How to Buy Books Online

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Categories: Books | Education | Shopping | Online Shopping | How Tos

  • Amazon isn't the only place to buy books online. There are dozens of independent retailers, digital libraries and free eBooks out there as well.

    How to buy books online will walk you through some of the internet's best sites for buying new and used books, textbooks and audiobooks.

  • Introduction

    Whether you're in the market for a textbook, audiobook or a new potboiler to read at the beach, the internet can help. There are online resources to help you do everything from figure out what you'd like to read next to find an out-of-print book at a competitive price. The book you're looking for may even be in the public domain and free to download from over half a dozen sites online. The following guide will walk you through some of the internet's most useful, reader-friendly resources.

  • Step 1: Find a Book You Want to Read

    You may have a book you need to buy for a book club or class, but if you're looking for something to read recreationally and don't know where to start, the internet can help. There are several online resources that will generate reading suggestions for you based on your tastes, interests and previous book purchases.

  • Amazon

    Every product page on Amazon includes a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section. If you enjoyed one book and are looking for something similar to read, this can be a good place to start.

  • What Should I Read Next?

    • Enter in the title and author of a book you like, and What Should I Read Next? will tell you exactly what it says it will—what you should read next. The site's suggestions are pulled from a database of over 32,000 real readers' suggestions.

  • LibraryThing

    LibraryThing is a social networking and cataloging service for the bookish. The site allows you to list all the books in your personal library and connect with members with similar interests. You can discover new reads by exploring other members' pages or by searching the tags people create to catalog their books.

  • Goodreads

    Goodreads is similar to LibraryThing except the emphasis is less on cataloging your library and more on recommending "good reads" to friends and other Goodreads members. Members list, rate and review books as they read them. You can explore other members' profiles for highly-rated books or use the "Explore" option to see which books are popular across the entire system.

  • Book Reviews and Blogs

  • Step 2: Buy New Books

    Finding and buying a new book online these days isn't much of a challenge thanks to mega-outlets like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but it never hurts to comparison shop.

  • Where to Buy New Books Online

  • Comparison Shopping for Books

  • Specialty Retailers and Publishers

    • If you're looking for something a little more off-the-beaten path, you can also find new books through specialty retailers, publishers' sites and authors' personal webpages. The following sites offer a few alternatives to going the Amazon route:

  • Free eBooks

    • eBooks refer to books offered in a downloadable digital format. Some sites like Amazon offer books in an eBook format that is only readable with the Amazon Kindle eBook reader. Other sites, however, offer eBooks that can be downloaded for free, read without a proprietary reader and printed out like a regular book. You can find free eBooks via the following sites:
    • Wowio
    • Wikibooks
    • Project Gutenberg (Books in the Public Domain)
    • Some authors, particularly digitally-savvy bloggers, offer their readers free, downloadable eBooks to enjoy:
    • Kevin Kelly's True Films eBook
    • Seth Godin's Knock Knock eBook

  • Buy Used, Rare and Out-of-Print Books

    • Many new book retailers also sell used books, but there are those sites which specialize in locating and selling used, rare and out-of-print books by aggregating the inventories of used book stores from all over the world. These sites can be your best bet if you're looking for something especially hard to find.
    • Regardless of which site you're using, remember that you're usually dealing with independent sellers. Check their selling history and customer ratings before making a purchase.

  • Major Online Retailers that Sell Used Books

  • Used Book Swapping Services

    • The internet has precipitated the growth of book exchange clubs that allow you to list your books, send them to other users who request them, earn points for the transaction and get the books you want in exchange. These sites are an inexpensive and fun way to get your hands on a book you're looking for while passing on your own past reads. The only cost you incur is the cost of mailing your books to others.
    • BookMooch
    • PaperBackSwap
    • {{-}}

  • Buy Textbooks

    • As any college student (or parent of a college student) will tell you, textbooks are criminally expensive. Fortunately, the internet has made the textbook market more competitive. Students are no longer forced to stock up at their campus bookstore. Instead, they can comparison shop online for the best deals and turn in their own used textbooks for credit.
    • Just be sure as you shop for textbooks online that you purchase the correct edition and procure the book in time for class.

  • eTextbooks

    • eTextbooks are textbooks available in downloadable digital formats. Unfortunately, very few textbooks are currently available online for free. What is available can be found via the following sites:
    • CafeScribe
    • CafeScribe is an eTextbook service with a social component. The service is free, but you must download the CafeScribe reader to make the texts readable. Books are organized by title, author, major and university.
    • Textbook Revolution
    • While currently dormant, Textbook Revolution is scheduled to come back online in 2008 with free textbooks for undergraduates available as downloadable PDFs.

  • Find Books in the Public Domain

  • Digital Libraries

  • Buy Audiobooks

  • Podiobooks

  • Online Buying Safety Tips

    • Whether you are buying from a trusted retailer like Amazon or a small independent publisher using PayPal to process transactions, some internet buying safety tips apply across the board when it comes to protecting you from identity theft.

    1. Use the most recent version of your Internet browser. It will usually update automatically, but you can check for updates under the Help menu.
    2. Check to see what the web site's security policies are. They should be easy to find. If they're not, that's a red flag about the retailer's trustworthiness!
    3. Look for a little lock symbol at the bottom of your browser when you are submitting your information.
    4. The letters "https" should appear at the beginning of the URL if you are on a page where you will submit your personal and credit card information.
    5. Make sure to keep the receipt for what you purchased. You should be able to print one out at the end of your transaction.
    6. Check your credit card statement for any errors.
    7. Don't ever give out your credit card information by instant messaging service or email.
    8. Notify your credit card company immediately if anything fishy happens.

  • How Do You Know if a Seller is Trustworthy?

    • Whether you're buying used books from an independent seller on Amazon or a new book from an author's personal website, take some time to investigate the seller before making your purchase.
    1. If you are buying used books from an independent seller on major sites like Amazon or Alibris, check the seller's history, customer feedback rating and return policy.
    2. Check to see if a smaller retailer's site is secure. Does it have emblems that say "Hacker Safe", "Verisign Secure" or "BBB Reliability Program"? Then it has been approved by a trustworthy organization. Retailers without these emblems often are not trustworthy.
    3. A trustworthy retailer will have a 1-800 or 1-888 number for you to call in order to reach their customer service. If they don't provide any phone number, that is cause for suspicion; if they don't provide any contact information at all, they are certainly not trustworthy.
    4. Look for a good "About Us" section that includes information on the company's policies, features, and even a brief history. If they're not giving you that information, you probably don't want to give them your money.
    5. What is the site's return policy? Reputable sellers stand by their products, and offer customers the opportunity to return items that aren't up to par. If the return policy is restrictive or non-existent, caveat emptor!

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