What's better? Used bookstore or Amazon

Amazon is good if you are looking for a specific book because chances are you will find it there. The used book store is better for everything else if you like to browse and find a good deal. I like the ambiance too, like an old library feel and you never know what hidden treasure you might find.

 

I have to agree that Amazon had a major impact on my visiting used bookshops.
It is just that finding what I am looking for in a used book store is a crapshoot.
Amazon well the selection is overwhelming. Pick an author, pick a subject, check it out. I mean it must be just so hard for most used bookstores to compete, unless it is strictly on price.
Ryder13

 

I love used bookstores. You can find some really great bargains. Unfortunately, it's a hit and miss. I'm never try to go into an used bookstore with a specific title in mind. It saves me from frustration when I don't find the book.

There's an used bookstore near me that sells books for only a dollar. I should buy a few and sell them on Amazon. It didn't occur to me until I wrote this post. Thanks.

 

Amazon is good if you are looking for a certain thing cause most likely you will find it there as to where at bookstores you might not always find what you are looking for.

 

I love both of them so much;

There is a wonderful used bookstore down the road, that offers me the chance to run my fingers over hard covers and to find genres and titles that I never even knew I would be interested in. I think the allure of Amazon is that it does offer such a selection, but you can't quite 'browse' that amazon store the same way you would browse a second hand bookstore.

So I vote that the bookstore is best, just because reading should be just as much a physical/emotional experience as it is mental/emotional.

 

Amazon is quite expensive compared to other stores, but in some cases you have to go with them. In normal cases I prefer AbeBooks and Alibris, as they are somewhat affordable.

 

I like both. I like going to our local used bookstores to browse around because I never know what I'd find. I even have credit at one of the stores so I'm able to get more discounts on the books I purchase. Amazon is nice if I'm looking for a specific book. For prices, it's actually sometimes cheaper at the bookstore. But it really all depends on how much I want to read a certain book. Do I want it immediately or can I wait a few days for the book to come in? That is a major part of determining where I get the book.

 

I still like Amazon only because my local used bookstore is in an ugly strip mall and the books are the bad kind of old, like books on Jazzercise and macrame. On Amazon you can find used books that are up to date. You can find used copies of a book that came out a month ago. If I'm looking to save money on a recent book that's still relevant, I'll definitely go to the used section of Amazon.
I buy most of my classic books at Goodwill because that's where they end up after high school students are forced to read them.

 

Amazon does have cheap used books, but like you said, the shipping is ridiculous so you'd have to factor that in when comparing it to the actual book store. I rarely buy books, I prefer to read them once and move on, but if I need to buy a book, I'll check online first and if nothing is cheap online, I'll check in store. The internet is so vast that I'm sure you can find a used book cheaper than the store.

 

Like many have said, the biggest problem with amazon is the shipping. The biggest benefit is the selection. I tend to go to a used bookstore if I'm just looking for any old book. But if I am looking for something specific I tend to look for it on Amazon.

 

As a member said earlier, Amazon is only good for variety. Chances of getting what you want are high. However when it comes to issues of cost, Amazon is the last alternative to consider since it doesn't offer anything cheaper. I'd therefore vote for a bookstore more so if the store has a large collection of classic used books (for your case)

 

I use Amazon only when I can't find a particular book in local bookstores. Bokkstores in my area are actually cheaper and they offer many discounts or extras for certain purchases so I don't feel the need to buy books from Amazon very often.

 

When I was doing my two degrees, I bought quite a few books on Amazon and AbeBooks because they were out of print and I couldn't find them anywhere else. As others have said, if you must have a particular book, you're more likely to get it on Amazon. However, if you're just browsing for possible purchases, the book store wins hands down. I just can't walk past a used book store, or stall.

 

All of my local bookstores shut down actually. The used sections were never that great anyway and rarely had the books I wanted. I remember when I could get some goodies for great prices, but that's been years ago.

So for me, I prefer Amazon now. Or Half.com. I hate paying shipping, but at least I know the book is going to be what I want and I can always re-sell it again later.

 

I prefer Amazon as it saves me time from going to bookstores to look for books I want. I'm not really the kind of person that would go book hunting or just go to a bookstore and buy anything. If I want to buy a book, it's always that I know what book it is. And Amazon is very convenient for me.

 

I love going to my favorite local book store.. I get to read so many books or at least skim through them.. I would never pass up the experience for buying books online. I love being surrounded by books. my son gets to read his stories for free too