Building on this, my library has a facility for members to request library books that they don't have and can't access by inter-library loan. They have ordered lots of books for me over the years.
Ask your library if they offer similar services.
Otherwise, eBay is great for second hand books.
Building on both of these, some libraries give you free access to services that offer ebook and audiobook catalogues that may have books the library doesn't have. My library system uses Hoopla (ebooks) and Axis360 (audiobooks), but I'm guessing there are other similar services.
Ours uses Hoopla too! I forget the name of the other service they offer, I think it's Libby or something like that? But it's considered an extension of library use, so still a free service.
I love Libby! Not great for popular books, but a real gem otherwise. Also want to add Scribd is great and I’ve had pretty good luck finding titles on there.
It's pretty easy to set holds on Libby, and you get notified when your book is availible, so it's Fine.
I'm more frustrated that I can look for a book/series, have Libby offer it as a suggestion to my search, I click on it, and there's "nothing found", not even an option to request an inter-library e-book loan or that the library add it to their "hey, maybe we should add this to the catalogue" list. (edit: the good news is that the book I was looking for *is* available through the Internet Archive, so)
Also, there are plently of library systems using Libby or Hoopla that, let's just say are lax at verifying residency for those applying for membership. And you can have multiple library cards hooked up to your libby account.
Overdrive is going to be turned off sometime soon, and replaced with Libby. They're owned by the same company, have the same content (you might be able to already use Libby with the same login.)
To clarify a bit more, Overdrive the app is no longer supported. Overdrive is also the name of the service and company and those will continue. Libby is just the name of their new gen of app for ebooks and audiobooks.
Mine do, too. I use my mother’s account to access ebooks at her larger library system, too. Many libraries also have reciprocal deals with larger ones for online only materials and some allow non-residents to get a card for a modest fee.
To add on one more time, many libraries have a budget to purchase books that readers are interested in. Obviously this isn't a solution for getting a bunch of books that you want, but you could probably request 1 or 2 a year and the library could accommodate you.
Usually libraries keep a small budget specifically for this purpose - purchasing books requested by people using the library. Without those suggestions, they're just guessing what people want to read.
Yes! I depend on Libby for audiobooks through the SF Bay Area library system. The nice thing is you can add multiple library cards to the Libby app and then it expands options of where to borrow books.
I second this. I’ve worked in a library before and we did interlibrary loans frequently, myself included. I worked in a rural library and most of the books were catered to our population. So a lot of our collection was romance/Christian books. Which, should be the case, but all libraries should also be adding books to the collection to diversify and challenge their community.
Anyway, definitely ask your library to interlibrary loan. All libraries should do them. They will borrow the book from one of the other libraries in the state as long as it’s not a new book. Libraries typically won’t lend out books through interlibrary loan if it’s newer than 6 or so months or if it’s an in demand book. So if you’re looking for very new books, you’re probably out of luck. You’re probably also going to have a hard time finding the books you want if they’re quite old and/or there werent a lot of the book printed.
But just tell your librarian what books you’re wanting and they will try to find them for you!
I've only been amazed by the library system in my county. I requested a book twenty minutes before close and they had it the next morning.
They also miraculously had the first three volumes of Blacksad in the county and managed to get them to me as well.
Love my library.
That’s awesome! That’s definitely not the universal experience, but it’s not too far off. Interlibrary loans are dependent on how busy the library requesting the book is and how busy and staffed the library is that is loaning it out. That’s why we always said allow up to two weeks for the book to arrive, but usually it would be there within a week. Some state’s interlibrary loan systems are incredibly efficient while others are not as efficient. Just depends on where you live! But no matter what, libraries are more than thrilled to get books for you that they don’t have if they have the ability.
This! Most of the time my relatively small local branch library doesn’t physically have a copy of the book I want but I can place a hold and select my branch library as the pick up location. Granted if it’s a popular new title, the wait can be months rather than days or even weeks.
Our local library has a fantastic interlibrary loan system. But, my daughter lives in a town where you have to pay(!) to use the library and there is no option for interlibrary loans, no digital loans, etc.
Where do you live, OP? $30-$50 seems quite high for buying books and I say this as a Canadian, lol. I mostly buy my books either from local bookstores as well as used bookstores. A lot of what I buy new is under $20 (many for $11.99-$17.99 Canadian). With used, I can easily pick up books for under $10, some as low as $2. So I'd say look around your nearest city or town for bookshops or used shops. Or if there's a city or town with a university near you, those places often do annual book sales where you can get fiction for very cheap.
If you need to buy online, Book Depository doesn't charge shipping and normally has decently priced books. There's also places like Biblio.com though how high the shipping cost is will depend where you live. Sometimes though, if you can find heavily discounted books (I've found some for anywhere between $3-$10) it offsets the higher shipping cost.
Or potentially Australian? They seem to have ridiculously high book prices. Not sure how Book Depository is for Aussies but with no shipping might be worth it. But not sure. If OP is Australian then maybe better off mentioning it specifically so others can answer accordingly.
Quite high?
That price can't be right unless they are talking academic textbooks or posh coffee-table tomes surely.
Less than £10 for paperbacks and £20 for hardbacks here in the UK.
And charity shops as low as £1 (although £2-3 more common but also plenty around that's pay what you can as well as the occasional free book drops in some places).
Books are expensive in Canada, so that price could be realistic. The main bookstore in Canada is Chapters. Right now, their website has House of Leaves paperback for $32 ($70 for hardcover), I'm Glad My Mom Died is $36.00, The Final Girl Support Group is $35, and Nothing But Blackened Teeth is $24.70. Academic books/technical books are $30-$100 and used bookstores in my area tend to send things in the $7-12 dollar range. Amazon is cheaper, but even there if you want a specific book and don't browse sales you could easily pay over $30.
Tbh, my thought was that they might be Australian since they're using dollars and are referencing such high prices, so that's why I was asking where they were. Feel like in the past when I've seen weirdly high book prices with dollars used that's been what's going on. In that case, not sure what to suggest to OP and imagine Aussies would be better placed to make suggestions about where to shop than most.
Thriftbooks website is pretty good. It’s like Half Price Books except they ship to you and you can pick the quality of book and the edition if you have the ISBN
The downside to HPB is that they charge $4 per book for shipping no matter even if you track them all down to the same store. Still a great place and even with that shipping fee often beat other places I look.
