I am somewhat of an avid reader. A few years back I loved to read and had a whole collection of books to choose from. Now my time buying books are reserved for my kids and gifts for others. But every now and then when I find one that seems interesting I will purchase it. I need to make sure the condition of the books are extremely well kept if given for a gift to someone. When I buy them for my kids they need to be almost new. Kids will drop or rip and even accidently destroy the things that surround them. So its safe to say I am a little picky when it comes to the condition of the reads I purchase. I know I am not the only one though.
My time rolling the aisles of thrift store and book stores trying to score used books on my list, started eating up a lot of my time. There were times where I wanted to buy a specific one for my kids that I had no luck finding second hand, I was almost tempted to buy brand new. Although there is nothing wrong with purchasing new books for your family. We all should do what we can and what we like when it comes to our money. But trees and water and toxic printing chemicals goes into creating a whole new book. I just couldn’t fathom purchasing all 30 books brand new on my list and creating so much waste with it. I started to research online any possible sites for books that would offer a used option, and no amazon wasn’t on my option list. This is when I stumbled upon Thrift Books. It is a second hand online book store designed to give the customer thousands of options. I was really impressed, they not only offer you second hand but they offer you the option to choose the condition of the titles. They range from acceptable, good to very good and even Like New. They do however sell new books if readers are interested. I broke down some of the pros and cons to the site.
Pros
- Amazing selection to choose from.
- Free Shipping Over $10
- Can choose which condition of the book you want to purchase
- If you sign up they offer points for free books
- Organized library of options
- They have wholesale options for business or jails!
- Save money on promotions when you sign up
- Offer 5 different conditions to the items
- They also offer DVDs, video games and CDs.
- They do have collectable books
- Can find new books for a few dollars less since they are competitive
- They have good customer service and a phone line.
- Will notify you when a book on your Wish List is avalaible.
- Packaging is Low waste and light, can be reused as a mini trash bag for quick cleaning!
Cons
- They don’t have any descriptions for the conditions of the books you choose, for example if you choose option Very Good, that does not entail you what exactly Very Good means.
- Seems to be different sellers
- Many items in one order may ship separately
- Some items can take longer to arrive
- Some of the reads may be written on or sort of bent
- Books can be unavailable if not found in their system, does not give date when they will be available
- Library books may come in the used ‘Good or Acceptable’ options
- Packaging is made out of plastic
Overall I really love Thrift Books, they are online, offer free shipping and are super convenient. However, I always choose the option Like New or Very Good, sometimes settling for the Good option when the other ones are unavailable to purchase. I do highly recommend this site to anyone looking for second hand books to purchase. Site is found below!
New & Used Books | Buy Cheap Books Online at ThriftBooks
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