Someone left a copy of How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine in the Little Free Library outside of our grocery store. (Thank you.) We knew if we read it, our shopping habits would have to change. That didn’t stop us. Needless to say it was convincing because we no longer have Amazon accounts. If it’s not part of the future we’re envisioning, why support it now? Here are the places we buy books at instead:
1. Library Book Sales
If your library doesn’t have an ongoing book sale at each branch, find out if they organize a bigger semi-annual or annual sale at a certain location. It’s impossible to beat the average price of somewhere between 25 cents and $2 for a perfectly good book, and you’ll be supporting the library with your purchase–win, win! We like to take day trips to visit the sales in other towns near us, and the Book Sale Finder helps us know when to schedule them. Spring and fall are definitely book sale seasons! The site usually has correct information even though it looks terribly outdated, but we recommend double checking with a library’s online event calendar before you hit the road.
2. Local Bookstores
It’s nice to have a place where you can look at books before you buy them, browse for new possibilities and gifts, and learn from authors sharing their latest projects. These places can’t stay open unless people shop at them, and they usually play a role in building community where they exist. Whenever we move to or visit a new place, we map out the bookstores to find our new favorites. Make sure your search includes “used books” so you don’t miss out on the quirky ones. And if you just really want the convenience of ordering online while still supporting a local bookstore, please see #3 below.
3. Bookshop.org
- This is a certified B Corp and Climate Neutral company that is great for purchasing new (not used) books.
- Choose a local bookstore that you’d like to support, and then buy your books online. After the shipment is made from Bookshop.org’s distribution center, the profits are sent to the bookstore you selected. If you don’t have a particular shop in mind, then you can choose to send your profits into the pool that is divided among all of their participating stores.
- Ebooks also became available in 2025 with sales supporting local bookshops.
- If your organization or classroom is running a donation drive to collect specific books, please consider sharing one of their easy-to-use Wishlists or Registries instead of Amazon’s.
- Sign up for their newsletter to be notified of special sales, discounts, and coupon codes.
To save trees by avoiding new books, we love ordering used copies in “very good” or “like new” condition for our bookshelves and our Inspiration In Print project. Often books labeled “ex-library” or “former library book” even arrive with plastic-covered book jackets that provide excellent protection for stories that will be handled by many readers. The few times we were disappointed by a used book’s quality, we contacted customer service and were sent a replacement for free, so take a chance with these companies:
4. Better World Books
- This site sells used and new copies of books.
- This is a certified B Corp that provides grants to literacy projects and donates a book to someone in need for every book sold.
- Sign up for their rewards program to earn dollars off coupons and be notified of sales.
- They offer free shipping on orders of $15 or more.
- Choose four books marked as “Shelf Steals” to instantly save 15% or choose six books or more to instantly save 20%.
5. World of Books
- This is a certified B Corp that specializes in used books and is dedicated to helping the environment in a variety of ways including being certified Operational Carbon Neutral.
- They offer free shipping on orders of $10 or more.
- This site participates in the AuthorSHARE program to offer payment to certain authors when their used books are resold online.
- Check for used books under $10 which are usually marked as buy three, get one free.
6. Thrift Books
- This company sells used and new copies of books, supports libraries and charities by purchasing their surplus, and partners with nonprofits to donate books.
- Enroll in their rewards program to earn points on every purchase that can be exchanged for free books.
- They offer free shipping on orders of $15 or more.
- Look for books marked with a red “deals” tag which count toward an additional percentage off based on how many you buy.
- Education professionals can sign up to receive a free book with every four purchased.
- After setting up a wishlist, you can be notified when your desired books become available in the format, price, and/or condition you prefer.
We also know that Biblio exists, but we haven’t used their site yet! We’ll be sure to update this page once we have…
What’s missing from this list? Comment below!
