Sunday Morning Bookbuying

D

dimwit

Dryer sheet wannabe
Joined
Jun 19, 2005
Messages
20
I gotta say this FIRE site is somewhat addictive - sunday morning always is the time when the freedom mantra is reaffirmed.

Anyway, gotta say after a peruse of the site this morning, I got my order into amazon -

Shipping estimate for these items:  August 5, 2005

Delivery estimate:  August 11, 2005   1 "The Coming Generational Storm : What You Need to Know about America's Economic Future"
Laurence J. Kotlikoff; Paperback; $11.53

   
  1 "Richest Man in Babylon"
George S. Clason; Paperback; $6.99

   
  1 "100 Graded Classical Guitar Studies (Classical Guitar)"
Frederick Noad; Paperback; $15.61

   



Shipping estimate for these items:  August 8, 2005
Delivery estimate:  August 13, 2005   1 "The Progress Paradox : How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse"
Gregg Easterbrook; Paperback; $10.17
Click to expand...

Tell me how bad I am buying new books, maybe not that bad considering free shipping and no tax (and good books?). I feel guilty after hearing everyone either talk about going to the library or afternooning the bookstores.
 
dimwit said:
amazon -
Tell me how bad I am buying new books, maybe not that bad considering free shipping and no tax (and good books?). I feel guilty after hearing everyone either talk about going to the library or afternooning the bookstores.
Click to expand...

Dim - You are on the right track.
I do the same and also:
I got the Amazon Visa - $30 gift certif on first order when using Amz Visa.
Plus earn rewards using card for future amz gift certif.
Plus I have Discover Reward card get $25 Borders gift cards use on Amz/Borders site
Tell me I'm not frugal enough..

DanTien
:D
 
Amazon does sell used books too, you know. I've ordered several that way, that were either really good deals, or like new condition. For something I just want to read once then resell, I go with the used.
 
Buying books is my big vice (maybe next to HGTV :)). I buy Amazon, sometimes even hardcover. If available used, I will get it used. Sometimes I buy Barnes & Noble. Probably spend a couple thousand a year on books :(. I have pledged to use libary and book exchange/used book stores after I RE. To practice, I have started trading books with readers at work.
 
Don't forget Half.com for used books too.

I try to use the library as much as possible. I order books through the interbranch system and pick them up at my local branch. Love it. Sometimes I have to wait awhile, but it's always a pleasant surprise when they do show up.

Then if I really want the book, I try to buy it used.
 
Martha,

I also use a Hamiltonbooks.com which has new books at closeout prices. I think they just added credit card purchasing to their site. It's always been a print the order blank and mail a check site.

If you do a search on Closeout books, you'll find a bunch more sites with new books.

Happy reading.
 
KB said:
Martha,

I also use a Hamiltonbooks.com which has new books at closeout prices. I think they just added credit card purchasing to their site. It's always been a print the order blank and mail a check site.

Happy reading.
Click to expand...

I checked out www.hamiltonbooks.com. I especially like how organized their site is by subject. Even had a section entitled serial killer and psychopaths. :)
 
dimwit said:
I feel guilty after hearing everyone either talk about going to the library or afternooning the bookstores.
Click to expand...
Dim, you don't have to feel guilty. You just have to decide whether buying these books is worth the price of having to work longer to save more money for FIRE.

If I bought even half of the books I've read then I'd have a roomful. Our library is 10 minutes (two miles) from the house, the state library catalog is on the internet, and you can reserve books online for pickup at your leisure. About the only books I buy are the ones that I can't persuade the branch manager (a friend) to buy, or the ones that I simply MUST have.

KB said:
I also use a Hamiltonbooks.com which has new books at closeout prices. I think they just added credit card purchasing to their site. It's always been a print the order blank and mail a check site.
Click to expand...
Man, I didn't need to know that. I've been reading their mailer for over a decade and it's real easy to get the gimmes. I could usually hold off when I had to do it snail-mail but now...
 
I've cut way back on buying books. But for presents, I often buy the used books (amazon.com) and have them shipped directly to the giftee. I've bought several where the cost of the book is about 50 cents, with shipping about $3 (which I would have spent anyway).
 
I just put an Amazon order in today as well:

Items not yet shipped:
Delivery estimate: August 13, 2005 - August 18, 2005

The Four Pillars of Investing : Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio

Unconventional Success : A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment

The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need : The Way Smart Money Invests Today

The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ingore Wall Street and Get on with Your Life
 
I depend on two on-line booksellers:
Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com
and American Book Exchange: www.abebooks.com

This is where I buy technical books, mostly out-of-print and very hard to find. ABE is a jewel for this. They have connections all over the world.

Of course, when I ain't in harness any more....

I also haunt used book stores wherever I go. I got hooked on them as a wee bairn in Portland and Seattle. Powell's, Shorey's, etc., etc, etc.

Support your local used book seller.

Gypsy
 
I go to the library about twice a week. It's less than a mile from the house. I used to buy books from book-of-the-month club, but have long discontinued. Recently I donated a couple of big boxes full of books to the library.

I kept Terhorsts' and Zelinski's tomes, though.
 
As long as we are citing good new/used book sources I love Powells Books in Portland Oregon. A great place to visit and I have ordered a number of used books from them since then.

http://www.powells.com/
 
I am an online bookdealer and also buy quite a bit of stuff myself. Most of my customers buy my books through Amazon.

When I buy books myself, I usually check out the Amazon website for all the details such as ISBN, review etc.. Then I use the site www.addall.com and used.addall.com where I plug in the ISBN (much more efficient than using the title search). This will give you an overview of 15 or so online book buying places for both used and new sources such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, overstock.com, Walmart, Alibris, Abe, Powell etc..

Overstock has cheap $1.40 shipping for new books that nobody can beat but tends to carry mainly popular books. Amazon's free shipping for orders for new books for over $25 is a steal. However, it usually takes much much longer for them to send the books when the shipping is free (waiting for one now).

For used books, I only tend to use Amazon and Half.com. Half.com tends to be cheaper. Sellers are rated by buyers and a good feedback profile ensures you of good hassle free service. Buying a cheap book from a seller with a poor track record has cost me too. Most other used book places only rate their seller by how many orders they cancelled, which is no indication of the quality of the book or how fast they ship it out.

Vicky
 
I've got some music books ($30 each) that were not useful, and I'm considering selling them on amazon. Apparently you just click on the "Sell Yours Here" button, list it, and ship it if someone buys it (Amazon takes a small cut, of course).

Anyone tried this? Worth the trouble?
 
Yes, it is quite easy. You look up the ISBN, click on the 'sell yours here' or something like that and enter a description of the quality of the book. Once you sell the book, Amazon will send you an email and you will need to mail the book within 2 business days. If you are not a dealer like me, Amazon will take 15% of the book value +$1 and give you a $2.26 allowance for mailing. After 2 weeks or so you get the money deposited in your bank account.
 
My spouse bought a used book through Amazon. I guess it was a 'sell yours here' deal. The book reeked of cigarette smoke. It was like toxic waste came into the house through the mail.
 
Does Amazon have a rating system like ebay or Half.com? If so, she could have commented about the smoke smell. Personally, if I saw a rating about someone selling smoke smelling books, I wouldn't buy from that seller. Too gross.
 
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