Hey lovelies!
I thought I’d write a bit of a different post today and that
is how to get super cheap books! I know we all love our books and there is
nothing more satisfying than having a full bookshelf.
But, the sad reality is, books can actually get quite
pricey, especially here in Australia. I know other countries like the US and
the UK have much cheaper books but for those who are literally living on an
island, it can get pretty difficult to cough up $20 every time you want to buy
a new paperback! (Don’t even get me started on the hardbacks!)
That is part of the reason I like to borrow more than buy,
but sometimes, eve I feel the urge to buy a few of my favourites so I can read
them wherever I want! And here are some of the tips I have found useful to pay
less for a great book!
1. DEPARTMENT STORES
I love my local bookstore and I do try and support it as
much as possible. But, the sad reality is that it can get pretty pricey when
buying from bookstores! That is why, occasionally, I try and purchase books
from a department store such as Kmart and Big W (which both have a pretty
decent range of books + they keep switching the titles up so you get a variety)
which sell books for WAY cheaper than bookstores and even online stores at
times!
To see if the book you’re after is available, use their
catalogue to try and find it or ring them up. (Prepare to be put on hold for a
while though!)
2. ONLINE SHOPPING
The other alternative to buying books in person is of
course, online shopping! Two of my favourite websites are Book Depository and
Booktopia which are both scam free and terrific because they 99.99% have the
book you’re after AND at a great price!
Book Depository is a UK based company that offers FREE
SHIPPING worldwide and has some fantastic book prices! If you’re wondering why
their prices are so low AND they offer free shipping, firstly, it’s because
they don’t have to pay for salespeople or rent shops to display their books
which saves them money. They also adjust for shipping in their book price
depending on where you live, which is why they don’t charge additional for
shipping.
So they’re not a scam – which is what I used to believe and didn’t
order books from them for the longest time because of that – they’re just very
good at business.
Booktopia is an Australian company that also sells books at
fantastic prices! However, they have a flat shipping rate of $7.95 but that
means you can order a 100 books and it’d still cost the same for shipping! They
sell for pretty much the same prices as Book Depository except you have to pay
for shipping. (Keep reading to learn how to avoid shipping though!)
I like to order books from them whenever I can as I want to
try and support the Australian book industry!
3. USED BOOKS/LIBRARY
SALES
If you aren’t too fussed about buying old books, check out
your local Salvos or library as they often sell really great books at very good
prices! You just have to keep an eye out for a great bargain with that one.
I bought my copy of Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
at my library sale for 50c which was the first time I’d ever gone to one of
them. It was in great condition and meant I saved almost $20 as I didn’t buy it
new! Score!
This is also a great way to support your local charity shop
or library and means you get cheap, pre-loved books!
4. CREATE A WISHLIST ON
BOOK DEPO
I think this and tip #6 (below) are my absolute favourite
from all that I’ve shown you.
One really good way to save money is to create an account on
Book Depository and then, to create a wish list and add books to it. (I’m not
sure if you can do this with Booktopia too but you probably can!). On the left
hand panel of your wish list, there will be a settings menu that says ‘email me
when prices drop’. Make sure to tick it.
Then add all the books you want to that wish list and wait. When
the price drops and it’s more reasonable to buy, you’ll get an email
notification saying the price has dropped and you’ll be able to buy it at the
cheapest possible! Voila!
It’s a great way of knowing when the price of a book you
want has dropped and means you can buy it for cheaper than it was before!
5. ORGANISE A BOOK
SWAP
Try and search for a local book swap happening in your
community where you can take the books you’ve already read and swap them for books you want! It requires no money and is an opportunity to meet new people!
I know there are many Melbourne book swaps happening every now
and then and although I have yet to be to one, they sound like fantastic
opportunities to meet new people and get some new books!
The best way to find a book swap is either to Google or to
follow some people (either on Instagram or Twitter – although Twitter is better
for chatting and meeting people) from your city/area and see what they’re up
to. If you can’t find one, try and organise one instead with your new pals!
6. SIGN UP FOR
NEWSLETTERS
Sign up for newsletters of the online book websites such as
Book Depo and Booktopia!
They then send emails notifying you when books are on sale,
what books are on sale and when they have other special offers or promotions
running so you can get books at their cheapest possible!
Another top tip from this is to especially sign up to the Booktopia
newsletter as every once in a while, they email you with… a free shipping
coupon!
How cool is that?
You can then use that coupon code until it is valid to get
free shipping on ALL your orders! Best thing is, you can use the coupon code
more than once until the offer closes!
That basically means you can order 100 books WITH FREE
SHIPPING!
I know Book Depo already offers free shipping but I really
like supporting local stores, especially when they offer such great deals!
I hope all these tips have helped you! If you have any tips
as well, please leave them in the comments below so we can all read and learn
from this!
