The Top 20 Online Bookstores (and all the rest)

The internet can be a fantastic resource for avid readers, but it’s important to know which online stores are the most reputable and suitable when it comes to buying new and used books online. So, we did the research for you! Here are the 20 best websites to use next time you shop for paperback and hardcover books online in the US (See UK and Canada book sites below):

  • AbeBooks. This site has millions of new and used books for sale, including many signed books by famous authors. It also has an ISBN search engine for textbooks, lots of 50% to 60% off sales, and also sells rare books and art books.
  • Book Depository. This site features both the latest titles and a “bargain shop” where you can find books at extremely cheap prices. But no matter what you buy, you still get free shipping, no matter where you are in the world!
  • Alibris. Alibris collaborates with several independent booksellers and collectors–so if you need a rare book or a hard-to-find edition of a textbook, you have a great chance at finding it here.
  • BookOutlet. Book Outlet prides itself on ridicoulously low prices. How do they do it? Many of their books are excess inventory (also know as remainders) that they get directly from publishers at a big discount. Book Outlet offers free shipping to US and CA for orders over $35.
  • Kidsbooks. KidsBooks guarantees the best price for the books you’re looking for – lower than Amazon’s. With the inventory coming from publisher overstock, the books are all in great condition. Kidsbooks offers free shipping in the US and Canada for order overs $35 and $45 respectively!
  • Walmart. Walmart sells only new books, but they’re all at comparatively low prices than other retailers. They also have a huge variety of products on their online store.
  • Booktopia. Australia’s largest online bookstore is guaranteed to have plenty of options to satisfy readers of all ages, interests, and needs.
  • Thrift Books. Thrift Books offers free shipping in the US, has cheap used books, and the company is dedicated to being environmentally friendly!
  • Books A Million. This bookstore was started over a hundred years ago, and it’s still going strong. As one of the largest book retailers in the US, you can find bargain books, weekly deals, and other various deals on the numerous titles this store offers. They often have a interesting selection of remnant books (books that for whatever reason did not sell well and are offered at 75-90% off the original price.)
  • Amazon Books. This one probably doesn’t even need an introduction; Amazon is the world’s largest and most popular retailer and has an enormous selection of novels, textbooks, Kindle books, audio books, and second-hand books more.
  • Barnes & Noble. You can find everything from children’s books to young adult novels to popular fiction here, as well as plenty of gift options for the other bookworms in your life. They only sell new books, no second-hand books.
  • Better World Books. Whether you want an eBook, a non-fiction biography, or a fantasy novel, you can feel good about your purchase when you shop here; for every purchase you make, this store will donate a book to a person in need!
  • Biblio. Biblio has a collection of over 100 million new and used books in stock and prides itself on working with booksellers from around the globe to create one of the most unique online bookstores on the internet.
  • BookMooch. Although this isn’t necessarily a bookstore, it’s a fantastic site to get books for free. You can easily trade your old novels for new to you second hand books. The site has thousands of people with plenty of books to trade.
  • Book People. With frequent flash sales, special offers, discounts, and other deals, you can find a wide variety of books at inexpensive prices at this UK-based website.
  • Target This big box store actually has a solid selection of popular books online, many of which sell for less then retail cost.
  • Costco. Most people don’t think of books when they think of Costco, but this wholesale retailer is a great place to buy book sets and children’s books at high discounts. You will not find new books sold for a lower price than in the Costco Warehouse. Many independent bookstores have been known to buy some of their books from Costco because it’s less expensive then buying them wholesale directly from the publisher.
  • Daedalus Books. This site is best known for selling new books (classics, novels, best-sellers, hard-covers and remaindered titles)  for incredibly cheap prices. Cheaper even than amazon.com.
  • eBay. Thousands of new and used books are available on eBay for extremely low prices, many of which have free shipping. Whether you need a new cookbook, textbook, magazine, or collectible book, be sure to check eBay first!
  • Powell’s Books. This bookstore chain originating from Portland has an array of new and used books, specializing in indie titles and books by new authors.
  • The Strand. Every book on this site is sold at discounted rates, including new titles, and you can even pre-order novels that haven’t been released yet.
  • Hudson Book Sellers. Hudson Books has physical locations in just about every major airport in the US. And here’s where you can buy books online from them.

