Best Online Bookstores for Cheap New and Used Books

by Marsha Landry

Book reading is a wonderful hobby with a large number of people indulged in the activity worldwide. Millions of people globally read books, including those taught in schools and others! Research published in the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016 Consumer Expenditure Survey shows that an average US household buys books and magazines worth $118 annually. However, it also says that the elderly are more inclined to buy and read books than young college-going or working individuals.

How does reading affect your health?

Have you ever wondered how reading can affect your life? How amazing it would be if we told you that reading could increase your life length! According to the US National Library of Medicine, reading at least one chapter daily can add to your age longevity by 20% over 12 years. Who knew gaining more knowledge and spending relaxing time reading books could also offer longer living !

Not only do books tend to increase your lifespan, but they also help you relax. If you are an avid reader, you can well relate to reading being a stress-reliever. Studies have also confirmed that reading influences your mind positively and lessens stress. Research published in The Telegraph proved reading to be a better stress-reliever than caffeine or music, reducing stress up to 68%.

How to select the right book for you?

How toselect the right book for you?
How to select the right book for you?

J.K Rowling said, "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book." And who can disagree with the phenomenal writer?

It is crucial to read books apart from those you study to get a degree. Books open your mind and allow you to think from a broader perspective. The numerous books on several genres and topics provide you a space to explore and learn at your own comfort. The choice of books is as important as the choice to read itself. If you start reading a book that does not fall to your liking, you might not go for another one. We suggest trying at least one more that is popular among people of your age and similar interests.

However, the most helpful tip while selecting a book to read is to read a summary of the book. And even better, check the back cover and genre. Let the book do the rest of the magic.

Where to find books online?

If you are short on time and going out to buy books is not the best idea for you, you can easily purchase books online. You can find 48.5 million books on Amazon alone. Sites like kindle and audible have over 1.5 million books and 200,000 audiobooks respectively.

But what if you can read your favorite books when you can't spend a lot of money? That is definitely the best treat for a reader. Let us tell you some places you can get your favorite books at lower prices.

Best Online Bookstores for Cheap New and Used Books

John Steinbeck says, "I guess there are never enough books." And we understand that. So, we have come up with a list of book stores that offer new and used books at cheap costs to read as many as you want!

Better World Books - Link

Better World Books
Better World Books

Better World Books is among the most popular online book stores worldwide with a massive number of users. The book store has over 8 million titles for you to choose from! Better World Books is not a book store but a name in itself. It offers a wide number of benefits for its users. If you love reading paperbacks, better world books sends you your favorite book just at one click. They also offer an eDelivery service for their readers where they can receive a scanned copy of the selected book, which is also at a discounted price. Isn't it great?

The process of choosing is quite straightforward with the genres already mentioned. You can choose books from several including,

  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • History
  • Comics
  • Children's books

Moreover, you can get second-hand college textbooks at reasonable prices in good condition. It seems like Better World Books believes that books should not be restricted to those only who can afford them. That is why it donates one book for every book bought from their stores.

The bookstore has donated over 25 million books, including those collected from colleges, for those who cannot spend to buy textbooks.

Bonus: Get free delivery on your books anywhere in the world. Better World Books pays for carbon offsets to reduce the carbon footprint of the books traveling to different parts of the world.

Abebooks - Link

Abebooks
Abebooks

It won't be wrong to call AbeBooks the senior of all other online bookselling websites. The site began business in 1997 and has managed to stay in the top choices of online book stores. AbeBooks might seem like just another name on the list of online book stores that offer second-hand books for cheaper rates. But, what's mind-blowing is the discount offered on books. You can find books that are at discounted prices from 40% to a whopping 90% often.

The categories available at AbeBooks include memoirs, classic novels, cookbooks, biographies, and an excellent collection of children's' books. The best part is that you can find these books both in hardcopy and softcopy formats. You can use filters on the site like "binding," "condition," or "free shipping" to sort extra ones out.

If you are looking for some old classic novels, head to the "Weird Book Room" where you can find old books. Most of the books at AbeBooks come without any delivery charges.

Bonus: You can find books for as low as $1 at Abe Books. So, what are you waiting for?

Thrift Books - Link

Thrift Books
Thrift Books

Thrift Books is an amazing place to buy books at lower prices, particularly if you are looking for children's books. The book store provides huge discounts and offers when you buy in bundles. You can avail of several offers on the site, like the 15% discount they offer on your first purchase. Other offers include:

  • Get a $5 bonus on spending $50 or more.
  • Get 50 cents off for each book when you buy more than one of the same author.
  • Bundle offers like 2 for $7, 3 for $10, and others.

