“Secondhand books had so much life in them.”
Living frugally is not always the easiest feat when it comes to fuelling your reading lifestyle. Most first-time owned books can cost anywhere between $10-20, which is certainly a sum that can stack up if you devour them as fast and as frequently as we do. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid having to auction off your organs for the latest thriller! Join us at What We Reading as we delve into the cheapest places to buy used books, and where you can find affordable secondhand books!
What Are Secondhand Books?
First off, what do we mean by the term ‘secondhand books’? We’re going to be using the terms ‘secondhand’ and ‘used’ intermittently throughout this post, but they both mean the same thing. Secondhand books are books that have been purchased and used by at least one other person before either being resold or given away to another owner. All vintage books count as secondhand books for this reason.
‘Secondhand’ doesn’t necessarily mean low quality, however. Not only is buying used books a great way of helping stretch your budget, but a lot of the time these books come in nearly-new condition!
How To Work Out The Condition Of Used Books
Used books can come in an assortment of different qualities ranging from heavily-used to like-new.
Like-new used books show almost no signs of being owned before e.g. torn pages, faded colouring, or scuffing.
Alternatively, certain secondhand books can come in very poor condition. When looking at used books, always ensure you are checking for any water damage, ex-library stickers or wear in the spine.
Where To Find Cheap Secondhand Books
Whether it’s bulking out your home library, or cobbling together a read on a budget, here are the cheapest places to buy used books:
- Online Book Sellers
The Internet is the most competitive supermarket, and there are several online selling platforms for used books. Some of the most popular include:
- Ebay
- Thriftbooks
- Pango Books
- AbeBooks
- Etsy
- Better World Books
- Library Sales
Most libraries will hold a book sale at least once a year. This is where donated books and ex-library books are taken out of circulation and offered to the community for a heavily discounted rate.
Prices for these books can be as low as $0.50 to $3 depending on paperback vs hardcover editions, and there are even sales where the library will allow you to fill up an entire bag for a fixed price. The condition of these books tends to be excellent for the price, with even vintage and rare books sometimes being up for grabs for those who arrive early enough!
Many libraries look for volunteers to help out with these sales. Not only does it present a great opportunity to pitch in with the community, but one of the perks of helping as a volunteer is sometimes first dibs on the books going out.
The money libraries make from their sales goes straight back into their community and literacy programs and clubs, so it’s a great way of ensuring your money is well-spent! To find out when your local library is holding its next sale, you can check out BookSaleFinder.com.
- Little Free Libraries
Little Free Libraries act as mini-community kiosks where you can take a book for free in exchange for leaving one in return. It’s a one-for-one book swap without any of the shipping or payment being required!
Anyone can set up a kiosk and register it with the Little Free Library organisation. You can find the nearest LFL near you here, with the most common places being built-up urban areas, public transport links and parks.
- Thrift Shops
For both non-fiction and fiction books, thrift shops remain one of the best options for finding cheap secondhand reads. The size and types of titles on offer can once again be a bit of a lottery, however.
Many of these locations will have special promotions going on such as ‘buy one, get one free’ or ‘deals of the day’ where certain genres (usually labelled) will be priced even cheaper. It’s worth shopping around and familiarising yourself with the types of deals your local shops offer.
Why Buy Used Books?
Any author or publisher will tell you that the best way of supporting them is by buying their works fresh out of print. So, why bother buying secondhand books? One word: budget. Buying books can get seriously expensive, so opting for the more affordable option is sometimes the only option when it comes to feeding our reading obsessions.
It’s also one of how eco-conscious readers can feel like they are making a difference to the environment. Buying secondhand books essentially acts as recycling a book after all.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
