POLL: Where do you buy your books?

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Fairly self explanatory question, how often (if at all) do you use the following to buy your books.

Poll Information
This poll contains 6 question(s). 37 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Where do you buy your books? (37 votes.)

Bookstore - New Books (Choose 1)
* Often - 38% (14)
* Occasionally - 35% (13)
* Rarely - 24% (9)
* Never - 3% (1)

Second Hand Bookstore (Choose 1)
* Often - 16% (6)
* Occasionally - 16% (6)
* Rarely - 35% (13)
* Never - 32% (12)

Charity Shops (Choose 1)
* Often - 3% (1)
* Occasionally - 3% (1)
* Rarely - 19% (7)
* Never - 76% (28)

Bookclub (Online or Mail-order) (Choose 1)
* Often - 5% (2)
* Occasionally - 0% (0)
* Rarely - 11% (4)
* Never - 84% (31)

On-line Bookstore - New Books (Amazon, etc) (Choose 1)
* Often - 38% (14)
* Occasionally - 16% (6)
* Rarely - 22% (8)
* Never - 24% (9)

On-line Second hand (Ebay, Amazon z-shops etc) (Choose 1)
* Often - 8% (3)
* Occasionally - 11% (4)
* Rarely - 24% (9)
* Never - 57% (21)

 

I buy most of my books via mail order from the Science Fiction Book Club. I am also currently receiving a book a month from the Easton Press Masterpieces of Fantasy collection.

If the book isn't available from the book club I will usually pick it up new from a book store (Chapters/Indigo/World's Biggest Bookstore- they are all the same chain really and almost have a monopoly in Canada).

If the book is older or hard to find then I will start using on-line purchasing. I generally purchase most books from Chapters On-Line as my first choice and then resort to eBay. I have picked up quite a few nice Easton Press books from eBay - generally you will pay a premium for the fantasy books if you try to get them via eBay but there are a fair number of classics that you can win at a nice discount.

If I happen to be walking past a second hand or charity store I may take a quick look but I rarely buy from them.

 

@JSBB
Do you know of any book clubs that would extend membership to countries in asia (more specifically, the philippines)? I wanted to join a couple a long time ago but it seemed to ship to only the U.K, the U.S and Canada..

As for me, I buy mostly at bookstores and 2nd-hand bookstores. There aren't really many charity booksales here, or at least many worth going to, in my experience. I sometimes order online from Amazon when the book is quite literally impossible to find (out of print, etc.) but the shipping fee is just too steep for me to be able to do it often.

 

Amazon thru SP, bay-BEE!

[suckup] Honestly, since finding SP the only time I go into a bookstore is when I need something faster than Amazon's free delivery will get it to me, or Amazon doesn't have the item. Same with CDs. [/suckup]

 

@ Enagonios - Sorry but I don't think I can help you here.

The Science Fiction Book Club only ships to Canada and the U.S.A. They are a division of the Doubleday book clubs (who operate almost all of the book clubs that I have seen around here) so I imagine that the other clubs have similar selling practices.

Easton Press may ship overseas if you call or e-mail one of their sales representatives. If you try to buy on-line they will only ship within the U.S.A. but I had no problems getting them to ship to Canada. However, I imagine that shipping costs to the Philippines would be quite high and if you add in the fact that Easton Press books are expensive premium editions you will have quite a hefty price tag.

 

My book-buying is really dictated by my reading preferences which is:
a.) Find an Author
b.) Read just about everything they've written.

99% of what I read is Fantasy and the Authors I like just don't churn books out fast enough. When they do come out it's often round Christmas and my Birthday so it's an easy gift idea for other people to buy me.
I'm in a pretty good situation for Second Hand book stores as Charing Cross Road is nearby. I also have an Amnesty Internation Bookstore 5mins away, and there's a good Oxfam bookstore in Cambridge.

I resort to Ebay and Z-shops when I want to complete a set and can't find it elsewhere.

Oh yes, I also have a preference for Hardbacks but strenuously object to paying three times the price.

 

Shucks. I guess I'll have to keep on doing what I'm doing now

 

Having moved house a few times and being shocked at how many books we have accumulated that we never read, I have almost completely stopped buying books at all, especially fiction. I now save my money and just use our local library which has a request service with every other library in the city so I'm sure to be able to find just about any book I want.

If I'm buying a book as a gift for someone I prefer to buy online because its cheaper (well, it was in the UK, but not quite as good in NZ). A few years ago when I lived in UK, I bought about one book a week from Amazon.

 

Well, I hardly buy any book, as our library is totally free, unless you are too late with returning items, and it has a nice request system that even allows you to order books they should buy (if they don't already have it). The only disadvantage the library has is that the books are always Dutch translations, but I find that a small price to pay for not having to buy the books myself. But if I buy books, it's in a bookstore and they are new.

 

Where the heck do you put 180 books?

 

You must have some huge library in your house (like in the horror movies where moving one of the books opens a secret passage to the vampire's hidden lair).

 

There are two big bookstores in my hometown, one completely dedicated to fantasy, and every year there is a big bookmarket in Rotterdam, so I buy about 20 books a year ^_^

HB, I have about 130 books in my room, and my dad has more in the livingroom downstairs, teehee

 

@Harbourboy - You are questioning BTA having 180 books? If you note that is only his Easton Press collection - I am sure his library is considerably larger than that.

My library has only 40 or so Easton Press so far but my total number has to be at least 500 - I really should count them some time. My office has four floor-ceiling book shelf units and I have three more in my basement.

Edit: O.K. I did a quick count and I only have 34 Easton Press so far but I majorly underesimated by total collection. Counting omnibuses as only one book and not counting any of the books that I have in storage bins (mostly textbooks) I currently have 739 books.

[ November 11, 2004, 02:57: Message edited by: JSBB ]

 

Wow, some of you guys have plenty of books (and big houses with loads of storage). I would only have half as many as you guys but still think that is way too many and am considering selling most of them.

The only books I think I would need to own would be:
- cook books
- reference book on babies (e.g. he's making a funny noise! what do I do now?)
- my large hard back copies of "The Lord of the Rings"
- "Scruffy Teddy's Book of Counting" (essential bedtime reading for Harbourbaby)

That'd all fit on one shelf and I'd really like to clear out everything else and let the library do all the storage for me.

 

Though SP, including the barrister bookshelves the books are sitting on.

 

I usually buy a package of around 3-5 books a month either through amazon or through a Swedish book site and I have a serious problem as where to put it all. Currently I have one closet crammed with books, a few stacks to the wall nd then just my apartment in general being covered in books.

Havent bought any books lately as I am trying to take my studies seriously for once seeing as it is my last semester but when christmas comes around I will be on the hunt for more books yet again.

 

I've only got about 60 books or so thus far, and so far I've really only ever bought from bookstores (regular or second-hand) because I'm not able to buy on-line - no credit card.

I'd consider buying on-line though if there were an easy way. And purely because of my experiences here on the BoM I'd definitely go through here first.