When it comes to buying books, I'm a poor pastor and so only have a limited amount of funds. Which means I go where I can get the most bang for my buck.
Thinking that some of the club readers might be in a similar boat, I thought I'd share where I go to buy books so that you too may know the blessing of cheap printed matter.
When it comes to physically shopping, I go to Koorong. They are cheap, have multiple stores around Australia and regularly have 20% off all their stock. I keep a list of books I'm after, wait for the sale and purchase them then. They are also very compliant in allowing you to take out a large number of books for church bookstalls and return unsold items (and if you sell over $250 you get 10% off).
But if you really want cheap, nothing beats online. I use two websites that conveniently tier prices (with postage to Australia) from all major online sellers. If I'm after a new copy of a book, I check Booko. If I'm not fussed about the condition of the book and want to see some secondhand options, Biblio is my port of call (but postage is not usually quoted for Australia).
I should also mention that when students buy directly from the publisher Banner of Truth they are usually granted 60% off. Many of the best old Christian books Banner of Truth keep in print and so naturally our club regularly reads them. Email them if you want the discount.
What about you? Where do you shop for cheap books? Any tips like the Banner of Truth one? Tell us in the comments.
4 comments:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/
Cheap and free shipping worldwide.
Thanks for the response Josh.
Booko not only includes Book Depository UK but also checks prices with the Book Depository US.
And the US store also gives free shipping and, strangely, the US store is sometimes cheaper than the UK store.
Have you tried Reformers Bookshop in Stanmore? www.reformers.com.au
They probably stock more of the types of books you'd cover in your blog, often equivalent in price to Koorong, and there is no minimum spend on bookstalls (and they'll donate 10% to the mission of your choice).
Michael, thanks for your input.
I like what Reformers tries to do in making theologically sound books available. And so I have purchased books there on a number of occasions.
However I often find that Koorong is cheaper and has greater stock availability. Plus if no one buys the good books at Koorong, it'll encourage them to stock even more rubbish...
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