If you are an avid reader, buying books can cost you a fortune. Luckily, you don’t have to buy all books brand-new (unless you do so on principle). Nowadays, there are plenty of ways to buy books on a budget. One of them is buying used books from various online sellers. In this article, we’ve prepared a list of the best online resources where you can buy books cheaply in 2024.
1. BookScouter
| 📚 Books | Used books, second-hand books, textbooks, college reading materials |
| 📦 Shipping | Depends on the bookstore |
| 💻 Website |
We’ll start with a book price comparison platform because it’s where you can get the most up-to-date information about book prices online. BookScouter is great for looking up cheap used books, as it contains the price data from 20+ online bookstores, and this information is constantly updated. The price engine also offers functionality for selling and renting books. It’s easy to use: you simply enter the details of the book you are looking for (e.g., ISBN, author, title). Once you click Scout, BookScouter searches its database of 20+ book merchants and shows the best offers. Then, you can compare them and read all the details about the book’s condition, shipping price, etc., before clicking Buy and being transferred to the purchase page on the bookstore’s website. Not a direct bookseller, BookScouter might be your first and foremost destination for the best book prices online.
2. eBay
| 📚 Books | Used books, rare and collectible books, textbooks |
| 📦 Shipping | Set by the seller (and destination if shipped internationally) |
| 💻 Website |
We’ll put eBay second on our list of top websites to buy cheap books in 2024 because it’s where you can find an avalanche of cheap books. Besides, you can either buy them for a fixed price or participate in an auction. The latter feature is not an advantage for a bookseller. However, if you are a buyer looking for cheap used books, this may be your catch, as auctions for more or less popular books often start from $1 or even less. By bidding at the lowest possible price, you can sometimes get a great book almost for nothing. However, keep in mind that you will have to pay for shipping, and the shipping rates may be higher than the price of the book itself. eBay is also one of the best places to search for rare collectibles. Such books won’t cost you a few bucks; however, you can come across a rare book and, if you are lucky, buy it for an affordable price.
3. Amazon
| 📚 Books | Used and new books, bestsellers, rare collectibles, textbooks |
| 📦 Shipping | Free for Amazon Prime members; varies from independent merchants |
| 💻 Website |
Amazon is another option we can’t mention when discussing cheap book shopping. The world’s largest online marketplace, it is the place where you can find anything, books including. As a seller, you can choose to either sell books as an individual merchant (FBM) or via the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program. Yet, as a buyer, the only difference for you is where the best price and the lowest shipping cost are offered. In 2024, Amazon is still a leading book marketplace, and there is a good reason for that. Due to the enormous number of sellers, you can find any book there—in any condition, at different prices, for any taste and interest.
4. AbeBooks
| 📚 Books | Used books, rare and collectible books, out-of-print books, textbooks |
| 📦 Shipping | Depends on the seller |
| 💻 Website |
AbeBooks is an Amazon subsidiary and a book marketplace where you can find used and cheap books and textbooks. You can either use their Advanced Search option if you know what you are looking for or go to the Browse Collections tab to explore what the website has to offer. AbeBooks is a great resource where all sorts of books are sold, from art collectibles to fiction and non-fiction. We also want to emphasize the beauty and usability of the website’s interface, which is similar to but more appealing than Amazon’s. Shipping costs differ from seller to seller, though it’s possible to find free shipping offers. All in all, AbeBooks is a treasure trove for any book lover!
5. Alibris
| 📚 Books | New, out-of-print, rare, and used books, textbooks |
| 📦 Shipping | Free on orders over $39; different shipping prices from independent sellers |
| 💻 Website |
Alibris boasts of having “270 million books, movies, and albums from thousands of independent sellers worldwide“. The platform was founded in 1997, and until now, it is a fantastic place to get books at great prices. Used books are often offered at as low as $1 directly from sellers; the choice is really great. You can search books by ISBN, subject, author, title, or simply browse through the categories: textbooks, fiction, romance, cookbooks, kids’ books, mystery, and eBooks. Music and movies are also offered on Alibris; however, this is not our subject now, so we’re not going to dwell on these. The Alibris’s Bargain section contains exactly what we need: 99-cent books, coupon codes, discounted titles, and books offered with the Free Shipping option (orders over $39 from Alibris).
6. Powell’s Books
| 📚 Books | New and used book |
| 📦 Shipping | Free shipping on shipments of $50 or more; from $5.99 (No Rush Economy Mail) regardless of the number of books |
| 💻 Website |
Powell’s Books is one of the largest US independent bookstores, based in Portland, Oregon, offering a wide range of new and used books at affordable prices. On their website, you can browse their book collection, from fiction and nonfiction to kids’, YA, biographies, cookbooks, and much more. Whether you’re looking for discounted new releases, used paperbacks, or cheap textbooks, Powell’s is the place to go. The website also features a blog where you can browse staff picks and find your next read. If you place an order of $50 or more, you’ll get free economy shipping. Or you can choose any number of books for $5.99 (No Rush Economy Mail).
