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How much is too much?

RaVeN

RaVeN

New Member
First, please excuse my rambling. I've been thinking about the rising cost of the average book over the years. Since i've started reading for pleasure, the price is now 3-4 times what it once was. I'm wondering how much longer the common person ( and you can't get any more common than me ) will be able to afford to add to their collection. Of course there are other options and to each their own but I prefer hardbacks. I realize there are e-books, paperbacks and I could always go to the nearest library but I'm talking a brand spanking new, right off the showroom floor retail priced book. I'm worried that 10 years from now I'll have a choice to make. Book, food...food, book? Maybe I'm answering my own question here but I think the 2nd hand book stores will out number the franchises and you can forget the quaint little neighborhood shops. Bottom line, how much will be too much to spend on a new book?

Bill
 
Yes, Raven I agree with you, the price of books has risen very steeply. I prefer paperbacks at least :) The price of a new hardback can be VERY expensive. If I did buy hardbacks then I just would not be able to afford my reading habit! Don't think there is anything to do about it. The world is run by the greedy. Even E-books that cost nothing to ship or create are pretty much the same price as a normal paperback, how stupid. What's to be done? Shrugs :) It is very irratating though.

Regards
Martin
 
i agree, i do tend to wait until the offers are on, eg. 3 books for £10 or a buy one get one free, sometimes the range is limiting though. i have recently found my local supermarket selling cheaper copies of certain books then the bookshop I normally browse though so I'm always sniffing about for a bargain, thank goodness most of the penguin classics are £1.50 or there abouts as I've added quite a few to my collection. I'm trying to buy them all now before the price goes up, seems too good to be true.
 
I have a few words (assuming you live in UK)

Waterstones 3 for 2 sale :)

Truly a Godsend!!

Phil :p

PS: Yes, books are rediculously overpriced thesedays - but then so is everything else!! (Imagine paying £15 for a flimsy piece of plastic that costs about 10p to make - oh, that'd be a CD then :mad: )
 
Isn't it Waterstones that always have those tables piled with books and offer 2 for £10?

I have found a lot of good books from Waterstones, assuming I am thinking of the right shop lol, because of their 2 for £10 offer that they always seem to run. I buy one safe book, then a risk :). I always try to pop into the one just off Charing Cross station, but that always ends up with me spending more money lol

Regards
Silly ol Wabbit.
 
I agree about the price of hardbacks which is why I only ever buy paperbacks new. However, there is nothing better than pottering around second hand book stalls and charity shops and finding an immaculate hardback for a tenth of the price it was new. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling for the rest of the day (I think I need to get out more). :D
 
I never buy hardbacks as they are too expensive. But I don't like second-hand books either! I usually buy my books when they first come out in paperback and have a couple of pounds knocked off the price. I saw Cold Comfort Farm in Waterstones but it was full price at £6.99 for quite a thin book, which is too much for me to pay. Unfortunately, Waterstones hardly ever have any books I like or do not already own in their offers!
 
There's maybe a handful of authors I'll buy in hardcover. The rest, I'll either get at the library or wait for the paperback.

I buy so many used books - even a new paperback is getting too pricey. When I first started buying books a mass market was $2.99 or $3.99 - now it's $6.99 or $7.99. (Oh, I sound so OOOOLLLLD) I want to support authors, really I do, but when I can trade paperbacks 2 for 1 and pay 10%, buying new just isn't too attractive.
 
I love used books. I do look around in Waterstones but tend to try the other one's for better bargains, there is a good shop in Romford for all you local London people, with great prices on new books but they don't have the range that Waterstones would have.

I have recently found books cheaper at woolies or Tesco then Waterstones too.
 
Yeah, Tesco's is good as they are generally under £4 for paperbacks, but they normally only have the very latest books along with a few bestsellers - my advise is that if you want to get a paperback there look for in the first couple of weeks that it comes out.

Phil :)
 
Tesco did really well when The Big Read was on TV, I got alot of books from them that I'd heard of on the show.
 
I generally buy from Target and Kmart. 35% off new PB. However the selection is crap.

Other places are second hand books. BUT the cheapest is ebay. I try to find book lots or buy several from 1 seller. This works out to AUS$3-8 per book. I have even bought books from the USA and paid for seamail postage.