Top Online Bookstores in the UK

  • Abebooks UK
  • Alibris UK
  • Wordery. This outstanding website rivals Amazon by offering both free worldwide shipping and over 10 million book titles to choose from.
  • Amazon Books UK
  • Blackwell’s Bookstore (UK) First opened in 1879, this book shop has a great atmosphere in its physical locations at many universities in the UK and it also ships and delivers books throughout the UK.
  • Hive. This site is a great tool for finding local booksellers and supporting independent bookstores, and it offers free shipping to anyone in the UK.
  • The Great British BookShop. This independent, environmentally-friendly online bookstore offers over 250,000 materials, ranging from printed copies of popular novels to electronic books in dozens of genres.
  • The White Horse Bookshop. This bookstore has been a part of Marlborough since 1943, and today its collection has grown to include over 25,000 books in its physical store and over 200,000 titles online.
  • Waterstones. Waterstones originated back in 1982, and it is currently the last national book chain that exists in the UK, offering hundreds of thousands of books, gifts for book lovers, lovely stationery, and more.

Top Online Bookstores in Canada

  • AbeBooks Canada. Along with millions of books to choose from online, you can also find art, posters, sheet music, photographs, and other hidden treasures on this website.
  • Amazon Books Canada
  • Black Bond Books. For over 50 years, this bookstore has been owned and operated by passionate booklovers who are committed to providing a wide range of genres, from best-sellers to children’s books to YA novels to non-fiction.
  • Half Price Books Canada. Since 1972, Half Price Books has been dedicated to helping book lovers find new reads at great prices by selling both new and used books, CDs, movies, and more.
  • Indigo. Known as “Canada’s biggest bookstore,” Indigo offers over half a million books for customers to browse through, and it also supports eReading materials through Kobo.
  • McNally Robinson. This independent bookseller is “family-oriented, committed to the values of community bookselling, and determined to present an alternative to corporate-chain bookstores.”

Top Audiobook Sites

And for audiobooks, here are the top three services, each offers 1 free month, which means your first book is free:

  • Audible.com – Owned by Amazon, this service has a world-class app and offers 1 audio book + 2 Audible originals per month for $14.95. 200,000+ titles available.
  • Audiobooks.com – This digital audio book service gives you 3 audio books per month for $14.95. It has a large selection and with it’s app  you can listen to over 700,000 free podcasts. 150,000+ audio books are available on it’s platform.
  • Audiobooks Now – They offer a free membership plan and a $4.99 per month plan (in which you save 50% off your first audiobook each month, 35-40% off additional purchases.) 150,000+ titles available.
Online bookstores aren’t quite as fun as going to a beautiful store and browsing the books, but hey, you can’t have it both ways.

Top Sites for Rare & Signed Books

  • AbeBooks. Abebooks features special sections for rare books and collectable books.
  • Alibris. Alibris has a rare book section that features first-editions, signed book and antiquarian collectables.
  • Attic Books. Since 1976, Attic Book has provided customers with rare, antique, and collectible books, maps, and prints. The proprietor of this bookstore is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Canada.
  • Bauman Rare Books. Book lovers Natalie and David Bauman launched this business in 1973, stocking their shelves and delighting customers with first-edition collectibles, literary classics, signed copies, original children’s books, and much more.
  • Books-A-Million: Autographed Editions. The popular Books-A-Million site has a special page entirely dedicated to books signed by your favorite authors or celebrities. Signed copies come in all kinds of genres, from popular fiction to nonfiction bestsellers to tell-all memoirs.
  • Old Scrolls Book Shop. This New York-based seller specializes in first-edition, out-of-print, rare, signed, or used books in a wide variety of genres.
  • Premiere Collectibles. This bookstore specializes in selling rare and signed copies, of which they take exquisite care of before delivering the book to your home. Each signed book copy is delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity to prove that the signature of every author is legitimate.
  • RareBooksFirst 
  • VJBooks

Other Online Bookstores

The 20 bookstores listed above are popular for having fair prices and a wide selection of books, but if you’re looking for an uncommon topic or a specific subject, there are dozens of other options available. We compiled a list of many other online bookstore to give you an almost complete library of book stores at your fingertips. Whether you’re looking for textbooks, romance novels, cookbooks, print books or ebooks, you’ll be sure to find exactly what you need by utilizing this list. Happy reading!

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top 20 websites for cheap books

 

 

 

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