I’m an erratic online book buyer, meaning I’m not overly loyal to one particular site. For me it all comes down to the retailer with the best price. With the amount of books that I buy maximizing my savings is my top priority. One dollar may not seem like a lot but when you multiply that by 50-100 novels the difference is quite significant especially when you consider that the more I save the more books I can afford to buy!
I’m constantly on the look-out for sales and discounts as well. I regularly sign-up for loyalty programs, deal sites (GroupON, Living Social, etc) and e-mail newsletters in order to get the best possible price.
That being said, I typically purchase my physical books from The Book Depository because their prices are competitive and you can’t beat their worldwide free shipping. Even if I really, REALLY want to read a novel I’ll still avoid purchasing the eBook if the paperback is cheaper. Yes I have to wait a month for it to arrive but for me, paying a reduced price is worth it.
I regularly frequent Amazon, Kobo, Audible and Tantor Audio’s websites for my online book purchases. I’ll usually price check a couple of these sites to make sure that I’m getting the best deal. They all have their good points and bad so I don’t really have one go-to website. I like Amazon because of their affiliate program; I get a lot of free eBooks and sponsor giveaways thanks to the buy links on my blog. Kobo is usually the priciest option but I really like their Reading Life app so sometimes I’ll bite the bullet and pay the higher price in order to use it. Audible and Tantor are great for audiobooks and you can’t visit their sites without coming across at least one promotion.
So yeah, all this to say that I buy books online anywhere and everywhere! 🙂
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Nobles, Project Gutenburg
I purchase ebooks only and I get them from either the Kobo site or Smashwords. I haven’t bought a paper book in years because I don’t have the space for them anymore.
@Kalex I’ve never heard of Project Gutenburg; I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
@Darke Conteur Years!? I wish “I don’t have the space” was a good enough excuse for me NOT to buy anymore books but it’s not… LOL
YES! Discounts are great because every bit saved can go towards even more books. I get most of my physical books from BookDepository because I can’t use Amazon. If you pre-order them it’s even cheaper. But these days their book prices seem to be going up! (although it’s still cheaper than what I can purchase locally)
I stick with Amazon. Time and time again, they’ve proven to be very quick with deliveries, helpful with concerns I’ve had, and great decent prices. However, one time I tried to order a book from The Book Depository through the Amazon site, I wasn’t able to get it and when I e-mailed asking why it took so long to ship out, they said they couldn’t locate the item. So, that’s one reason why I don’t buy from The Book Depository. But for me, at least, Amazon has been very trust worthy.
I am an Amazon prime member so I get books there – ebooks mainly, but I do get paperbacks and hardbacks too. I am the same way with little space though. I already have 600 books on 5 different shelves in my house so they take up a lot of space and it’s hard for me to make room for more so they need to be special now – ARCs or signed. Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven
I purchase a LOT of books from AbeBooks.com. Especially books that are a year old or more, you can get them for about $4.
Other than that I use B&N.
I mostly purchase books for giveaways and get ARCs or use the library for my own reading. I was using The Book Depository because of the free shipping. It was cheaper than Amazon. But their book prices just went up $2-$3 so I’ll be looking at Amazon more closely too. Great question.
What’s the Reading Life app?
I buy almost exclusively from Amazon when I purchase online, otherwise I frequent my mega used bookstore, Half Priced Books. I’m a bargain hunter as well.
I also get most of my e-books from my library instead of purchasing them.