Used Books on Amazon -- Prices Vary

[TromboneAl]

When I looked at the Body by Science on Amazon, there were used copies for $10 + shipping. The next day, there were two copies for $.01 + $4 shipping (and I got one -- like new condition but with some pencil underlining). So, the lesson is, if you're not in a rush, check the prices periodically and you might get lucky.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

My DD got $160 worth of college textbooks for $25 using Amazon for used copies... the bookstore on campus was charging $85 for used copies of the same books/same condition.

I get a lot of my books for $.01 with $3.99 shipping and handling. They must make a profit on the s & h, or a lot of books would end up in the trash.

 

[travelover]

I go to Book Finder and look for the lowest price among vendors. Often it is not Amazon

BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books

 

[ERD50]

So, the lesson is, if you're not in a rush, check the prices periodically and you might get lucky.

Or let a computer do it for you (something I learned from this forum):

Amazon price tracker, Amazon price history charts, price watches, and price drop alerts. | camelcamelcamel.com

I assume it tracks used books too, but I don't know for certain. I installed the 'camelizer' extension in my Chromium browser.

-ERD50

 

[RunningBum]

AbeBooks Official Site - New & Used Books, New & Used Textbooks, Rare & Out of Print Books is another good resource for used books from booksellers across the country.

 

[TromboneAl]

Or let a computer do it for you (something I learned from this forum):

Amazon price tracker, Amazon price history charts, price watches, and price drop alerts. | camelcamelcamel.com

I assume it tracks used books too, but I don't know for certain. I installed the 'camelizer' extension in my Chromium browser.

-ERD50

Wow, looks like I was just very lucky with the BBS order (got it on June 8):

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

AbeBooks Official Site - New & Used Books, New & Used Textbooks, Rare & Out of Print Books is another good resource for used books from booksellers across the country.

More than that! I have got out-of-print technical books through ABE from India, Germany and England. It is my first stop for such things.

 

[calmloki]

...
I get a lot of my books for $.01 with $3.99 shipping and handling. They must make a profit on the s & h, or a lot of books would end up in the trash.

A few years ago we bought 5 tons of clay from a wheeler-dealer up in Vancouver Washington. He had all sorts of make-a-buck things going on, but the biggest seemed to be a warehouse stacked with Gaylords (palletized cardboard containers maybe 40" high) full of books - He got them from Goodwill for cheap. Every now and again he would dump a Gaylord and sort through the pile - said he always found a few high dollar books that paid the cost of the container + his hired sorter/shipper.

The rest of the books he shelved and put on Amazon for a penny a book. Said that many buyers would buy 3-5 of a romance novel series or whatever, doing a search for same seller items. He would ship all the books together, spending $3-5, and make $10-15 on the lot as Amazon billed at $4 shipping/book. Sort of the selling water way to get rich, though he didn't have branding or cache' working for him. Truly a business were he made his money on volume.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Calm, what a story! And very enterprising.
I'm using paperbackbookswap a good bit for finding books, but still return to Amazon for lots of stuff, mostly newer books that I can't get easily anywhere else.