My last purchase 6 books for 1 cent and AUS$6.30 postage. All quite good war espionage books :)

Today I won 5 scifi and fantasy for AUS$2, waiting on another auction from the same seller. One of the fantasy books by DAve Duncan would cost between AUS$8-12 in a second hand shop.

Browsing ebay is just online random book shop browsing for me.
 
Originally posted by Carlos
I generally buy from Target and Kmart. 35% off new PB. However the selection is crap.

Other places are second hand books. BUT the cheapest is ebay. I try to find book lots or buy several from 1 seller. This works out to AUS$3-8 per book. I have even bought books from the USA and paid for seamail postage.

My last purchase 6 books for 1 cent and AUS$6.30 postage. All quite good war espionage books :)

Today I won 5 scifi and fantasy for AUS$2, waiting on another auction from the same seller. One of the fantasy books by DAve Duncan would cost between AUS$8-12 in a second hand shop.

Browsing ebay is just online random book shop browsing for me.
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Talking of Ebay :) I'm feeling the need for a rant lol

I really don't like or get Ebay. I mean, what's the point? You can find SOME good deals on there, but I find it a very rare thing. The average price of a used book on Ebay, is what, £2 - 3 ? Then add posting and packing, most peole inflate the pnp to get more money. £2.5 + £2.00 for PNP and you end up with £4.50 for a USED book. WORSE: if you buy more than one book, as I always buy more than one book from anywhere. Say you only buy 4 books? Four books at 2 pounds p&p is 8 pounds!!! Compare to something like Amazon. NEW book is £6.00, so that's only £1.50 more than you are paying for an OLD book. If you spend more than £25 pounds you get FREE shipping!!! Buying on Ebay just dosn't work out. It's good to find the occasional good deal. You might find that rare book you wanted for only 50p and £1.00 posting and packing, great if you do, but mostly it's not like that I find. Even IF you do find a lot of great deals you still end paying out in the posting and packing. The p&p you end up paying you could buy another book on Amazon. For electronic items, DVD's and games it's even worse! I always see people bid on items until they are almost or they are the same price as they would pay in the shops, HUH??? OK, that's my rant over with lol

Regards
Ranting Wabbit
 
But the beauty of ebay is that I can find seriously out of print or very rare books there. The books I get there I couldn't find in a used book store. Though I agree, I use ebay and other online dealers as a last resort b/c the shipping is so expensive.

Unless of course, you get a lot of books from the same seller. I've bought a few lots from the same seller and spend $10 in shipping for a couple boxes of books.
 
Yeah... I am trying not to think about it...
On the other hand, I can't afford to buy even used books now. I do buy on Ebay, but now can't afford that either. So - it's www.bookcrossing.com for books for me; well, and, of course, the library. At Bookcrossing, books travel and are shared by many people, as well as left for people to find in many different places.
And owning books.... I really am trying not to think about it. I decided, at this point, to own/try to own the books I want as reference; the novels and the rest may have to be travelers... Unfortunately...
 
I buy ebooks. There are some places where ebooks are only a coupla dollars. That I can afford. I don't like it when they charge 5 or 6 bucks for an ebook either. In fact, I tried to dissuade several companies from doing just that. My theory has always been that more people will buy if they're cheaper. My own new release is only $3. For that, I would try a new author - and have, many times.
 
I find that I'm using the library more often, because of the high price of books but I also look at the classified pages in the paper for estate sales,most of them include books and if you show up early you can get some good selections at very cheap prices.
 
I grab most of mine at Costco. Paperbacks usually run under $5, and hardbacks such as the new John Grisham novel, The Last Juror are around $15. I tend to stay away from the hardbacks as I'm a cheap bastard. I've picked up a few cheapies at the swap meet or garage sales, but it makes me crazy reading a dog-eared paperback. A little grime on the outside of the pages is o.k. I'm not so anal as to insist that someone wash thier hands before reading but Don't Crease the Spine! and what are you Chewing on those corners?!
 
Originally posted by catfish
but it makes me crazy reading a dog-eared paperback.
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I don't mind finding the occasional dog's ear between the leaves, but please don't leave crumbs of chocolate behind - it's such a waste. :)

Third Man Girl
 
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