If you love reading, you can always conserve cash by using your neighborhood library or apps like Libby. Still, there’s a special pleasure in owning a well-stocked bookshelf — both physical and digital. So here’s a guide to help you locate inexpensive books online.
You likely know the basics of buying books on Amazon and eBay, but there are numerous online booksellers where you can snag excellent bargains and sometimes even earn rewards while doing so.
Whether you enjoy printed copies, e-books or a blend of both, these sites can help you grow your collection without breaking the bank.
Deals on Physical Books
Prefer the tactile feeling of a book but still want to shop affordably online? We’ve compiled eight top online bookstores for both new and used volumes. You’ll discover lots of beloved classics and recent bestsellers at competitive prices, including plenty of children’s titles.
ThriftBooks
Thriftbooks is an online bookseller offering used, new and collectible titles. Prices vary according to condition — from new to acceptable — and format, whether paperback or hardcover. It’s a reliable spot to find inexpensive books.
Through their ReadingRewards program, you accumulate points for every dollar you spend. When you’ve collected enough points, you can trade them in for a free book.
The loyalty program has three tiers.
- Reader: Earn 8 points per dollar and redeem a free book up to $5 at 500 points.
- Bookworm: Spend $75 in a year to reach this level. Earn 9 points per dollar and claim a $6 free book at 500 points.
- Literati: Spend $150 annually to achieve this tier, getting 10 points per dollar and a free $7 book at 500 points.
You’ll receive 100 bonus points for signing up and additional points on your birthday — another perk of shopping for affordable books online.
Beyond books, Thriftbooks also sells movies, CDs and video games. Buying games can earn you up to 300 points per purchase. Shipping is $1.99 total or free on orders of $15 or more.
The downside: Thriftbooks sources used books in bulk from thrift stores and libraries, so inventory can be unpredictable. You can add items to a Wish List and they’ll notify you by email when a title becomes available.
Thriftbooks also offers a mobile app.
AbeBooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace featuring new, used and collectible books in varying conditions. Rather than holding inventory themselves, AbeBooks connects independent sellers with buyers. There you can hunt for first editions or signed copies. Shipping costs and methods are set by each seller.
AbeBooks also lists art, vintage magazines, sheet music, textbooks and manuscripts.
Half Price Books
Half Price Books may be best known as a physical retailer, but you can shop their inventory online as well. They use a six-step scale for grading used books, from “Like New” down to “Poor.”
Shipping is charged per item; standard shipping typically runs $3.99 per piece. Their website also carries music and movies. The chain operates around 120 stores across 19 states.
Powell’s Books
Powell’s Books is one of the country’s most iconic independent bookstores. Based in Portland, Oregon, Powell’s sells both new and used volumes online. Their rare books collection includes out-of-print works. The store’s catalog is famously large — reportedly around 1 million titles.
Unsure what to pick? Browse their Staff Picks, such as Books of the Month or 50 Books for 50 Years.
Shipping via No Rush Economy Mail is a flat $5.99 per order, with free shipping on orders of $40 or more.
If you prefer audiobooks, Powell’s distributes them through Libro.fm, a downloadable app.
If you need to clear shelf space and your books meet their criteria, you can sell your books back to Powell’s through their website. Powell’s blends a brick-and-mortar presence with an extensive online bookstore.
Second Sale
SecondSale.com runs a used-book store out of a warehouse in Illinois. Their Super Bargain Books section features titles starting as low as $3.49. They’ll also buy your pre-owned books through their sister site. Books are graded on a five-tier scale from “Like New” to “Acceptable.”
The site adds interesting snippets while you browse, like suggested reading order for series, estimated time to read a set of books, reading level and page counts.
They provide free standard shipping on orders over $10.
BookMooch
If you’re someone who moves on from books rather than re-reading them, try BookMooch. After creating an account, list the books you want to give away and others can request them.
When you mail your books out, you earn points. You spend those points to request books from others. The only cost to you is postage for sending books.
BookMooch operates internationally, so you may receive requests from other countries. You get one point each time you send or receive a book domestically, and three points for international sends and receives.
To use BookMooch effectively, you generally must give more than you receive: you are expected to send two books for every one you obtain from the service, even if you have sufficient points. Sending a book overseas counts as sending three books.
If you like the idea but dislike paying for postage, organize a book swap with friends!
