I'm feeling thrifty!
March 7, 2010 8:16 PM Subscribe
Finding quality used books online?
I'm looking to pick up a few used books online. Good prices and books in good condition are musts for me. Am I asking too much?
What site would should I shop at? Would anyone mind sharing some tips so I don't end up buying something in poor condition?
I'm looking to pick up a few used books online. Good prices and books in good condition are musts for me. Am I asking too much?
What site would should I shop at? Would anyone mind sharing some tips so I don't end up buying something in poor condition?
I've purchased lots of books through Amazon affiliates, and I've never had one be in worse condition than described. If the books in good condition aren't cheap enough, you can always stick them in your wish list and check back.
A lot of used books aren't really used; they're remaindered. This means they'll be new or like new with a bit of shipping wear, but have a black line drawn across the pages on the top.
posted by zinfandel at 8:25 PM on March 7, 2010
A lot of used books aren't really used; they're remaindered. This means they'll be new or like new with a bit of shipping wear, but have a black line drawn across the pages on the top.
posted by zinfandel at 8:25 PM on March 7, 2010
I've found a ton of good stuff through Amazon Marketplace sellers. I frequently buy from Better World Books (a very big Amazon Marketplace seller) and have always been very happy with what I've gotten from them.
posted by jayder at 8:26 PM on March 7, 2010
posted by jayder at 8:26 PM on March 7, 2010
Best answer: I also have had good luck with Amazon Marketplace. I read through each seller's customer feedback very carefully, and keep an eye out for certain keywords, i.e. "good packaging", "arrived in stated condition," etc. As in Ebay, if I see a customer with the same username popping up too frequently with overly-optimistic feedback, that sets off a red flag.
I tend to only buy books that are described as New, Like New, or Very Good.
Because Abebooks doesn't have the same feedback system in place as Amazon, I always email the seller if I have any doubts about the book's condition.
If you have any allergies or are particularly sensitive to odors, you might want to contact sellers beforehand to ensure the book comes from a cat and/or dog-free home, smoke-free environment, etc. Hope this helps.
posted by invisible ink at 8:38 PM on March 7, 2010
I tend to only buy books that are described as New, Like New, or Very Good.
Because Abebooks doesn't have the same feedback system in place as Amazon, I always email the seller if I have any doubts about the book's condition.
If you have any allergies or are particularly sensitive to odors, you might want to contact sellers beforehand to ensure the book comes from a cat and/or dog-free home, smoke-free environment, etc. Hope this helps.
posted by invisible ink at 8:38 PM on March 7, 2010
You might also check out paperbackswap.com. It's free, as long as you post books that you are willing to give away. All you ever pay is the postage to send your book to another member.
They do endeavor to ensure that the books are in good shape, and you will find more there than just actual paperbacks. You can look books up by ISDN, which should indicate whether something is paperback vs. hard cover. Unfortunately, a member has to HAVE a book in order for you to receive it, so you can't always find what you're looking for, at least not right away.
Anyway, it doesn't sound as if it's the best solution for this particular question, but perhaps you'd give it a try for other reasons.
posted by wwartorff at 8:40 PM on March 7, 2010
They do endeavor to ensure that the books are in good shape, and you will find more there than just actual paperbacks. You can look books up by ISDN, which should indicate whether something is paperback vs. hard cover. Unfortunately, a member has to HAVE a book in order for you to receive it, so you can't always find what you're looking for, at least not right away.
Anyway, it doesn't sound as if it's the best solution for this particular question, but perhaps you'd give it a try for other reasons.
posted by wwartorff at 8:40 PM on March 7, 2010
I buy quite a lot of books from the Amazon secondhand dealers, with reasonable luck. However, there are usually several "um, wait, that's not 'like new,' unless you meant 'like new after it was dropped in the mud and run over by a Mack truck" purchases per year. I've always been able to get reimbursed for the disasters, though.
I do my best to avoid sellers who rank the book's condition without actually describing what's right or wrong. A "like new" book needs to be what it says on the tin. A "good" book might have a name inscribed on the front end paper, a clipped dj, or a creased spine, but it had better not have a text block coming away from the binding, torn pages, or tons of highlighting. And so on.
Addall lets you search multiple used book sites at once, which is helpful.
posted by thomas j wise at 8:48 PM on March 7, 2010
I do my best to avoid sellers who rank the book's condition without actually describing what's right or wrong. A "like new" book needs to be what it says on the tin. A "good" book might have a name inscribed on the front end paper, a clipped dj, or a creased spine, but it had better not have a text block coming away from the binding, torn pages, or tons of highlighting. And so on.
Addall lets you search multiple used book sites at once, which is helpful.
posted by thomas j wise at 8:48 PM on March 7, 2010
Seconding AddALL. I've had good luck finding out of print books there, including some pretty obscure ones.
posted by gudrun at 9:32 PM on March 7, 2010
posted by gudrun at 9:32 PM on March 7, 2010
I only buy books and DVDs from half.com. There are various levels of quality and you can decide how much you want to spend vs. what quality you're looking for.
posted by bendy at 11:58 PM on March 7, 2010
posted by bendy at 11:58 PM on March 7, 2010
Best answer: (Disclaimer: I am a seller on Amazon Marketplace.) I agree with posters above that Amazon Marketplace can be a very thrifty way to shop. Stay away from sellers who have generic descriptions such as "may have underlining," (emphasis mine), use the same description for every book, or who do not follow Amazon's condition guidelines in their description. Do read feedback, and especially the sellers responses to feedback, and avoid those who are defensive or dismissive in their responses.
