millions of people rave about them.
Thriftbooks – This company has been selling used books since 2003 and they often give big discounts to get you to keep buying from them. Some users have claimed that they have received books that are damaged by water or smell like mold, but the company normally gives full refunds or ships out a replacement.
Abe books – When buying from ABE always contact the seller and see if you can haggle a better deal. ABE books are generally over-priced (I’d say between 30% and 50%), but you can get in touch with the seller and see what’s what. It’s designed to be like this.. when you order an item it’s not “binding” in the same way that it is on Amazon or eBay, there is some back and forth possible.
BetterWorldBooks – People donate books to them, they sell the books at a low price, and give their proceeds to literacy programs for children. Win, win, win! If you get lucky, you can find some great old library books with the awesome canvas covers.
Booko – This site searches a bunch of different book sellers and returns price listings. I’ve used it to find and buy books from AbeBooks, BookDepository and others.
PaperbackSwap – This is a site where you can list paperback and hardcover books you own and users will ask for a swap. You pay the postage to the user and then you can chose from over 3 million books on the site and have them shipped to you for free.
Worldofbooks – This site has been around for the last ten years and ships millions of books each year.
Wonderbk – You can find a lot of stuff for pretty cheap prices. Free shipping, and also an automatic 10% off if you order 5 books or more.
Powell’s – Powell’s Books is an independent bookseller based in Portland, Oregon and have been selling used books since 1971. The inventory for its retail and online sales is over four million new, used, rare, and out-of-print books. Powell’s buys around 3,000 used books a day.
Biblio – This is a site that’s a huge collection of independent booksellers, connected through the website for searchability. So you buy from a local (to somewhere) bookstore, supporting that small store. They also have a massive selection, especially of rare or collectible editions, and tons of used books in good or better conditions for cheap prices.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
