Borrowed and Thrifted 2

Further to our first Borrowed and Thrifted post last week, I thought I would share some of my methods for buying secondhand books…

I do not consider myself an expert on thrifting books online – by any stretch – but reading blogs like Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves provides so much inspiration for finding vintage or out-of-print books. My experience has been that there are only so many titles I can keep in my head (or on a list) for next time I’m at a secondhand bookshop or sale. So these are some ways I’ve been using to make the most of the internet to find secondhand books, instead of relying on my brain cells…

1) Using Ebay for buying secondhand books

If I know a book is out of print or hard to find, I do a quick search on Ebay. Usually the book will not currently be available, but I use my original keyword search to set up a saved search. You can do this for a particular title or for an author. I use the email facility so that Ebay sends me an email when a book I’m looking for comes up for auction. I’ve found some great picture books via Ebay, and recently I’ve picked up a few for 99 cents – one was even signed by the author! My saved search was the reason I found these books and became the only bidder.

Fairly obviously for regular users of Ebay, once you find a book you want to purchase, you can also view the seller’s other items. Often sellers of children’s books – whether they are doing a home clean-out or operating on a bigger scale – have multiple picture books, so it’s worth having a look at their other books and potentially ‘save’ some money with combined shipping.

2) Australian online secondhand book sites

I also use Books and Collectibles, which is an Australian-based online secondhand bookstore. From what I can tell, their database includes numerous vendors, so by searching their site, you are searching the databases of many stores at once. Compared to some other online secondhand bookstores, the books here generally seem to be reasonably priced.

I have just discovered that you can click on ‘Add Your Wants‘ on this site, and you will then be emailed if the book you are searching becomes available at one of the vendors.

There is a secondhand bookstore specialising in children’s books here in Melbourne called Nanny’s Web, and I have found some lovely books there.

3) International sites for sourcing secondhand books online

I have also used are Abebooks, which sources books from sellers around the world, and I particularly like the way you can filter searches on this site. 

Are there any other book thrifters out there? What are your tips for sourcing secondhand books – either online or in person? We’d love to hear your thoughts!