The website has a vast collection that expands up to 8 million titles, including genres other than children's books. Such as

  • Fiction
  • Health and Fitness
  • Education
  • Young adult
  • Comics

Thrift Books take care of books and ensures that no book goes to the trash. The website sells most of the books, whereas others are recycled.

Powell's books - Link

Powell's books
Powell's books

If you are looking for a broader experience than just buying books, Powell's can be your go-to site. Powell's is the online wing of the popular bookstore Portland and nothing less than a cool bookstore just down the street. It offers quick delivery of the books you select among the various genres found on the website. You can choose books from

  • Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Cooking
  • Computers and internet
  • Metaphysics

Other than these, you can also look for college textbooks at lesser prices. It is known that Powell's books buy up to 5,000 books every day , making up the massive collection on the website. Finding books is quite easy on the website as it offers various means to do so. You can enter a keyword, book title, author's name, or ISBN to find the book you are looking for.

The shipping charges are $3.99 across the USA that you can expel on ordering books worth $50 or more.

Bonus: Besides the information about the books and the author, you can also find favorites at the site and music the authors listen to while writing.

Book Depository - Link

Book Depository
Book Depository

While many of us love to hoard and read used books, some prefer new books. Book Depository is heaven for such people who like new books more than second-hand ones. The online bookstore has many new books and some used ones at the most economical rates.

It is not as popular as others because new books still cost a little more than used ones. However, if you buy books frequently, Book Depository can be a cheaper alternative to your regular store. The site allows you to shop as per your preference on the basis of categories, best sellers, top authors, popular features, and new releases. Book depository has a "Gift Guide" section where you can find the most popular books to gift to a friend on acquaintance. The books can be selected from the favorites in each category. You don't need to look for another website for audiobooks as you can find them at Book Depository instantly.

The best news for any reader while ordering online is free shipping. And yes, Book depository provides free delivery worldwide!

Bonus: Find yourself cheap books in the "Bargain Shop" section, where you can find kid's books, lifestyle, cookbooks, photography, and arts at discounted prices.

The Strand - Link

The Strand
The Strand

Are you looking for a bookstore that offers something that is not out in the market yet ? This NYC based book place is the answer to all your requirements. The strand is one such place where you can get all the books you are looking for. The books are in mint condition, and most of them are just like new. Even the unused books on the site are in prices lesser than others.

You can also find the top-rated books as per the recommendation of New York's hipster literati and read them.

Bonus: Get yourself some signed books at the store and some that are not out for sale yet. Isn't it just great?

Amazon - Link

Amazon
Amazon

Have we not mentioned Amazon on the list so far? Then, here it is!

Amazon is undisputedly among the websites that have books for everyone. While many of you know that you can buy numerous new titles on Amazon, the e-commerce store has a wide variety of used books at cheap prices too. You can also get college textbooks in good condition at a reduced cost to avoid buying expensive new textbooks.

Searching on Amazon is easy. You just have to type the book's name in the search bar, and hundreds of results flood in. The best part is that there are many sellers on the site, allowing you to choose a price that suits you the best. More number of sellers means a wider variety of books as well.

Though you can find almost every type of book on Amazon, the most popular genre include

  • Children's books
  • Fiction
  • Self-help
  • Science
  • Math
  • History

How to filter: If you are specifically looking for used books, look for the "filter" option on the left side. Look for "condition" and select "used." The search will display only used books.

Half Price Books - Link

Half Price Books
Half Price Books

Half Price Books is another online platform where people come up together to sell books. The website does not directly buy or sells books; instead offers a platform to the sellers. Half Price Books has over 20,000 individual sellers with a vast collection of books at economical prices. Browse through thousands of books present on the website and get the one you like. Searching for a book is easy at Half Price Books. Add the title of the book or the genre on the search bar, and the website shows you all the relevant searches. The categories are vast, ranging from economics and business to young adult books. Other genres of books include sports, self-help, and cooking.

Moreover, you get to avail discounts at Half Price Books along with the already minimal prices of the books. You can get up to a 20% discount on your entire purchase at one time-definitely a fantastic deal for all book lovers.

Bonus: Apart from books, the website also offers to buy music and movies. You can avail of the discount on these purchases too, apart from the books.