7. Better World Books
| 📚 Books | New and used book |
| 📦 Shipping | Free on orders over $15 |
| 💻 Website |
Better World Books is a socially responsible bookstore that offers a wide range of new and used books at affordable prices. Their mission is “Buy Books. Do Good“. They offer various books, including textbooks and adaptations, and worldwide shipping. The website also has a rewards program that allows you to earn reward points on future purchases. Better World Books aims to “…better the world, one book at a time, by making a difference with every purchase made through donations and environmental programs“. It has donated over 35 million books and raised over 34 million dollars for literacy and libraries. If you want to buy cheap books and do good, this resource is for you.
8. BookMooch
| 📚 Books | Used books |
| 📦 Shipping | Depending on the location and distance |
| 💻 Website |
BookMooch is a community-driven website that allows you to exchange used books for free (almost). Though not exactly about buying cheap books, it’s the website we couldn’t but include in our list. It works like this: every time you give someone a book, you earn a point, which you can redeem for any book you want from anyone else at BookMooch. You also get 3 points when you send a book out of your country, and it costs the receiving moocher 3 points to get it. Moochers only pay for shipping, and the amount depends on location and distance. The website has a vast selection of books, from art and photography books to Westerns, and even offers a web browser toolbar icon for mooching books from Amazon. We do recommend checking the website out; plenty of cool books are there!
9. ThriftBooks
| 📚 Books | Used books, rare and collectibles, textbooks, large print books, educational and reference books |
| 📦 Shipping | Free standard shipping on US orders over $15 |
| 💻 Website |
“Read More. Spend Less“. ThriftBooks offers a wide range of new and used books at affordable prices. Apart from all sorts of fiction, they also sell large print books and rare and collectible books (though these categories will probably cost more than affordable used books). Nonetheless, you’ll definitely find something for your taste and budget in their collection of over 13 million titles. They offer free shipping on orders over $15 and a rewards program that allows you to earn points on future purchases. One of the most popular used book websites among frugal book lovers, ThriftBooks is one of our favorites, too. You can also check out our post about How to Sell Books on ThriftBooks: Q&As for more information about ThriftBooks.
10. Biblio
| 📚 Books | New and used books, rare and collectible books, textbooks, out-of-print titles |
| 📦 Shipping | Depends on the seller |
| 💻 Website |
“For the love of books“. Biblio is an excellent source for purchasing books, both affordable and expensive. With over 100 million used, rare, and out-of-print books, Biblio offers a wide variety of options. You can search for what you need by ISBN, keyword, author, or book title on their website. If your book is tricky to find, you can open their Advanced Book Search and search by publisher, illustrator, publish date, or other relevant criteria. Biblio, which was launched in 2003, has remained an independent, family- and employee-owned business. One of the impressive facts about them is that since 2004, the company has used its profits to build 16 public libraries in rural villages in South America. Overall, Biblio is a great option to consider when looking for books.
11. Half Price Books
| 📚 Books | Used and new books, music, movies, and games |
| 📦 Shipping | Standard shipping from $3.99 |
| 💻 Website |
Half Price Books is, first of all, a reputable chain of retail bookstores that buys and sells “used and new books, music, movies, and games.” With their flagship store being in Dallas, TX, they also have a range of stores all around the US (as of today, there are over 120 stores in 19 states). HPB also has a website where you can search for books and other things by entering a keyword, title, author, or ISBN and filtering your search results by format, genre, price, and location. You can find a great number of books at really good prices at HPB. Overall, Half Price Books is a fantastic place for book lovers and a must-visit whenever you are around one of their stores. If you want to learn more about them, we have an entire Half Price Books Overview: Top 16 Questions about Half Price Book Stores. Check it out!
12. Book Outlet
| 📚 Books | New books |
| 📦 Shipping | Free ground shipping on orders over $35 to addresses in the United States (including US domestic and overseas military addresses) and Canada |
| 💻 Website |
Book Outlet offers “Read-iculously Low Prices” and a wide selection of new books for kids, teens, and adults at at least 50% off list prices daily. They even have a separate section—Frugal Finds—where you can find Books under $5, Hardcovers Under $10, and Kids’ Books under $2.50. Sounds too good to be true, right? But they are real, and they have plenty of happy customers. You can browse by category, genre, or author and find your favorite titles from various genres and formats. Book Outlet also has a rewards program called “Book Outlet Rewards,” where you can “Earn points for every book you buy. You can then redeem those points for even more books!“. So, if you’re looking for a place to buy cheap books, Book Outlet is definitely worth checking out!
The Final Thoughts
Nowadays, there are many places where one can find used books at low prices; however, we recommend doing it online. For one thing, it’s faster and more convenient; for another, you can check all the available bookseller options just in a few clicks and get your order delivered to your doorstep in a few days. We’ve researched the most popular online booksellers in 2024, and the 12 websites we’ve described in this article appeared to be the best, according to many book lover reviews.
We hope that this list will be helpful in your book search. And a friendly reminder: you can always check price comparison websites like BookScouter before going to a bookseller directly to see the entire price landscape at once and choose the best possible offer.