I typically go with sellers who have very good feedback (98% plus, and who are on the smallish side. On average, 10-20 % of people leave feedback on Amazon, so you can get a feel of how many books each seller has sold. The really large sellers seem less responsive to buyer issues, in my opinion, whereas the smaller sellers will often really go out of their way to make things right for buyers.
Amazon Marketplace has several ways to resolve disputes. Contact the seller first if you have a problem, but if you feel that the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may use the Amazon A-Z guarantee process, which, if ruled in your favor, allows you a refund and you are able to keep the book.
posted by thebrokedown at 1:21 AM on March 8, 2010
I typically go with sellers who have very good feedback (98% plus, and who are on the smallish side. On average, 10-20 % of people leave feedback on Amazon, so you can get a feel of how many books each seller has sold. The really large sellers seem less responsive to buyer issues, in my opinion, whereas the smaller sellers will often really go out of their way to make things right for buyers.
Amazon Marketplace has several ways to resolve disputes. Contact the seller first if you have a problem, but if you feel that the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may use the Amazon A-Z guarantee process, which, if ruled in your favor, allows you a refund and you are able to keep the book.
posted by thebrokedown at 1:21 AM on March 8, 2010
I'm seconding Abebooks. So far, every book I've ordered through them has arrived in the condition described, and I've almost never been disappointed when searching the site for an obscure book.
posted by carnival of animals at 2:10 AM on March 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by carnival of animals at 2:10 AM on March 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding thebrokedown. I've had good luck with Amazon Marketplace, but I try to select a vendor who describes that particular book with specificity rather than a generic definition of "very good".
For two books in very good condition, "no underlining or marks, but normal shelf wear with slight dog earing of cover on bottom right corner" is more promising than "Few or no marks. Books may have light wear, fading, or yellowing. SHIPS FAST!"
posted by paulg at 7:21 AM on March 8, 2010
For two books in very good condition, "no underlining or marks, but normal shelf wear with slight dog earing of cover on bottom right corner" is more promising than "Few or no marks. Books may have light wear, fading, or yellowing. SHIPS FAST!"
posted by paulg at 7:21 AM on March 8, 2010
Best answer: I generally have good luck with Amazon Marketplace. I try to make sure that the description of the book says something about the condition of the actual book, not just about the sellers practices. This assures that the book has beek looked over and its "like new" condition has actually been noted. For example, some large sellers write things like "some books have highlighting, remainder marks, and cover wear". To me this means that they don't look at their books individually and just call every book they're selling "like new". What you want to find is a seller describing the actual book for sale. For example, "Small tear in dust jacket, pencil mark on inside front cover". This assures you know the condition of the actual book you are buying.
posted by FairlyFarley at 8:10 AM on March 8, 2010
posted by FairlyFarley at 8:10 AM on March 8, 2010
Best answer: I've generally had decent luck with places like Amazon Marketplace and half.com, with one (sort of) exception: with really inexpensive mass market paperbacks , often the books are...technically "as described," but they have the yellowed pages and un-robust spine that you'd expect of an older paperback. This is often with an older printing of books that have been reprinted, though. (The older printings are often cheaper even though they have the same content.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:05 PM on March 8, 2010
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:05 PM on March 8, 2010
Actually, reading my comment over, it's not only with "really inexpensive mass market paperbacks," but there is something to what sort of book it is (and those mass market ones do seem to have this issue.) Some kinds of paperbacks don't get yellowed/brittle pages quite so readily.
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:07 PM on March 8, 2010
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:07 PM on March 8, 2010
Best answer: Powell's in Portland is an amazing place which sells both new and used books. They have a comprehensive website operation as well, which runs pretty efficiently. If they have what you want in stock (if you want something exotic and used, they might not), they're a really good option.
In my fairly long experience with them, they seem to screen them pretty carefully to make sure everything is in good condition. Shipping is not expensive in the first place, but if your order is more than $50 they'll ship anyplace in the U.S. for free.
posted by charmedimsure at 4:49 PM on March 8, 2010
In my fairly long experience with them, they seem to screen them pretty carefully to make sure everything is in good condition. Shipping is not expensive in the first place, but if your order is more than $50 they'll ship anyplace in the U.S. for free.
posted by charmedimsure at 4:49 PM on March 8, 2010
It's been a while since I've used them, but I had good luck with Barnes and Noble's used and out of print section when looking for my arcane and hard to find stuff. Can be pricey though, as I recall
posted by Redhush at 6:02 PM on March 8, 2010
posted by Redhush at 6:02 PM on March 8, 2010
I've had good luck with Better World Books, half.com, Ebay, and Paperback Swap.
posted by SisterHavana at 8:48 PM on March 8, 2010
posted by SisterHavana at 8:48 PM on March 8, 2010
I work in a used book and music store, and the two sites we most consistently use are Abebooks and Bookfinder; they both search a bunch of sites at once, including Amazon, Alibris, Powell's, etc, and give you a great idea of what's out there and for how much. There's a lot of overlap between the big sites, but those two cover the market pretty well, in our experience.
posted by mediareport at 9:15 PM on March 8, 2010
posted by mediareport at 9:15 PM on March 8, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bewilderbeast at 8:21 PM on March 7, 2010