Alibris - Link

Alibris
Alibris

Alibris is one of the must-try stores when it comes to buying quality books at cheap rates online. With a library of over 150 million books, it is one of the top places for book lovers who look for the most competent rates. The site allows sellers from around the world to sell books, making it convenient for the buyers to choose the best price. The presence of individual sellers opens doors for the availability of limited edition and signed copies or books no longer found anywhere. It is so wonderful to come across a book that you had been looking for for years.

The bookstore offers enormous discounts on all genres like fiction, health and fitness, history, and mystery. It would come to you as good news that they have started a textbook rental where Alibris rents out textbooks to students with a full refund policy. Yes, if you refund the textbook within 21 days, you can get the refund . Also, you can add notes to the textbook if you keep it in good condition.

This is not all; by signing up for the newsletter, you become eligible for a number of coupons. Other discounts include $5 when signing up and free shipping on orders above $39.

Bonus: Alibris isn't a bookstore-only, but a media store with several kinds of music and movies.

Daedalus Books - Link

Daedalus Books
Daedalus Books

Daedalus books can be called the book heaven for people looking for specific titles that are not very common. The bookstore has a vast selection of books that are remaindered by publishers. It means you get to read books that were not in the market for a lot of time, and you might have missed out on them. If you have a unique book you had been looking for, Daedalus books got you covered. And even if you do not have anything, in particular, to search for, trust the store's choice as they are quite picky in their collection.

Not only do they offer the forgotten books, but also best sellers and classic books. And all of this is for low prices with an additional 10% discount if you sign up for their email list.

Bonus: While ordering books, you can also have a look at DVDs for prices less than 10% of the original price.

PaperBack Swap - Link

PaperBack Swap
PaperBack Swap

Do you know what's better than books at a low price? Not having to pay anything for the books at all! Yes, you can get books without having to buy them. And you would certainly love how PaperBack Swap works. There are more than 1.8 million books on the bookstore to swap from. Select a book that you like and offer a book of their choice in return. If you do not want to have a book right now, send the requested title and receive a coupon in return. You can use the coupon later to get a book of your choice from another seller.

You can also get a new book at discounted rates if you are not looking for used ones.

Bonus: Paperbackswap is immensely popular as it offers you free books alongside swapping them. You get two free books when you sign up on the site, so it's a win-win for all bibliophiles.

Textbooks.com - Link

Textbooks.com
Textbooks.com

Sometimes textbooks can be quite costly, and most students look forward to finding them at lesser prices. Many websites offer books at low prices for students, but textbooks.com tops the list. You can find textbooks for almost all subjects without having to spend a handful. You can find both old and new books in good condition on the website in mint condition. Searching for your desired textbooks is simple, with the straightforward layout of the store divided into categories. Get your textbooks at high discounts, as much as 90%.

Bonus: With the extravagant discounts, you can also avail of free shipping on orders above $25 and a 30-day return policy for your convenience.

How else to get books for cheap?

If you are not sure about the different prices on various websites, comparing them might help you make a better decision. A few websites act as tools for comparing the costs of new and used books to save time.

Bookfinder

Bookfinder is such a tool that lets you compare the price of a book at different stores so you can get the least cost for a book. You can find out and compare books by over 100,000 sellers at the site, covering most of the books people look for. Bookfinder is an excellent tool as it works to compare used books that are already at low prices, letting you save even more. According to the site, you can save up to 90% through the website. Also, you save the time you spend on going through different stores.

The process is easy as you only have to add the book's title, author, or ISBN, and the website compares prices itself.

Direct Textbook

Direct textbook is a comparatively better option for college students as it solely focuses on textbooks . You can find a vast range of books on different subjects to be compared. Instead of going from store to store, you can get the price of a used textbook at other stores instantly without having to spend a lot of time.

Enter the title, author, publisher, keyword, or ISBN to swiftly compare prices and save as much as 75% as compared to bookstore prices.

Where to download books for free?

Readers love when they can read online books or pdf for free and spend the saved amount on a book that is not available in free pdf. We understand this and have found a list of stores where you can download books for free and read to your heart's contentment.

Margaret Atwood said, "A word after a word after a word is power." So, reading is vital whether you are an e-reader or you love the essence of pages of books.

Get free downloadable e-books at

Readings books should be encouraged regardless if you read them online or prefer paperbacks. Find your favorite book and give it a shot to not miss out on anything.

"I love the way that each book - any book - is its own journey. You open it, and off you go…" - Sharon Creech

Happy reading!

About Marsha Landry

Marsha Landry is an accomplished writer known for her expertise in the field of movies. With a keen eye for storytelling and a deep understanding of film analysis, she has established herself as a prominent voice in the world of cinema.

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