Doing My Part One Book At A Time

The nice thing about being a reader is that this simple act allows you to move freely through time and space without leaving your chair.

The nice thing about the internet is that you can shop for books without leaving your house.

I’ve been doing my part to stimulate the economy and to support small businesses by buying books from the website Alibris.com. It’s sort of like Amazon for books only it’s mostly small booksellers. You can buy new or used and so far, I’ve found fair prices on everything I have wanted to buy.

In fact, every title I have purchased so far has cost between .99 and $2.99 for both hardbacks and softcovers. New and newer books obviously cost more. You do pay to ship but it’s typically $3 or $4 and some retailers will reduce your shipping costs if you buy more than one item from them.

You can search by title, author or ISBN. You can also browse by topic or store. The books are listed by the store and include full descriptions including condition and edition. This is helpful because you may want the newer reprint of an older book.

So far, I have no complaints about condition or quality. If you’re accustomed to free and quick shipping from Barnes and Noble or Amazon, this can take a little longer but not by much.

I try to buy from small Ohio booksellers although the only chain stores I have seen listed are Half Price Books.

There are few bookstores in my area and they’re all closed right now. Plus, I like supporting the mom and pop stores. Even though my orders are never for a lot of money, I hope that it all adds up!

Meanwhile, my reading stack is piling up again and I look forward to opening my mailbox every day. And I always say that having something to look forward to is a key to happiness!

Plus, instead of adding them to my bookshelves, the new titles are stacked together in my laundry room and when I’m ready for a new book I go “shop” the new stack!