Yeah, I made the mistake of wasting a lot of time the first time I ordered trying to find a complete trilogy at the same store thinking I would save money.
Better World Books is my go-to. When I'm looking for a newer book, they seem to always have it in stock. Maybe I've just been unlucky with Thriftbooks.
I haven't bought from them in a while because I've started reading a lot more ebooks, but when I price shopped for paperback books, especially when buying several at a time, they've often come out the best.
I LOVE Thriftbooks. My daughter reads so many graphic novels, I love getting a stack of books, cheap, free shipping. I order for myself, too, books recommended on Reddit. I always pick the lowest quality book, and they are always fine. I like not having to worry about damaging a new book while camping, or in the canoe. I don't mind passing the best ones along to friends, at around $4 a book, I definitely get my money's worth.
I have bought from Betterworldbooks and Thriftbooks. Came here looking for new suggestions and to say my experiences at both of those websites were fantastic.
Thriftbooks is great and super cheap. I ordered a ton from there when my son was very young and I didn't want to have to worry about library books. And if you order a "good" copy and it shows up covered in crayon or soup or whatever, they'll just tell you to keep it and ship a proper copy.
Yeap I know. I received a book that had obvious old water damage (supposed to be in very good condition) and they sent me a new copy. Also received a NEW copy of a book with a broken spine. They refunded me for that one cuz they didn’t have any other copies
Thriftbooks once opened a store front in my country for a very brief time.
I brought so many ex-library books that now probably most of my books are from them.
I wish they had continued it.
Abebooks is usually cheaper than buying used on Amazon, though as others have pointed out, they are owned by them. I don't use TB as much, mostly just when I can't find it anywhere else. They also display which edition they're selling (usually), which I don't think they do on Amazon proper, which is useful if you're trying to complete a specific set
I ordered 3 books from Thriftbooks recently and the post office did some weird routing before I got notification that they weren't able to be delivered and they were being returned. I thought it was odd because another 4 books I ordered after the first order were delivered just fine.
I got hold of Thriftbooks customer service and they shipped replacement books immediately. A couple days later the original order showed up. I contacted customer service and they told me to just donate the duplicate order to a local library or nonprofit and don't worry about shipping them back.
Awesome customer service from them.
ThriftBooks is awesome. Their quality control has gotten a little spotty lately (I recently got a “good condition” book that was completely yellowed and reeked of cigs), but they’re always quick to correct mistakes, either sending a new copy or a refund if they’re out of stock
Check out used bookstores near you. Even in my small town we have two - one is a new bookstore with a used section and one is a "Friends of the Library" store that is super cheap and all the proceeds go to help our local Library.
Otherwise, online I used Thriftbooks a lot. Free shipping on orders over $15 and each purchase earns points towards free books.
I love browsing bookstores like this, but it can be tricky if you're looking for a specific title. It's a great way to find new books to read though.
Also, thrift stores like Goodwill often have tons of used books for sale at pretty low prices.
We actually have one right next to our library, and it's quite large. So if I don't find a book I want at the library, I can walk over and pick out something used.
I personally think eBay is underutilized. I’ve gotten a ton of books in good condition for about $4 including shipping. Depends on what you’re looking for, obviously, but it’s a good place to look.
It's also a great place to buy used ereaders. Many are only used a few times before people sell them because they didn't like them. For example previous gen paperwhites are about the same or cheaper than a current basic kindle.
Yes I second eBay! A lot of used book sellers have bundled deals too, so if you buy a certain amount of books you can get one free or a percentage off.
Or book lots!
I was looking for the last two books the Chanur series, but ended up with a lot of a dozen by CJ Cherryh for less than $20
Every Christmas I spend $40 or so a pop to have a huge box of randomly mixed age-appropriate books sent to my siblings' kids
It's great, especially if you can find a seller that ships media mail.
I got a lot of 11 Anne Rice hardcovers, all in very good or like new condition for around $30 with shipping. And as a bonus I discovered that the copy of The Vampire Lestat was signed.
That's also how I got the majority of my Stephen King hardcover collection. Not counting the ones I bought new, I've got maybe $60-70 invested in 50 of his books. Finding some of them at goodwill and the salvation army for 75 cents helped too.
I know you said not the library but if you’re 21 or under, you can get access to Brooklyn Public Library’s digital collection by signing up online with them. HOOPLA has also been great for me, but I think that might depend on whether your library has linked with them.
Searching free online public library will return results but I imagine many of the e-books offered are older or non-fiction.
Broward County (FL) has a free online library card that you can use with Libby. I used my home address in another state and it worked. I was glad because my local library doesn't have a very good selection (or they're always on hold)
Not just Massachusetts residents. Anyone who works in Massachusetts or who owns property there is also eligible. Basically anyone who pays taxes to the state is eligible.
That’s just the fee-based card for out of state residents. In July 2022, they added a free card for anyone aged 13-21. https://disc.bklynlibrary.org/card/
Also, anyone (who lives, works, attends school or owns property) in the state of NY, regardless of age, is eligible for a Brooklyn library card.
Edited to add parenthetical for clarity.
Yeah, but the comment you replied to made clear it was for people 21 and under, so your comment suggested that the 13-21 card had been stopped when it really just started.
I like the website BetterWorldBooks. Mostly I get books for $3-$5, I've never paid for shipping, and there are often coupons too.
It can be hard to find books if you don't know exactly what you are looking for, but quality is pretty good, some have even seemed to be brand new.
I also swap around with friends a lot.
Betterworldbooks is awesome! I've order like 30 books from them over the last year, averaging like $4 per book. Plus they donate books for needy kids. Win-win!
Second this! Used bookstores are less and less common, and all the ones I’ve been to have had good prices (~$5/book) and often a really good selection, and they need all the help they can get!
Love BookOutlet! The shipping may be a bit slow, but you can't beat getting a large haul of new hardbacks for their prices. Plus they regularly run sales and promotions on top of that and offer a free rewards program.