Better World Books
Better World Books is an online bookseller that emphasizes charitable giving. With each purchase, they donate a book to someone in need. You can shop new and used titles as well as textbooks on their site.
Better World Books also features a three-tier rewards program.
- Bronze: Earn 8 points per dollar spent.
- Silver: Receive 9 points per dollar and special offers (unlocked after you spend $75+).
- Gold: Earn 10 points per dollar, enjoy more exclusive deals and extra earning opportunities (unlocked after $200+ in spending).
You can pick up bonus points by following their social channels. Once you hit certain point thresholds, redeem them for discounts on purchases.
Another nice bonus: standard shipping is free after you spend $15.01.
Book Outlet
Book Outlet sources surplus inventory directly from publishers, allowing them to sell new books for at least 50% off list prices.
Check their Discount Aisle and “under $5” sections to find titles priced as low as $1.19.
When you register with Book Outlet, you can join Book Outlet Rewards for additional savings. You’ll receive 10 points for signing up, and subscribing to their emails adds 20 points.
Every $2 spent earns 1 point. Reach 100 points to get $5 off, or accumulate up to 2,000 points to claim $100 off your order.
Book Outlet offers over 55,000 titles, including more than 20,000 children’s books.
Shipping is free on orders above $35. For orders under $35, shipping costs $6.95.
Deals on E-books & Audiobooks
Do you like the convenience of carrying your library on your device and want to download titles at odd hours? These platforms let you score savings on digital reading material without worrying about shelf space.
Project Gutenberg
If you’re drawn to classic works in the public domain, explore Project Gutenberg. Launched in 1971, it’s the oldest digital library.
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer-powered repository of over 70,000 carefully curated e-books. These digital books can be read in a web browser or on any e-reader you own. The service is free, though donations are welcome to support the volunteer effort — a green-friendly way to access literature.
Looking to introduce a child to classic stories at no cost? Project Gutenberg also offers books for young readers.
BookBub
BookBub is a free service that discovers e-book deals for you. It aggregates thousands of discounted e-books across Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books and Google Books.
Create an account and answer a few questions, like which e-book platform you use and your favorite genres. BookBub will customize recommendations accordingly. You can follow authors to receive alerts about new releases or sales, or simply browse the featured deals.
If a desired title isn’t discounted right now, add it to your Wishlist and BookBub will notify you when it goes on sale.
Interested in audiobooks? BookBub also runs Chirp, where you can find discounted audiobooks and play them through the Chirp app.
Amazon
Amazon offers several avenues for e-book deals.
If you’re a Prime member, you can borrow titles through Prime Reading. The Prime Reading library contains over 3,000 selections, and you can borrow up to 10 at a time. The rotation includes recent titles, classics, children’s books, comics, magazines and more.
Amazon also runs Amazon First Reads, where Prime members can choose one pre-release book each month from a selection of six titles — an opportunity to read a book before general release.
For broader access, Kindle Unlimited ($11.99/month) provides entry to more than 4 million Kindle titles.
Don’t own a Kindle but have Prime? Download the Kindle app on your phone or use the Kindle Cloud Reader on your desktop to read.
Scribd
Scribd is a subscription platform granting access to over a million e-books and magazines, thousands of audiobooks and podcasts, and more. It costs $11.99/month after a 30-day trial.
If you prefer short previews of nonfiction before committing, try Scribd Snapshots. These audio and text snippets serve as brief previews — more like trailers than summaries.
Scribd also features Scribd Originals, exclusive e-books and audiobooks found only on their platform. There’s no set limit to the number of items you can read or listen to each month, though some content may be temporarily unavailable until your next billing cycle.
You can access Scribd via apps for Android and iOS or through their website on a computer.
Google Play Books
If your phone uses the Google Play Store, install the Google Play Books app. It carries e-books, audiobooks and comics.
Google Play Books includes bestsellers, deals under $5 and free titles, so there are options for every budget. You can also choose preferred genres to tailor recommendations.
By joining Google Play Points, purchases count toward your point total, which can be redeemed for Google Play Credits.
Apple
If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, download ebooks and audiobooks via Apple Books. Like Google Play, Apple Books has bestsellers, discounted offers and free titles, with recommendations customized to your tastes. You can find e-books for $4 or less and audiobooks for $6 or less, plus free books.
Audiobooks purchased through Apple will sync across your Apple devices, including Apple Watch.
Contributor Jenna Limbach writes about personal finance and lifestyle topics for Savinly from her home in Utah.
