I used to buy new books because I am kind of into collecting them before. That was when I was still a young teenager. Now I prefer to download ebooks because they are free and I can access them anytime if I have my tablet with me. I'm not also that picky when it comes to reading used books because I read my friends' books all the time. The story and the content is still the same and besides it's not mine right? Though I make sure that I take care of it.
I personally prefer new books since I actually collect them after I'm done reading them. You never know how the previous owners treated their books before they sold it off to you. As much as some used books look really new, I just cannot erase the impression that they may be dirty, like who knows maybe the previous owner loved reading in the toilets! I usually get them at bookstores though the prices are a little steep. Sometimes if the prices are really too high, I purchase my books online from places with free shipping.
wow buying a book the only book i could ever remember buying was about 5 years ago it was a benny hinn book i bought it new. Now i just read ebooks more convenient to get.
I tend to buy new books, just because a book is more of just a "book" to me. It's something that i want to involve time into and to enjoy, so I like to make sure it lasts a long time. I buy old books if I'm at one of those collector books stores or something. I usually only by medieval fantasy type stuff (Or collector editions of books I've already read: E.g Chronicles of Narnia), and they tend to have a lot of books from the 1900's from that genre. Although they can be difficult to read, they're also very interesting.
I'm all for recycling books and borrowing from the library. I've only purchased books that I've wanted to own. Depending on how they are priced, I've sometimes opted for brand new ones from amazon (with free postage) instead of secondhand ones from ebay or amazon, as the postage for the latter did not justify settling for used copies.
Unless it a gift or on offer and with great discounts, I wont go for a brand new book. I can't just buy books at high prices when I can get the contents at near nothing prices!
I don't mind if a book is used or not. I would prefer to not have one that has excessive writing in it or anything. Though I guess this could come in handy if it was a college textbook right.
On the rare occasion that I do buy a book, it is usually new. There have been very few times that I have been able to find a used book I am looking for. I usually head to the library first, and then Amazon. If I absolutely need a book right away, I will just head over to the closest bookstore. Now, when I was a college student, nearly all of my textbooks were purchased used online. That was a huge money saver!
The last time I bought a new book was in 2008, I bought it online since our local bookstores don't have that book here in my country. I don't mind buying new books if I see one that I like in a bookstore, but if it's used, it has to look good as new or moderately used. I don't want really worn out looking books. And like what the other members said, I hate seeing creases on my books as well, and my new books really look good as new, so I'm particular with the book's physical appearance too. But now, I prefer ebooks over real books, since they don't occupy any space in your room, because they are stored in a neat little pc, tablet, cellphone, or kindle. I now actually research first if I can download the ebook version of the book I want before buying a real one.
For me, it depends on the author. I am in 2 book clubs and I get books from my local library. I really don't like to purchase old books. I like to read brand new pages sometimes.
Years ago, when I was still reading paper books, I buy used books. There's a very big price difference between used books and new books. And when I am finished with the used book, I can re-sell it without losing much. With a new book, when I re-sell it, I would be losing at least half the price I paid for it.
Buying used books means saving money... for more books I love reading and purchasing used books is more affordable that getting a fresh new book from the official bookstore. What I like the most about the books is their actual content, not the general appearance.
I usually buy used books if they are paperback books. For hardcover books, I usually buy new because I am a huge collector of hardcover books. For used paperback books, I can read them many times without having to worry about tearing.
