How to Buy Cheap Books Without the Internet

Thanks to the proliferation of electronic reading devices, the digital media revolution has spread to books. Many people think that, as with music, digitizing reading material will make it cheaper and more accessible. It is also assumed by many that sites like Amazon offer outrageously low prices compared to physical bookstores. While the question of accessibility is an argument best saved for another day, it is now time to bust the myth that books bought online are always cheaper. Here are a few strategies for buying cheap books without using the Internet.

Check out the “Bargain Books” shelf at chain bookstores.

Chain stores like Barnes & Noble or Borders are normally the last place to look for cheap books; they stock only new copies that sell for the cover price. However, these stores usually have racks of discounted books, sometimes up to 70%. These are overstock or books that could not sell at full price, so don’t expect to find last week’s bestseller here. That does not mean you won’t find something good; you never know what will turn up.

Buy Used in Real Life

Unlike with cars, there is almost no downside to buying used books. Yes, some lines may be highlighted, but as long as you can read the print, who cares? Books remain quite functional with age and, just like your car, depreciation makes them worth less and less every year. Amazon introduced many people to the magic of used books, but buying them in person has even more advantages. A book may cost $0.01 online, but you still have to pay $3.99 in shipping. Better deals can be found at a real-life book sale or used bookstore. For example, I recently purchased President Ulysses S. Grant’s Memoirs and Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad at a library book sale for $1.00 each. That’s two books for less than the price it would take to ship one on Amazon.

Visit Your Local Library

In addition to the aforementioned book sales, some libraries also have book exchanges, where you can leave unwanted books and take others home for free. I found a copy of The Autobiography of Malcolm X in the free book bin at my local library. And, of course, you can free up a lot of space at home by taking out library books instead of buying them.

Find an Independent Bookstore

The widest selection of cheap books can be found at independent bookstores. These stores can usually be found in large cities, specifically in college neighborhoods. New York’s Strand and Cambridge, MA’s Harvard Book Store are just two examples. These types of stores offer a combination of new and used books, with the potential for bargains throughout. The Strand lists most new books at a ten or twenty percent discount; most of the stock is donated or sold cheaply by publishers who need to get rid of extra books. Thanks to that policy, I was able to pick up Ray Bradbury’s I Sing The Body Electric for $5.00. These stores also stock leftover review copies of new books, which sell at fifty percent off.

Keep an Open Mind

Like other forms of shopping, buying cheap books means making bargains a high priority. If you need to buy a Christmas or birthday present, Barnes & Noble or Amazon may be the least stressful way. But if you’re able to wait a little, you may find the book you are looking for at a library book sale or an offbeat bookstore. Conducting a search this way may even lead you to a great book you have not heard of at a low price you never expected.

Websites like Amazon may be efficient, but buying a book in real life is not necessarily a rip off. After all, much of Amazon’s stock comes from physical bookstores, and visiting them is probably a more pleasant experience than sitting at a computer entering credit card information. It is also important to remember how much shipping costs can drive up the overall cost of a book bought online. E-books may be locked in at $10.00, undercutting most new hardcovers, but that price can easily be exceeded offline, as the examples listed above demonstrate. Online shopping may be the wave of the future, but it is not necessarily the best option when it comes to buying cheap books.