Buying Books on the Cheap

The cheapest way to get a book is, of course, to borrow it from the library. Even if your library does not have the book they may be willing to either buy it or get it on intra-library loan.

But my favorite strategy to get a good deal on books I want to buy is a little convoluted, yet fun. I have filled out my collection of classics and have bought business and finance books, fiction, and kids books using this method.

First: Buy used books you don’t want for about a quarter each at garage sales, Goodwill, or the library’s ‘for sale’ rack.

Second: Take the books you just bought to your favorite used books store and trade them for credit at 1/4 their original price.

Third: Buy the books you want from the used book store using the credit. The nice thing is that they will hold the credit if you cannot find what you want this visit.

Example:

Buy 4 paperback novels that were originally $7.95 for $0.25 each at a garage sale. Cost: $1.00

Trade them to the used book store for $2.00 credit each. Value: $8.00

Buy books at the used book store at 1/2 the cover price using your credit: Value: $16.00

So you end up getting a 16 to 1 return on your investment!

Caveat: Sometimes the bookstore will not take your books, they already may have too many of that title or they may think it is worthless - I keep these in a grocery sack in my trunk and next time I trade, either at this book store or at another, I bring them back in for another try. You will also get better at figuring out the books that the used book store wants. It is usually not the latest #1 best-seller.

You can also donate any ‘untradeable’ books to the library or other charity and take an appropriate tax deduction.