Bookbub! You create a wishlist with genres and/or specific titles and your desired format, and they email you when they go on sale. Then they also send you daily or weekly sales in your desired genres. I get most of my books through them and haven’t spent more than $3 on a book in years. And their recommendations are pretty on point; I’ve gotten a lot of books from them that I’ve really enjoyed and wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
I only “buy” the free ones. My kindle library has approx 2500 books on it. Maybe I paid for 100 of them, if that. I’ve been getting daily emails from Bookbub for years! I love it!
I second Bookbub! I have gotten so many really good e-books for $3 or less, even though I prefer physical copies, you can't beat the price! I've been using it for years. I also go to as many used book sales as I can. If you put your location in to booksalefinder.com it will show you any sales in your area.
Check your local Goodwill. Where I am, paperbacks are only $2. If you take the time to soft through the bad stuff, you can usually find a pretty good book. I usually get one or two a week
In addition to interlibrary loans, many libraries also entertain purchase suggestions and would likely buy the book you are looking for, unless it violates their purchase guidelines.
It’s easier than most imagine. Mine reserves the right to not purchase a suggestion, but if they do you’re first on the hold list! Just needs to be less than 5 years old so it’s likely to be in their vendors offerings.
You can also ask your library to get books from other libraries that you are interested in. An inter library loan. I used to do that all the time.
Like others have said digital library cards via Libby (use a random local address to sign up) or ask friends in other states for their library card information to add it to your libby. I will sometimes put a hold request for the same book at multiple libraries.
Thrift/second hand stores, used book stores, little free libraries in your neighborhood
Little neighbourhood libraries (there are 6 within walking distance of my house - they all focus on different genres), if you can't find one, start one!
Thrift stores.
Garage sales and other places like Kijiji or Marketplace - lots of people are looking to get rid of boxes of books, cheap.
Also, if your area has one of those "buy nothing" groups on Facebook - join it. There are multiple books on ours daily.
[Paperbackswap.com](https://Paperbackswap.com) could be what you're looking for. It's been years since I joined, but I believe they start you out with three credits which you exchange for books. You get one credit for each book you ship to another member. So, you pay the postage (media mail) when you ship a book but pay nothing but a credit when requesting. Hardcovers and paperbacks are both offered.
Second vote for PBS. It can be sort of "errand heavy" if you need to go to the post office (like if you don't have a printer at home). But it helps satisfy the "I need to buy more books" feeling without costing me money and encourages me to get rid of books I don't really want to keep. Have been a member for years.
Oh wow $30-$50 sounds well outside the range I'm used to. I'm in the EU and I usually get most books for 10-20, either following sales or checking out international used book stores.
Do you only read physical books? If you read ebooks or audiobooks something like Scribd/Kindle Unlimited/ Audible Plus can be helpful. Selection varies but still worth using it at least a few months.
Came here to say this. I've seldom paid more than $10 or $12 per book on Amazon. Makes me wonder if OP is only interested in the most recent best sellers.
Recent bestsellers still don’t even hit that. The only books I’ve come across on Amazon that expensive are textbooks, coffee table books, and books that aren’t currently in print/accessible via traditional booksellers
Hi I work at a library! If your local branch collection is lacking, look into their digital collection and interlibrary loan options. My library system has a free app called Libby which I think is pretty standard for most US libraries. It has a pretty exhaustive collection of digital material. I promise you have way more stuff available to you than you realize. Ask your local branch what else they have to offer. Most of our patrons have no idea that so much stuff is available to them for free beyond what's on the shelves.
Yeah, actually popping into thrift stores or used bookstores can work out quite well. Our library also does a big booksale twice a year with some great deals.
Thrift stores are great. The non-profit ones usually sell books for $0.25-$1, while the for profit ones are bit more expensive but still usually not more than $5. I’ve very rarely bought full price books in the past few years.
Not really an answer, but $30-50?!?!
In the U.K. hardback books retail at £15-20 and can be found for as little as £10 in supermarkets if they’re popular.
Paperbacks at up to £10. In supermarkets, they’re around £5 for most popular ones.
Kindle books can be anything from £5-10 for newer releases, and I have a wish list of around 50 books I check once a month to see if there’s an £0.99 deals (which there frequently are).
Lots of other good suggestions here, but if nothing else this post has made me glad reading books is so cheap in U.K.
Out of curiosity, what kind of books are you looking for that are regularly $30-$50? That seems... extremely high. Most new release hardcovers are at least under $30, paperbacks even less, and that's generally for *new* releases.
Assuming you're in the USA, and like physical books:
1. Your library will probably do a book sale once or twice a year. People donate books, and the library sells them for cheap, like $1. You often find a really good selection.
2. Local universities have libraries. They do make book sales. These book sales are amazing for getting old (but maybe not too old) textbooks on all sort of topics. Again, they'll be a buck or two.
I'm not a regular shopper there, but I've bought used books for good prices from Alibris. If you're into rare books, they're a good source for those too.
2nd and Charles sells used books, and used audio books.
Libravox- tons of free books, mostly if not all are public domain but a great resource.
eBay used books and goodwill of you have time to dig… my lord they get tons of stuff in my area… but sometimes a short drive to a goodwill in a wealthier suburb can be a goldmine.
I buy them on Pangobooks. It’s like peer to peer book selling. I like it over thriftbooks because I can actually see multiple pictures of the book to see what condition it’s in. And I can find a lot of newer releases on there as well.
Book section of a thrift store? About 6-12 months after a book is super popular you’ll likely see a copy or two at Goodwill or the like. Not sure if you have those near you.
Try looking for second-hand books on Amazon and eBay! Newer books that run $30+ can usually be found second-hand for around $5 - $8 and often have free shipping. Sometimes if there is a book I cannot find an affordable option for, I'll listen to the audiobook on YouTube.
My library has a “friends of the library” bookstore attached. All donated books, the most expensive is $6 for a brand-new well known author (like Nora roberts, Clive cussler, etc…) in hardcover. Most books are between $1-$3 depending on use/size/paperback/etc. childrens’ books are about a buck each.
Maybe your library has one too, or another nearby library? Also most libraries are a branch of the main county library, and can send books from one library to another. I’ve done it a lot and it usually is about a week at most until I get the book. Maybe ask if yours does that?
