Best Amazon Alternatives to Buy Books Online
By Matt RedererUpdated on March 7, 2022
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Amazon.com is one of the most popular online shopping websites today, and that’s all thanks to the work they did in the beginning with their website to revolutionize how people buy books. Amazon really started the trend of purchasing books on the Internet, making it incredibly easy for people to find and order books from their favorite authors, often, for much lower prices than what you would have to pay in a traditional book store.
Since then, Amazon has expanded their business to sell a variety of items, and have branched out from books. There are tons of other websites where you can buy books online, so if you’re looking for an alternative that’s more focused on books, we’ve got options for you! We’re going to tell you about the 10 best websites for purchasing books.
10 sites to shop online for books
1. AudioBooks.com
If you’re someone who’s usually pretty busy and doesn’t always have time to sit down and read, Audiobooks.com might be the place for you! On the Audiobooks website, you can find thousands of audiobooks – audio recordings of people reading books out loud. This way, you can listen to someone read a book to you, without needing a copy of the book in front of you or take the time to read it yourself. You can listen to a book while you’re doing other things like driving, cooking, cleaning, gardening, or whatever else you need to do throughout the day.
With an Audiobooks.com membership, you can choose one of thousands of audiobooks to enjoy every month, available to listen to whenever you want. The membership costs $14.95/month, but you can sign up for a free trial to get your first audiobook for free.
Why we love it: Makes it easy to listen to your favorite books
2. Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million is one of the most popular book retailers in the United States. With over 260 retail store locations spread across 32 states, as well as an online store, it’s the second largest retailer of books in the U.S. They have a huge selection of books available for purchase, from cookbooks to poetry to sci-fi. They also offer e-books (electronic books) for purchase if you own an e-reader and don’t want to purchase hard copies of books.
In addition to their large selection of books, Books-A-Million also sells toys, games, music, movies, and various tech items. If you register for the Books-A-Million Millionaire’s Club, you can get free shipping on all your online orders, and 10% off any purchases you make in-store. The membership only costs $25/year, so if you purchase books frequently, this is a great way to save some money buying books.
Why we love it: The Millionaire’s Club allows you to save money on shipping costs and in-store purchases
3. Peachpit
Peachpit is a site offering educational and instructional materials, including books and e-books, for those who want to learn about creative topics like photography, videography, graphic design, Photoshop, and other topics relating to technology. Peachpit is part of the Pearson educational company, which helps institutions in over 70 countries provide the best educational publications to those who are eager to learn. Though Peachpit is more of a “niche” bookstore, it’s a great place to shop for books if you’re looking to learn something new, or want to expand your knowledge of a topic related to technology.
Why we love it: Great for people who want to learn, or want access to educational materials for their curriculum
4. AbeBooks
On the AbeBooks website, you’ll find millions of books available for sale, including new titles, out of print books, signed copies, textbooks, and more. Similar to Amazon, AbeBooks has tons of different sellers across the globe selling items through their website. You can shop from book sellers anywhere in the world, all on one website. Have a look at their Featured Sellers page to find out which sellers are being promoted. In addition to their huge variety of books available, you can also purchase various art items and other collectibles.
Why we love it: Connects customers with book sellers worldwide
5. Book Depository
The Book Depository online bookstore is based in Gloucester, United Kingdom, and has over 17 million titles for sale on their website. Book Depository is actually owned by Amazon, but in our opinion, it makes books much more accessible than the Amazon website does. On BookDepository.com, you can purchase any book you like and have it shipped anywhere in the world with their free international shipping.
You’ll find tons of new releases, bestselling classics, and more available for purchase on Book Depository, all at great prices. You can even pre-order books before they’re released if you’re excited about a new book that’s coming out soon. Check out the Bargain Shop section to find amazing deals and discounts to buy cheap books.
Why we love it: Free worldwide shipping
6. Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is the largest online book retailer other than Amazon, and has over 600 brick-and-mortar store locations across the United States. With over 1 million titles available for purchase, you’re sure to find whatever kind of book you’re looking for on BarnesandNoble.com. You can purchase most titles in the form of paperback, hardcover, or e-book – whichever you prefer.
Besides their huge selection of books, Barnes & Noble also offers magazine and newspaper subscriptions, collectibles and hobby items, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and more. If you want to save money on your purchase from Barnes & Noble, subscribe to their email newsletter to get a discount code for 15% off your order.
Why we love it: Largest selection of titles in a variety of formats
7. ThriftBooks.com
On ThriftBooks.com, you can find a huge selection of used books at a fraction of the price you’d pay for a brand new copy at most other book stores online. If you’re looking to save some money on the cost of the books you purchase, ThriftBooks is a great place to look. Their mission is to help people read more without having to spend so much money.
You can find tons of different types of books on the ThriftBooks website, including fiction, biographies, young adult, kids, textbooks, and more. They also have a section of rare and collectible books, where you can find titles that are no longer being printed, autographed copies, first editions, and more.
Another great reason to shop with ThriftBooks is that the work they’ve done to help make the world a better place; they’ve donated over a million books to developing countries, where many people may otherwise not have access to literature. They promote the importance of literacy by providing books to those in need, and by partnering with libraries to help raise money. Over 200 million books have been sold through ThriftBooks, so they can be recycled and enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Why we love it: You can buy used books online at affordable prices
8. ValoreBooks
If textbooks are what you’re on the hunt for, ValoreBooks has you covered. On ValoreBooks.com, you can find millions of textbook titles at a fraction of the price that many other retailers sell them for. You can buy brand new copies, rent books to save some money, or purchase used copies of a textbook if they have them available.
If you have old textbooks you’re looking to get rid of, you can sell your used books to ValoreBooks to make some money to put towards your purchase of new textbooks you need. If for some reason you need to return the books you’ve purchased, you can print a free return shipping label and get your money back in full within 30 days of your purchase with the ValoreBooks Guarantee. ValoreBooks will match the price of any other retailer, so you can be sure you’re getting the best price on your books.
Why we love it: Price matching, and the 30-day guarantee
9. Chapters Indigo
Started in 1940, Chapters Indigo is one of the oldest bookstore chains, and the largest book retailer in Canada (which is where we at TechBoomers are writing from!). Since 2001, Indigo has been selling books online at Chapters.Indigo.ca, and their website is still going strong. You can purchase thousands of titles of any book genre you could want, and get them shipped to Canada or the U.S.
Indigo also runs a charity called the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, which provides books and other educational resources to promote literacy and learning in schools of need across Canada. You can count on Indigo to have the best selection for any age group, as they even have sections for babies, kids, and teens. In addition, you can find a great range of stationery and other paper products, electronics, and other cool gifts on the Chapters Indigo website.
Why we love it: A large selection of books, home office supplies, and other great gift ideas
10. Powell’s Books
A smaller book retailer is Powell’s Books. Powell’s is run by a rather eclectic group of people with a love of reading and a lot of knowledge about the thousands of books they sell. On the Powell’s website, you can find a wide variety of subjects of books. Browse by categories like bestsellers, new arrivals, and award winners.
Powell’s even sells signed editions of certain books if you like to collect signatures from your favorite authors. If you want to reserve a signed copy of a book for one of Powell’s upcoming in-store author events, you can do so on their site with their options for Signed Pre-orders. Powell’s even sells used books on their website and in stores, so there’s definitely something for everyone.
Why we love it: Signed editions for book collectors
Whether you like paperback, hardcover, audiobooks, or e-books, one of these online book stores will surely have what you’re looking for. To find out about more great websites and apps to shop online, head over to the buying and selling section of our site!