Because I love a good deal and almost never pay full price for anything, below are my best recommendations for where to buy books online cheap.
As someone who reads 100+ books per year, I need to maintain my habit without overspending. Luckily, with books, that’s easy, as there are so many places where you can buy books cheaply these days. Below are my personal favorite ways to save money on books as a full-time book blogger.
Quick Tip: Mass-market paperbacks vs. paperbacks are often cheaper. Paperbacks vs. hardcovers are also often cheaper.
Where to Buy Books Online Cheap
Amazon
Stating the obvious! You can shop for good deals on books, ebooks, and audiobooks on mega-retailer Amazon.
A few Amazon book programs I like are:
- First Reads – by which Amazon Prime members can choose one or more free ebooks from a curated selection each month
- Kindle Unlimited – by which subscribers can read an unlimited selection of ebooks and audiobooks in the Kindle Unlimited library for free
- Prime Reading – by which Amazon Prime members can borrow ebooks for free
If you aren’t a Prime member, get your first 30 days for free.
Audible
Audible is the audiobook giant owned by Amazon. I have used the service for years and love it. You get 1 credit for 1 audiobook and unlimited access to Audible’s Premium Plus catalog and lots of sales and deals. Plus, you get extra purchases at a reduced rate.
Or, you can get unlimited access to Audible‘s Premium Plus catalog only, with no credit for any book of your choice.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble remains the top book-based retailer where to buy books online cheap, with a book club, rotating book deals, and a sale page.
Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million is another retail giant where you can get books online for less. They have a “bargain” page with physical book deals around $5.00 — I love the idea of getting physical books for less money.
They also have a “millionaire’s club” where you can get coupons, discounts, and free shipping with a yearly membership fee of $25.00. Lastly, when you sign up for their email list, you get 20% off your first purchase (as of the date of this post).
Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month (BOTM) Club is a fun, affordable, and helpful book subscription service. Each month, they pick out five books, which are hot new releases and not yet publicly released books, in a variety of categories and you pick one hardcover title for a monthly fee. You can add on additional books at reduced rates too.
Book Outlet
Book Outlet offers a wide variety of books for adults and children, including many best sellers and new releases, at rock-bottom prices (usually around $5-8 each). It takes a while to search through their site, but it’s worth taking an hour and stocking up a few times a year.
Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org is an online bookstore that supports independent bookstores, and it has been growing in popularity, especially ever since the Coronavirus pandemic, when independent bookstores struggled the most.
You can purchase books and audiobooks and either choose a specific independent bookstore to support or support all independent bookstores collectively.
While they aren’t generally the cheapest option available, you can often find deals better or equally comparable to the bigger box options, so it’s worth checking out if you want to shop small.
eBay
I have found good deals on books on eBay, which I have read, and then re-sold on eBay myself! I recommend eBay for buying out-of-print and/or rare books online for less money.
Libro.fm
Libro.fm is another excellent audiobook provider, which supports independent bookstores. For a monthly fee, you get 1 credit for any audiobook of your choice, to which you can listen on the Libro.fm app. This is another amazing audiobook service I regularly use and love. Plus, you get extra purchases at a reduced rate.
Everand
Everand is a subscription service by which members can listen to an “unlimited” number of digital products, including ebooks and audiobooks for a monthly fee via desktop or on the Everand app. I say “unlimited” in quotes because the service generally only allows you to access about 4 or 5 newer releases a month, then it restricts your use to older releases until the next month begins. Still, it’s a great value, and I am a happy subscriber who reads multiple books per month with this service.
Thriftbooks
Thriftbooks is a great place where to buy books online cheap, as they sell used books at very steep discounts and have low cost or free shipping. Usually, I can order 2-3 used, older books and get free shipping.
BONUS TIP: Get Cash Back on Books and More
Rakuten
Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) is a free cash rebate program where you get cash back when making online purchases, with a simple click in their Google Chrome extension or their app for mobile.
For example, in Google Chrome, when you are shopping, a popup will offer you cashback from that store (which is usually 1% to 10%+). Just click it!
The mobile app functions like a search bar, where you simply search for a store, click it and shop.
I have made over $3,000.00+ cash back over the years! There are no costs or hidden catches. Rakuten makes money from stores, and Rakuten then distributes some of its own earnings to users. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Those are my personal favorite places where to buy books online cheap. Never pay full price on your reading habit again!
Also BookBub. They curate fantastic e-reader deals every day.
They do! Excellent recommendation