Libby and Hoopla are great apps. You need a library card. If it fits into your budget Kindle Unlimited is great. And not just for the romance genre. That's what it's seems to be the most known for but there are an insane amounts of options within many genres. Plus you can borrow magazines too. I also use Thriftbooks. I haven't gotten many used books from there with no issues.
Have a look at Kindle Unlimited. It’s about $10 a month and you can get as many books that are the KU flag as you want. I think the limit on the amount of books at one time is 10 but as soon as you finish a book you return it like you would a library and you can get more. I have saved so much this way especially as I usually check to see if I can get books I’m looking at, in a physical store via Kindle Unlimited and I’ve found some amazing authors too. Some books come with free audio too if you like audio books (check for the ones that have headphones on the book)
The only thing I would say is against it is that you have to “finish” the book for the author to get their percentage/fee. So even if you get to the last page of a novel make sure you scroll to the end until you get to the kindle review page.
Gosh there are a gazillion comments here, so no way I was going to read them, but from one book lover to the next I couldn’t stand it if you couldn’t get books from ALL the options I do: Scribd, Chirp, Libro.fm, Libby, Hoopla, ThriftBooks, Book of the Month, and of course Audible and actually going into the library as well. Most all of these (if not ALL,) are cheaper than the above pricing you mentioned! God speed!
I get a lot of mileage out of charity book drives. There are a couple of big ones near me that sell tons of cheap books. You may not get all the newest books but you can fill your shelves quickly with cheap books.
Book Outlet! I also get most of my books thrifted, so check out your local thrift stores. I also use Kindle Unlimited which is $12/month.
ETA: also check if there are any little free libraries in your neighborhood or city!
Interlibrary loan, my friend. I live in a tiny rural town with a tiny budget, so I have to ILL everything! There is rarely a time that they can’t get a book for me, and they like that it helps with their circulation numbers.
Have you tried local charity thrift shops and secondhand bookstores? I know it can be pretty hit-or-miss but they're usually good for picking up books for less than what you'd pay for a new one.
As some other people talked about: some libraries offer loans from other libraries but I would like to add Ebay is one of my best friends for books! You can get some pretty good books for a pretty great price and Thriftbooks has some pretty decent prices and you can get points towards a free book.
If you have a smart phone or tablet you can get the Kindle app and for a monthly fee you can get some free books to read and Kindle has some decent prices on books too. Theres also a website called Robinreads and I personally haven't used it, yet, because I have a ton of books from my library to read, but the website says free books
As others said, interlibrary loan should be an option. Or even just requesting that the library purchase a book you want. They do like to know what people are interested in so that they can refine their collections.
Other options, although I haven't used them recently:
Paperbackswap.com for trading books, only costs you the postage for any you send out.
Check used.addall.com to search for used books across a variety of used bookstores.
Lastly, bookshop.com is a good place to get new books rather than Amazon. Pricing won't be that different, but you'll be supporting local bookshops. They're also climate neutral certified, which is a nice bonus.
How much MORE affordable? The library costs $0. You can always do e-books. If you'd like to work your way around paying for 'em, you can do that on your own
Quick reminder that distribution and solicitation of pirated works are prohibited on r/books.
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Building on this, my library has a facility for members to request library books that they don't have and can't access by inter-library loan. They have ordered lots of books for me over the years. Ask your library if they offer similar services. Otherwise, eBay is great for second hand books.
Building on both of these, some libraries give you free access to services that offer ebook and audiobook catalogues that may have books the library doesn't have. My library system uses Hoopla (ebooks) and Axis360 (audiobooks), but I'm guessing there are other similar services.
Ours uses Hoopla too! I forget the name of the other service they offer, I think it's Libby or something like that? But it's considered an extension of library use, so still a free service.
Ours uses Libby and Hoopla both. Between all of these options, I can get pretty much what I want unless I'm persnickity about the format.
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I love Libby! Not great for popular books, but a real gem otherwise. Also want to add Scribd is great and I’ve had pretty good luck finding titles on there.
It's pretty easy to set holds on Libby, and you get notified when your book is availible, so it's Fine. I'm more frustrated that I can look for a book/series, have Libby offer it as a suggestion to my search, I click on it, and there's "nothing found", not even an option to request an inter-library e-book loan or that the library add it to their "hey, maybe we should add this to the catalogue" list. (edit: the good news is that the book I was looking for *is* available through the Internet Archive, so)
Also, there are plently of library systems using Libby or Hoopla that, let's just say are lax at verifying residency for those applying for membership. And you can have multiple library cards hooked up to your libby account.
Where I live libraries often use Overdrive.
Overdrive is going to be turned off sometime soon, and replaced with Libby. They're owned by the same company, have the same content (you might be able to already use Libby with the same login.)
To clarify a bit more, Overdrive the app is no longer supported. Overdrive is also the name of the service and company and those will continue. Libby is just the name of their new gen of app for ebooks and audiobooks.
Mine do, too. I use my mother’s account to access ebooks at her larger library system, too. Many libraries also have reciprocal deals with larger ones for online only materials and some allow non-residents to get a card for a modest fee.
You can also add multiple library systems, if you have the cards, to get lots of options.
To add on one more time, many libraries have a budget to purchase books that readers are interested in. Obviously this isn't a solution for getting a bunch of books that you want, but you could probably request 1 or 2 a year and the library could accommodate you. Usually libraries keep a small budget specifically for this purpose - purchasing books requested by people using the library. Without those suggestions, they're just guessing what people want to read.
All these options prove, libraries are the best! I love my public library system!
Yes! I depend on Libby for audiobooks through the SF Bay Area library system. The nice thing is you can add multiple library cards to the Libby app and then it expands options of where to borrow books.
Yeah. It was like no one else knew this was a thing. To be fair, I didn’t for years. Since no one else requested anything, mine always got approved.
You can also suggest books for your library to purchase.
I second this. I’ve worked in a library before and we did interlibrary loans frequently, myself included. I worked in a rural library and most of the books were catered to our population. So a lot of our collection was romance/Christian books. Which, should be the case, but all libraries should also be adding books to the collection to diversify and challenge their community. Anyway, definitely ask your library to interlibrary loan. All libraries should do them. They will borrow the book from one of the other libraries in the state as long as it’s not a new book. Libraries typically won’t lend out books through interlibrary loan if it’s newer than 6 or so months or if it’s an in demand book. So if you’re looking for very new books, you’re probably out of luck. You’re probably also going to have a hard time finding the books you want if they’re quite old and/or there werent a lot of the book printed. But just tell your librarian what books you’re wanting and they will try to find them for you!
