All Books for Less - You can get some GREAT deals on books here!
Written: May 10 '02 (Updated May 23 '02)
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I have a soft heart when it comes to homeless books. Often publishers print too many copies or word-of-mouth does not move a book even though it is great. That is a major sad thing in my book (to borrow a cliché).
Shopping at All Books for Less is a little like hanging out at the dumpster behind the book shop and nabbing all the books that didn’t sell fast. If you love to read, you’re amazed and then thankful that you found the dumpster. If you don’t like to read . . . why are you reading about an online bookstore anyway?
Don’t expect to find the Oprah picks or the best sellers at All Books for Less. You find some of the older hot books, but mostly you find books that didn’t rate an article in the New York Times and didn’t hit the lists.
When I checked my Wish List at half.com where I keep track of the books I’m wanting but don’t want to pay top dollar for, I find that All Books carries one of those books out of the 20 I’m watching. So, they are not passing around the really hot titles (though they strike a deal now and then and have a book or two that folks are panting over).
The only other WARNING I would make on this site is that they may send books with “remainder marks.” They are upfront about that. If you’re not sure what that means, then you may get a book with a magic marker mark across the bottom of the pages.
Before you click out and say, “I don’t want marked books,” . . . I would note that I’ve ordered a lot of books from All Books, and I’ve never had one marked. Buyers at FatWallet.com where I look for deals mention that you don’t want to expect perfect looking new books from the site (and I find the hints at FatWallet to be on target), but I’ve never bought a book from All Books that DIDN’T look brand new.
OK. You’ve been warned about the downside.
If you’re still along for the ride (or the trip to the book dumpster), then I can tell you that you will get fabulous deals at All Books. My last order included 4 books. All were in perfect condition with 1 hard back, 2 trade, and 1 mass-market paperback. The price including shipping was under $14. My savings was in the 75 % range. Gotta love that!
Price is the real deal at All Books. They have books that may not be the ones that critics are talking about, but they have many great books and at unbeatable prices. In fact, they guarantee that against Amazon and B&N. If you find the price lower at the “biggies,” then you get that lower price. No questions.
Some sites offer great prices, but then ZAP you on shipping. At All Books, it is $2.99 for any order and then .99 per item. You can upgrade for faster shipping, but I go with this regular rate, which is really good (books come in 4 or 5 days from my experience). B&N has been offering some free ship deals and Amazon has some deal going with a huge order, but I find that overall All Books is steady and lower than other bookshops.
I buy more books at half.com, since they are used and less costly in many cases. I buy some at Amazon, since half and All Books don’t offer some of the hot titles I want in a hurry. But, when I find what I want at All Books, I go for it.
It does take some time to look around at All Books. The search is really nice with keyword, author, title and ISBN (and many book spaces do not go with ISBN yet). But, I look around for things that aren’t there. Then I start to check categories (which are cataloged in nice ways) and find things that I want to check out. The prices are so great that it is worth the time to look around and see if I might want something.
I don’t bank on All Books for gifts, since I know they might have marks or a little shelf wear, but I do use the site to pick up books that sound good and that I think I might like. All the books I have ordered have been in top condition. Only one was boring out of a couple of years using the site.
If you love to read, then you will love the prices at All Books. Check any title you are considering. All Books may not have it, but if they do then you will get a real steal. It is really like finding a pearl in the oyster when you get a terrific book for a couple of dollars. I’m fine about buying “used” for my own reading pleasure, but it is wonderful to get a really low price on a book that has never been opened.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1176
Trusted by: 633 members
About Me: The first and greatest commandment is, don’t let them scare you. Elmer Davis
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