Buy Used - Part 3: Books
September 14th, 2006 | by Brian Carr |Before I even get started on why you should buy used books as opposed to brand new ones, I would just like to remind you that there is a place where you can always get your books for free, assuming you return them on time: DVDs and CDs, used books are just as useful as brand new books, however they typically sell at a fraction of the price.
In order to see how much of a savings one can expect when they buy a used book versus a new one, I went back to Amazon to see what sort of deals I could find:
- For books that have recently come out, are on the best sellers list, or are very niche specific, you can expect to save between 15% and 20%.
- For that have been out for over a year, you can expect to save between 25% and 40%.
Again, I would encourage you to save 100% and just get the book from your local library, however if you must add the book to your collection, or know you will frequently use the book as a reference, do yourself a favor and buy it used.
2 Responses to “Buy Used - Part 3: Books”
By Sue Crocker on Sep 22, 2006 | Reply
Or you can purchase your paperbacks from a “Mart” store such as KMart, WalMart, Target, etc. Those books are normally 25% off.
Not as cheap as a half priced bookstore, but worth the effort occasionally.
By brian.carr on Sep 22, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for the comment and tip. I have bought many books at discount prices at those stores, but unfortunately the selection tends to be rather limited.
However, if you’re looking to buy new popular books at a pretty good discount, they are definitely great places to look.