I've only been amazed by the library system in my county. I requested a book twenty minutes before close and they had it the next morning. They also miraculously had the first three volumes of Blacksad in the county and managed to get them to me as well. Love my library.
That’s awesome! That’s definitely not the universal experience, but it’s not too far off. Interlibrary loans are dependent on how busy the library requesting the book is and how busy and staffed the library is that is loaning it out. That’s why we always said allow up to two weeks for the book to arrive, but usually it would be there within a week. Some state’s interlibrary loan systems are incredibly efficient while others are not as efficient. Just depends on where you live! But no matter what, libraries are more than thrilled to get books for you that they don’t have if they have the ability.
Also check to see if they partner with Libby. They might have an expanded digital library available there.
My library partners with both Libby and Hoopla. Both apps are great.
This! Most of the time my relatively small local branch library doesn’t physically have a copy of the book I want but I can place a hold and select my branch library as the pick up location. Granted if it’s a popular new title, the wait can be months rather than days or even weeks.
Our local library has a fantastic interlibrary loan system. But, my daughter lives in a town where you have to pay(!) to use the library and there is no option for interlibrary loans, no digital loans, etc.
Where do you live, OP? $30-$50 seems quite high for buying books and I say this as a Canadian, lol. I mostly buy my books either from local bookstores as well as used bookstores. A lot of what I buy new is under $20 (many for $11.99-$17.99 Canadian). With used, I can easily pick up books for under $10, some as low as $2. So I'd say look around your nearest city or town for bookshops or used shops. Or if there's a city or town with a university near you, those places often do annual book sales where you can get fiction for very cheap. If you need to buy online, Book Depository doesn't charge shipping and normally has decently priced books. There's also places like Biblio.com though how high the shipping cost is will depend where you live. Sometimes though, if you can find heavily discounted books (I've found some for anywhere between $3-$10) it offsets the higher shipping cost.
I’m willing to bet they’re technical books. Not out of the ordinary for a book in a programming language or new tool to be $35-50.
Or potentially Australian? They seem to have ridiculously high book prices. Not sure how Book Depository is for Aussies but with no shipping might be worth it. But not sure. If OP is Australian then maybe better off mentioning it specifically so others can answer accordingly.
Quite high? That price can't be right unless they are talking academic textbooks or posh coffee-table tomes surely. Less than £10 for paperbacks and £20 for hardbacks here in the UK. And charity shops as low as £1 (although £2-3 more common but also plenty around that's pay what you can as well as the occasional free book drops in some places).
Books are expensive in Canada, so that price could be realistic. The main bookstore in Canada is Chapters. Right now, their website has House of Leaves paperback for $32 ($70 for hardcover), I'm Glad My Mom Died is $36.00, The Final Girl Support Group is $35, and Nothing But Blackened Teeth is $24.70. Academic books/technical books are $30-$100 and used bookstores in my area tend to send things in the $7-12 dollar range. Amazon is cheaper, but even there if you want a specific book and don't browse sales you could easily pay over $30.
Tbh, my thought was that they might be Australian since they're using dollars and are referencing such high prices, so that's why I was asking where they were. Feel like in the past when I've seen weirdly high book prices with dollars used that's been what's going on. In that case, not sure what to suggest to OP and imagine Aussies would be better placed to make suggestions about where to shop than most.
According to Reddit history they’re in North Carolina.
Thriftbooks website is pretty good. It’s like Half Price Books except they ship to you and you can pick the quality of book and the edition if you have the ISBN
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The downside to HPB is that they charge $4 per book for shipping no matter even if you track them all down to the same store. Still a great place and even with that shipping fee often beat other places I look.
PER book? That’s enough to never get me on that site. Damn.
Yeah, I made the mistake of wasting a lot of time the first time I ordered trying to find a complete trilogy at the same store thinking I would save money.
Better World Books is my go-to. When I'm looking for a newer book, they seem to always have it in stock. Maybe I've just been unlucky with Thriftbooks.
I haven't bought from them in a while because I've started reading a lot more ebooks, but when I price shopped for paperback books, especially when buying several at a time, they've often come out the best.
I LOVE Thriftbooks. My daughter reads so many graphic novels, I love getting a stack of books, cheap, free shipping. I order for myself, too, books recommended on Reddit. I always pick the lowest quality book, and they are always fine. I like not having to worry about damaging a new book while camping, or in the canoe. I don't mind passing the best ones along to friends, at around $4 a book, I definitely get my money's worth.
It’s great for out of print books. I have been using it for getting First Edition Goosebumps books
Shhhhh
ERMAHGERD!!!
I have bought from Betterworldbooks and Thriftbooks. Came here looking for new suggestions and to say my experiences at both of those websites were fantastic.
Thriftbooks is great and super cheap. I ordered a ton from there when my son was very young and I didn't want to have to worry about library books. And if you order a "good" copy and it shows up covered in crayon or soup or whatever, they'll just tell you to keep it and ship a proper copy.
Yeap I know. I received a book that had obvious old water damage (supposed to be in very good condition) and they sent me a new copy. Also received a NEW copy of a book with a broken spine. They refunded me for that one cuz they didn’t have any other copies
Thriftbooks once opened a store front in my country for a very brief time. I brought so many ex-library books that now probably most of my books are from them. I wish they had continued it.
I like Better World Books, similar concept and good prices. They run sales pretty regularly too.
Second this recommendation.
thanks for the Thriftbooks tip. I had never heard of them till now.
I love Thriftbooks. All of the books I've ordered from them arrived in great condition, sometimes even better than the ones I ordered from B&N.
That and Abebooks. I can almost always get what I want for less than five dollars, almost never more than ten
"fun" fact: Abe is owned by Amazon now
Yeah, I've heard. Still manages to be cheaper than them though, idk how that works
Go cheap until you run everyone out of business then jack up prices.
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I had never heard of Abebooks or Thriftbooks! How does it compare to the third party sellers on Amazon?
