Comparison Shopping: Used Books


Thrift Stores:
Value Village, the thrift department store
Dollars spent: $6
Books bought:
Blue Diary Alice Hoffman (Paperback)
Died Blonde Nancy J Cohen (Paperback)

Salvation Army Thrift Store
Dollars spent: $0.50
Books bought:
Larry’s Party Carol Shields (Hardcover)



Local Used Bookstore:
Dollars spent: $3 (store credit)
Books bought:
Moll Flanders Daniel Defoe (Paperback)


Library Book Sale (Semi-annual):
Dollars Spent: $11
Books bought:
Unless Carol Shields (Hardcover)
A Complicated Kindness Miriam Toews (Hardcover)
Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood (Paperback)
Alias Grace Margaret Atwood (Paperback)
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee (Paperback)
My Dream of You Nuala O’Faolain (Paperback)





  1. Oo, that library haul is really good. I loved Unless and The O'Faolin (sp?) books.

    I never have luck with these things. I get there and it's all Danielle Steel.

  2. My all time favorite bargain store is a place called: Paperback Trader. I bring in bags of old paperbacks I no longer want and get credit for half their ORIGINAL listed value. The store sells used books at 50% off the list price and buyers use their store credit up to 90% of that price (so in essence you are paying for a book at 10% of its original price). It's a good deal :) and they always have the latest trade paperbacks because it is a popular store. I've bought books which are just coming out in paperback in B&N, but spent only 10% of the cost!

  3. Amy- I usually get there late and all the good stuff is gone. I just started taking anything that looked interesting at first, then decided later what I really wanted.

    Wendy- That sounds like a great place.

  4. Aren't the library sales always the best??? I love them!! My 2 local used book stores have only paperbacks....and are 90% mass markets. I usually don't like those as much.

    I just picked up Complicated Kindness from the library....and I already read My Dream of You ( I personally didn't like it all that much...but I know a lot of the Genre Stew gals did!) I have Alias Grace too. Love Atwood!

  5. Sigh. I'm so envious. But you go, girl!

  6. I have visited a used bookstore near my home once before, and was hoping to "score" some great bargains on books. I left sorely disappointed. Most of the hardbacks were 5-6 bucks and the paperbacks were 2-3 dollars. I thought that was high. I have hit my local library system's sales a couple of times (quarterly) and scored much better books for much better prices. I went to one last month and brought home 11 books, for 14 dollars. I was very happy :)

  7. I used to get signed first editions at a Salvation Army that was by a major university. Loved it and still wish I had access to it!


  8. Wow, you did buy a lot of books! They sound cheap too. Unfortunately, books in Malaysia are quite pricey.

    If I were to buy books every month, I might have to forgo some other luxury. But, who cares? At least I get to buy a book! =)

