(SDA)Buying used books on the internet - a guide
......The internet has unsurpassed selection. You find older books, as well as review copies for up to 50% off. The drawback to online buying is shipping; cost varies, usually $3 to $5 for a single book (rarely free). On the other hand there's no trip to the store and no sales tax. I've purchased hundreds of books with few problems. I normally ask the dealer to confirm availability and send a check, but I've used credit cards (especially overseas) with no problem. Statistically your card number is more likely to be stolen locally than online. Advanced Book Exchange has a database of 40 million titles (40,000 titles is a large bookstore!). It's fun to browse and useful for estimating book values. The place to start is Bookfinder (metasearch). AddAll is less comprehensive. Amazon used books can now be found on bookfinder. Second party sellers (Amazon, Half Price), particularly individuals, are a little riskier.
......What about auction sites? Ebay's OK for mass market publications low in literary merit, i.e, Readers Digest condensed editions and old Playboys. Literary and academic types don't hang around ebay waiting for rare books to appear.
New books
Amazon search - Amazon book reviews can help you decide whether a book is worth buying
Barnes & Noble search
Remaindered books
ER Hamilton
Allbooks4less
Christian used books
Kregel - 275,000 books in Grand Rapids
Lost-N-Found
Miscellaneous
MyOwnBookshop - used books
Library book sales - a good concept, but limited content.