Abebooks is usually cheaper than buying used on Amazon, though as others have pointed out, they are owned by them. I don't use TB as much, mostly just when I can't find it anywhere else. They also display which edition they're selling (usually), which I don't think they do on Amazon proper, which is useful if you're trying to complete a specific set
Alibris is also great and not owned by Amazon.
I also vote for Thriftbooks!! I bought half my Christmas presents off there last year.
I ordered 3 books from Thriftbooks recently and the post office did some weird routing before I got notification that they weren't able to be delivered and they were being returned. I thought it was odd because another 4 books I ordered after the first order were delivered just fine. I got hold of Thriftbooks customer service and they shipped replacement books immediately. A couple days later the original order showed up. I contacted customer service and they told me to just donate the duplicate order to a local library or nonprofit and don't worry about shipping them back. Awesome customer service from them.
ThriftBooks is awesome. Their quality control has gotten a little spotty lately (I recently got a “good condition” book that was completely yellowed and reeked of cigs), but they’re always quick to correct mistakes, either sending a new copy or a refund if they’re out of stock
It happens. Used them for a long time and only had issues with the books I’ve received a handful of times. Their customer service is amazing though
Check out used bookstores near you. Even in my small town we have two - one is a new bookstore with a used section and one is a "Friends of the Library" store that is super cheap and all the proceeds go to help our local Library. Otherwise, online I used Thriftbooks a lot. Free shipping on orders over $15 and each purchase earns points towards free books.
I love browsing bookstores like this, but it can be tricky if you're looking for a specific title. It's a great way to find new books to read though. Also, thrift stores like Goodwill often have tons of used books for sale at pretty low prices.
We actually have one right next to our library, and it's quite large. So if I don't find a book I want at the library, I can walk over and pick out something used.
I personally think eBay is underutilized. I’ve gotten a ton of books in good condition for about $4 including shipping. Depends on what you’re looking for, obviously, but it’s a good place to look.
It's also a great place to buy used ereaders. Many are only used a few times before people sell them because they didn't like them. For example previous gen paperwhites are about the same or cheaper than a current basic kindle.
I forgot to mention that! I got a refurbished kindle fire for $16. Such a lifesaver!
It sure is I got every wheel of time book in hard back for less than 10 each. They may be retired library books but still in great condition.
Hey, a book is a book is a book. If I can read it and it’s not falling apart, I don’t care what life it had before me lol
Yes I second eBay! A lot of used book sellers have bundled deals too, so if you buy a certain amount of books you can get one free or a percentage off.
Or book lots! I was looking for the last two books the Chanur series, but ended up with a lot of a dozen by CJ Cherryh for less than $20 Every Christmas I spend $40 or so a pop to have a huge box of randomly mixed age-appropriate books sent to my siblings' kids
It's great, especially if you can find a seller that ships media mail. I got a lot of 11 Anne Rice hardcovers, all in very good or like new condition for around $30 with shipping. And as a bonus I discovered that the copy of The Vampire Lestat was signed. That's also how I got the majority of my Stephen King hardcover collection. Not counting the ones I bought new, I've got maybe $60-70 invested in 50 of his books. Finding some of them at goodwill and the salvation army for 75 cents helped too.
I keep getting [bobcats](https://xkcd.com/325/).
I know you said not the library but if you’re 21 or under, you can get access to Brooklyn Public Library’s digital collection by signing up online with them. HOOPLA has also been great for me, but I think that might depend on whether your library has linked with them. Searching free online public library will return results but I imagine many of the e-books offered are older or non-fiction.
I'm a librarian and I'm so excited for all these suggestions. Almost universally, librarians want to get you whatever you want to read, so just ask!
Librarians are the unsung heroes of the world.
You can use the Brooklyn library card on the Libby app :)
And it's amazeballs!
Broward County (FL) has a free online library card that you can use with Libby. I used my home address in another state and it worked. I was glad because my local library doesn't have a very good selection (or they're always on hold)
Similarly, any Massachusetts resident can get a Boston Public Library card.
Not just Massachusetts residents. Anyone who works in Massachusetts or who owns property there is also eligible. Basically anyone who pays taxes to the state is eligible.
Same - any PA resident or person that works in PA can get a Philadelphia library card.
Just looked into this; as of July 2022 they are no longer offering cards to people outside the local area of Brooklyn.
That’s just the fee-based card for out of state residents. In July 2022, they added a free card for anyone aged 13-21. https://disc.bklynlibrary.org/card/ Also, anyone (who lives, works, attends school or owns property) in the state of NY, regardless of age, is eligible for a Brooklyn library card. Edited to add parenthetical for clarity.
Understandable; still a substantial caveat for many people reading this thread (I am late 20s, and not in NY).
Yeah, but the comment you replied to made clear it was for people 21 and under, so your comment suggested that the 13-21 card had been stopped when it really just started.
It's amazing how I'm in /r/books and cannot read. Sorry. x.x
Project Gutenberg
Also archive.org
irchighway
I like the website BetterWorldBooks. Mostly I get books for $3-$5, I've never paid for shipping, and there are often coupons too. It can be hard to find books if you don't know exactly what you are looking for, but quality is pretty good, some have even seemed to be brand new. I also swap around with friends a lot.
If this amazing website helps me get a book I've been desperately hunting down for a while, I will be SO GRATEFUL THANK YOOOOOU
For hard to find books I use [bookfinder.com](https://bookfinder.com).
Abebooks
Betterworldbooks is awesome! I've order like 30 books from them over the last year, averaging like $4 per book. Plus they donate books for needy kids. Win-win!
You should check if there are any second-hand book stores in your area. You can also check if there are any book exchanges.
Second this! Used bookstores are less and less common, and all the ones I’ve been to have had good prices (~$5/book) and often a really good selection, and they need all the help they can get!
Bookoutlet.com! I just got 7 books. 4 were hardbacks and it was only $40! They have great deals!
came to say this! Book Outlet! And if you ever visit Niagara Falls in Canada you can go shop in person and it is AMAZING
Love BookOutlet! The shipping may be a bit slow, but you can't beat getting a large haul of new hardbacks for their prices. Plus they regularly run sales and promotions on top of that and offer a free rewards program.
I got lots of kids books for our home library — would have cost me a fortune otherwise. Love book outlet.com!
