Tips for Buying Used and New Books Online

The internet has opened up new worlds for readers and collectors of new and used books. I have been buying and selling books online since the internet began and have been satisfied overall with my online purchases. There are several things you need to consider, however, before purchasing books online and price is only one of them. Everyone, of course, wants to buy their books at the lowest price possible, and I am no exception. But a low priced book is not worth buying if the cost of shipping is high, the condition of the book is poor or the bookseller is unreliable.

Before Buying Books Online, Do Some Comparison Shopping.

Before buying, do some comparison shopping. You can do this by searching for titles you are interested in at bookfinder.com or addall.com. Bookfinder.com and addall.com are meta search engines that check amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, alibris.com, abebooks.com, biblio.com, choosebooks.com, half.com, ebay.com and a whole host of other sites and return lists of available copies and the booksellers you can purchase them from.

When Buying Books Online, Don't Forget to Look at the Book's Condition and the Cost of Shipping.

The first thing I look at is price. If I am purchasing used books, then I look at condition. I generally do not want to purchase a book unless it is in very good condition or better. You might settle for less or demand higher quality, but either way you need to read carefully the description of the book's condition. After I find the lowest priced copy in very good condition, I look for the shipping price. If the shipping price is high, I then check the next lowest priced copy in very good condition.

Make Sure You Are Dealing with a Reputable Bookseller When Buying Books on the Internet.

Once I have found a copy with low or free shipping, I look at the bookseller's rating and feedback. If he has less than four stars or a lot of negative feedback, I go on to the next copy.

When I finally find a reputable dealer, I read his or her fine print. I particularly am interested in a dealer's return policy. I don't purchase from dealers who have very restrictive return policies.