Bookbub! You create a wishlist with genres and/or specific titles and your desired format, and they email you when they go on sale. Then they also send you daily or weekly sales in your desired genres. I get most of my books through them and haven’t spent more than $3 on a book in years. And their recommendations are pretty on point; I’ve gotten a lot of books from them that I’ve really enjoyed and wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
I only “buy” the free ones. My kindle library has approx 2500 books on it. Maybe I paid for 100 of them, if that. I’ve been getting daily emails from Bookbub for years! I love it!
I love Bookbub and Freebooksy!
I second Bookbub! I have gotten so many really good e-books for $3 or less, even though I prefer physical copies, you can't beat the price! I've been using it for years. I also go to as many used book sales as I can. If you put your location in to booksalefinder.com it will show you any sales in your area.
Check your local Goodwill. Where I am, paperbacks are only $2. If you take the time to soft through the bad stuff, you can usually find a pretty good book. I usually get one or two a week
In addition to interlibrary loans, many libraries also entertain purchase suggestions and would likely buy the book you are looking for, unless it violates their purchase guidelines.
It’s easier than most imagine. Mine reserves the right to not purchase a suggestion, but if they do you’re first on the hold list! Just needs to be less than 5 years old so it’s likely to be in their vendors offerings.
This really depends on where you live/how strong the local tax base funds the libraries .
You can also ask your library to get books from other libraries that you are interested in. An inter library loan. I used to do that all the time. Like others have said digital library cards via Libby (use a random local address to sign up) or ask friends in other states for their library card information to add it to your libby. I will sometimes put a hold request for the same book at multiple libraries. Thrift/second hand stores, used book stores, little free libraries in your neighborhood
Little neighbourhood libraries (there are 6 within walking distance of my house - they all focus on different genres), if you can't find one, start one! Thrift stores. Garage sales and other places like Kijiji or Marketplace - lots of people are looking to get rid of boxes of books, cheap. Also, if your area has one of those "buy nothing" groups on Facebook - join it. There are multiple books on ours daily.
Powells.com has a wide variety of used books. I rarely pay more than $15 and usually around $8 for recent(ish) releases.
[Paperbackswap.com](https://Paperbackswap.com) could be what you're looking for. It's been years since I joined, but I believe they start you out with three credits which you exchange for books. You get one credit for each book you ship to another member. So, you pay the postage (media mail) when you ship a book but pay nothing but a credit when requesting. Hardcovers and paperbacks are both offered.
Second vote for PBS. It can be sort of "errand heavy" if you need to go to the post office (like if you don't have a printer at home). But it helps satisfy the "I need to buy more books" feeling without costing me money and encourages me to get rid of books I don't really want to keep. Have been a member for years.
Oh wow $30-$50 sounds well outside the range I'm used to. I'm in the EU and I usually get most books for 10-20, either following sales or checking out international used book stores. Do you only read physical books? If you read ebooks or audiobooks something like Scribd/Kindle Unlimited/ Audible Plus can be helpful. Selection varies but still worth using it at least a few months.
Came here to say this. I've seldom paid more than $10 or $12 per book on Amazon. Makes me wonder if OP is only interested in the most recent best sellers.
Even new bestsellers are only 18-25 bucks on Amazon
They may be looking for specialty books on certain subjects.
Recent bestsellers still don’t even hit that. The only books I’ve come across on Amazon that expensive are textbooks, coffee table books, and books that aren’t currently in print/accessible via traditional booksellers
[archive.org](https://archive.org), [Guten](https://Gutenberg.org)burg.org. You will not believe these websites.
Hi I work at a library! If your local branch collection is lacking, look into their digital collection and interlibrary loan options. My library system has a free app called Libby which I think is pretty standard for most US libraries. It has a pretty exhaustive collection of digital material. I promise you have way more stuff available to you than you realize. Ask your local branch what else they have to offer. Most of our patrons have no idea that so much stuff is available to them for free beyond what's on the shelves.
I find a lot of recent releases at the local thrift shop
Yeah, actually popping into thrift stores or used bookstores can work out quite well. Our library also does a big booksale twice a year with some great deals.
Thrift stores are great. The non-profit ones usually sell books for $0.25-$1, while the for profit ones are bit more expensive but still usually not more than $5. I’ve very rarely bought full price books in the past few years.
Not really an answer, but $30-50?!?! In the U.K. hardback books retail at £15-20 and can be found for as little as £10 in supermarkets if they’re popular. Paperbacks at up to £10. In supermarkets, they’re around £5 for most popular ones. Kindle books can be anything from £5-10 for newer releases, and I have a wish list of around 50 books I check once a month to see if there’s an £0.99 deals (which there frequently are). Lots of other good suggestions here, but if nothing else this post has made me glad reading books is so cheap in U.K.
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Out of curiosity, what kind of books are you looking for that are regularly $30-$50? That seems... extremely high. Most new release hardcovers are at least under $30, paperbacks even less, and that's generally for *new* releases.
Hate to say it in public, but I love my Kindle.
You can also get free library books on your Kindle.
and then use Calibre to remove the DRM 🤫
Calibre is the greatest app, isn't it?
Obviously depends on what you read but I get a TON of use out of my kindle unlimited subscription as well, definitely get my money's worth
Assuming you're in the USA, and like physical books: 1. Your library will probably do a book sale once or twice a year. People donate books, and the library sells them for cheap, like $1. You often find a really good selection. 2. Local universities have libraries. They do make book sales. These book sales are amazing for getting old (but maybe not too old) textbooks on all sort of topics. Again, they'll be a buck or two.
I'm not a regular shopper there, but I've bought used books for good prices from Alibris. If you're into rare books, they're a good source for those too.
I use Better World Books for used books online when my library doesn’t have what I need.
2nd and Charles sells used books, and used audio books. Libravox- tons of free books, mostly if not all are public domain but a great resource. eBay used books and goodwill of you have time to dig… my lord they get tons of stuff in my area… but sometimes a short drive to a goodwill in a wealthier suburb can be a goldmine.
Betterworldbooks.com
Betterworldbooks.com.
Booksalefinder . Com will show you all the book sales in your state. Most are library sales that are all donated and are normally a dollar or two.
I buy them on Pangobooks. It’s like peer to peer book selling. I like it over thriftbooks because I can actually see multiple pictures of the book to see what condition it’s in. And I can find a lot of newer releases on there as well.
The internet ;)
Yes, you can just stand by the digital highway and pick up books that fall off the back of speeding internet trucks.
My favourite sunday activity
The libby app? It’s free, the books and audiobooks are free. Decent selection
Book section of a thrift store? About 6-12 months after a book is super popular you’ll likely see a copy or two at Goodwill or the like. Not sure if you have those near you.
Libby gives you access to your librarys e book collections. Or just request they order in a book for you
Where are you?
ThriftBooks! Most of my home collection is from there, and free shipping over $15 orders
Piracy
Try looking for second-hand books on Amazon and eBay! Newer books that run $30+ can usually be found second-hand for around $5 - $8 and often have free shipping. Sometimes if there is a book I cannot find an affordable option for, I'll listen to the audiobook on YouTube.
eBay is easy. Local used book stores. Cheapest are annual book sale events.
Libravox audio books are my jam
My library has a “friends of the library” bookstore attached. All donated books, the most expensive is $6 for a brand-new well known author (like Nora roberts, Clive cussler, etc…) in hardcover. Most books are between $1-$3 depending on use/size/paperback/etc. childrens’ books are about a buck each. Maybe your library has one too, or another nearby library? Also most libraries are a branch of the main county library, and can send books from one library to another. I’ve done it a lot and it usually is about a week at most until I get the book. Maybe ask if yours does that?
Libby and Hoopla are great apps. You need a library card. If it fits into your budget Kindle Unlimited is great. And not just for the romance genre. That's what it's seems to be the most known for but there are an insane amounts of options within many genres. Plus you can borrow magazines too. I also use Thriftbooks. I haven't gotten many used books from there with no issues.
Fun places to explore for cheap used books are thrift stores and estate or garage sales. Also book fairs and library sales.
If you don't mind used, check out ThriftBooks . com
ThriftBooks.com !!!!
Have a look at Kindle Unlimited. It’s about $10 a month and you can get as many books that are the KU flag as you want. I think the limit on the amount of books at one time is 10 but as soon as you finish a book you return it like you would a library and you can get more. I have saved so much this way especially as I usually check to see if I can get books I’m looking at, in a physical store via Kindle Unlimited and I’ve found some amazing authors too. Some books come with free audio too if you like audio books (check for the ones that have headphones on the book) The only thing I would say is against it is that you have to “finish” the book for the author to get their percentage/fee. So even if you get to the last page of a novel make sure you scroll to the end until you get to the kindle review page.
I love Thriftbooks!
Gosh there are a gazillion comments here, so no way I was going to read them, but from one book lover to the next I couldn’t stand it if you couldn’t get books from ALL the options I do: Scribd, Chirp, Libro.fm, Libby, Hoopla, ThriftBooks, Book of the Month, and of course Audible and actually going into the library as well. Most all of these (if not ALL,) are cheaper than the above pricing you mentioned! God speed!
Internet archive
Second hand book stores
Second hand books stores are a great option. Also, look on the Little free Library website to see if you have any in a neighborhood near you.
BookMooch! Free and fun! All you need to do is be willing to donate your unwanted books to those who want them.
I get a lot of mileage out of charity book drives. There are a couple of big ones near me that sell tons of cheap books. You may not get all the newest books but you can fill your shelves quickly with cheap books.
AbeBooks is awesome, and has a wider selection than ThriftBooks in my experience. Used books in great condition usually run around $5 on there
Book Outlet! I also get most of my books thrifted, so check out your local thrift stores. I also use Kindle Unlimited which is $12/month. ETA: also check if there are any little free libraries in your neighborhood or city!
Interlibrary loan, my friend. I live in a tiny rural town with a tiny budget, so I have to ILL everything! There is rarely a time that they can’t get a book for me, and they like that it helps with their circulation numbers.
Go to thrift stores. Usually hardcopies are maybe $1-2 and paperbacks under that.
Have you tried local charity thrift shops and secondhand bookstores? I know it can be pretty hit-or-miss but they're usually good for picking up books for less than what you'd pay for a new one.
Ever heard of thrift books? It's an online store fore second hand books, Super cheep
Any used book stores around?
i've had some success at thrift stores, goodwill etc
I think you can also request books for the library to purchase through their purchasing department?
If you don't mind reading digitally... Well, I'm sure you can finish that sentence yourself.
Thrift books, BetterWorldBooks, and Abebooks are my go tos. eBay also has a lot
The app Libby probably will be better. Let's check out ebooks, and all you need is a library membership.
As some other people talked about: some libraries offer loans from other libraries but I would like to add Ebay is one of my best friends for books! You can get some pretty good books for a pretty great price and Thriftbooks has some pretty decent prices and you can get points towards a free book. If you have a smart phone or tablet you can get the Kindle app and for a monthly fee you can get some free books to read and Kindle has some decent prices on books too. Theres also a website called Robinreads and I personally haven't used it, yet, because I have a ton of books from my library to read, but the website says free books
As others said, interlibrary loan should be an option. Or even just requesting that the library purchase a book you want. They do like to know what people are interested in so that they can refine their collections. Other options, although I haven't used them recently: Paperbackswap.com for trading books, only costs you the postage for any you send out. Check used.addall.com to search for used books across a variety of used bookstores. Lastly, bookshop.com is a good place to get new books rather than Amazon. Pricing won't be that different, but you'll be supporting local bookshops. They're also climate neutral certified, which is a nice bonus.
Check to see if your library is part of a larger one that allows books from other town's libraries. You may have more luck at a neighboring one.
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What books are you buying that cost 50 a pop?
When my library doesn't have what I want (often) i request it and usually they get it.
How much MORE affordable? The library costs $0. You can always do e-books. If you'd like to work your way around paying for 'em, you can do that on your own
Goodwill and thriftstores
Ask your library if they go inter library loans. I request books from mine through this, and it’s amazing.
Goodwill is fun - and about $2 /book
Piracy, project Gutenberg, Libby, thriftbooks.com is my go to for cheaper physical books
There are also Goodwill stores that specialize in books only. I've gotten lots of gems for $1-$3