Where to buy cheap books online (can be thrifting) in the EU?

Submitted by allysreadingdiary t3_z61cf4 in books

I live in Belgium and it's hard to find cheap printed books online. Most of the websites are from the UK or US and i don't want to risk losing money to (often unknown) import fees. I prefer not to buy from Amazon or other companies like this for ethical reasons but now it's almost impossible without spending a lot. Thrift books are also an option :)

Someone recommended thriftbooks.com but i have no idea if there are any import fees since i don't know where they are located. Does anyone have experience with this site?

Can anyone help me out?

Edit: Book despository and Abe books are owned by amazon so i try to avoid them too :(

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JustMeLurkingAround- t1_ixz1t7y wrote

Abebooks.com is an international marketplace platform for used book sellers. You can choose the country of origin in the search.

I think german medimops.de ships to other European countries, but I couldn't find a way to change the language on the website to anything else than german.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_ixzanf2 wrote

Thanks! My german is okay so i'll check it out :)

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waterandteaforme t1_ixziy52 wrote

Medimops has plenty of English options, I've ordered to the Netherlands a few times now and have had no issues.

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purplestgiraffe t1_ixzi07u wrote

I love abe books, but I found out not too long ago that they’ve been an Amazon affiliate since 2012… so people trying to avoid amazon might not want to use them.

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JigglypuffSquirtle t1_iy1dm6a wrote

I didn't know that. I used them a few times because book depository points you there if they don't have a book.

I had one book not show up from there and the seller did refund me and sent an apology. It ended in this

"We hope that once the book comes, you will still be able to use it and find much enjoyment from it. If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me again." God that irritated me. It also never showed up and it has been a year.

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Left-Cantaloupe-4655 t1_ixyvtga wrote

I usually order from medimops.de. They dispatch from Germany very quickly and it's usually delivered within a week. Cannot recommend it enough

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natus92 t1_ixz26xy wrote

where do you live if I may ask? i buy there sometimes but it often takes a month...

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Left-Cantaloupe-4655 t1_ixzn9fx wrote

I live in the DHL EU zone 2 country, so maybe that's why the delivery is quicker. I think the maximum time I had to wait was 10 days from the order until delivery

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natus92 t1_ixzs3n8 wrote

I live in Austria, maybe my postman just hates me...

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JigglypuffSquirtle t1_iy1dy3f wrote

I wonder if it depends on the book. I have zero experience with that site but when I've ordered from some places, I will notice a huge difference between how fast some things send. I ordered off another place a while ago, I got some children's books as well as a recipe book for myself and another book, they all took different times to ship. I think it's to do with different warehouses.

Though, maybe it is just your mail carrier hating you. 😛

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FatBryatt t1_ixz135p wrote

Rebuy.de ship from Germany and I‘ve had great experiences with the quality of their used books.

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moodyhighway t1_ixyxh7f wrote

As somebody already claimed https://www.vialibri.net/ is okay but I really recommend using any of the ebook subscribtion services because collecting books in Netherlands or Belgium is a very expensive hobby.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_ixzb1wa wrote

Yeah i know :( i still prefer paper copies over e-books unfortunately

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mycenae___ t1_iy0ccct wrote

> Kennys.ie

Oooh is it? I'm American living in NL for a year now and didn't realise this; I have bought a few books here so far but not tons. Are English translations just generally expensive here?

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moodyhighway t1_iy0d3gy wrote

Well I'm talking about books in general, I know that English versions can be slightly more expensive. But for me this 14/15euro is actually a lot for one single book while I can have for that price storytell subscription. Greetings

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mycenae___ t1_iy0dc5y wrote

Yeah it is a lot, I agree. I tend to look out for either kindle books on sale or go to the used English bookstore and only treat myself occasionally.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_iy3z900 wrote

It really depends on the book but i often read bestsellers in English just because they are cheaper :D

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chadwick69420 t1_ixzu3ex wrote

As a fellow belgian i often use book depository. They ship from the UK but all taxes and shipping are included in the price. They have a very large selection. Shipping however can take 2-3 weeks sometimes i get deliveries in 1 week tho.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_iy0ccqd wrote

They have very nice discounts on there but unfortunately it's also owned by Amazon, so i'm kinda against it :p

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LibrisTella t1_iy0iroj wrote

I really love to use BetterWorldBooks.com - I’m pretty certain they ship the EU but I could be mistaken.

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x-beans t1_ixz2mvy wrote

Maybe Depop? I see so many on there and most for reasonable prices. And as you said it was for school, I just searched up every book I needed to read for school and they all popped up , loads of copies and super cheap because everyone had to buy them for school and now want to make some quick cash.

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monty465 t1_ixzbuut wrote

www.boekwinkeltjes.nl is a Dutch site all for selling/buying secondhand books, I'm unsure if they everything can be shipped to Belgium thought as its all individual sellers. Deslegte.com is quite popular in the Netherlands with both and online shop and physical shops (in Belgium too, Antwerpen/Gent/Leuven/Mechelen).

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smeshy2 t1_iy00a6t wrote

Kennys.ie are an Irish (EU) independent book shop. It has free delivery worldwide. There's a good selection of both new and used books.

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plnkstardust t1_iy0h60u wrote

idk if anyone has mentioned it already but bookshop.org lets you buy books online from local bookstores, there is a vast repertoire and it allows you to buy from small shops^^

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Permanently_Permie t1_iy0lecu wrote

I love bookfinder.com

It searches a lot of the websites already mentioned and factors in shipping prices!

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Marril96 t1_iy1454s wrote

Blackwell's and BookDepository are both UK based, but they have a hub of some sort in the EU, so they send through that and you won't get charged anything. I've never had to pay anything extra when ordering from them.

On Abebooks UK there are two sellers I like: WeBuyBooks and Reuseabook. Both are amazing, and I've had good experiences when buying from them.

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shortbread85 t1_iy1r07l wrote

Wordery does free international shipping! You could also try Better World Books for secondhand books.

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Sandi_T t1_ixyunhw wrote

You're looking for print books?

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_ixyv6ne wrote

yupp, sorry i didn't clarify that

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Sandi_T t1_ixyvywa wrote

Oops, didn't know that was a no-no. So sorry! :(

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Sandi_T t1_ixyvflx wrote

Are they for personal use or for you to sell? In English or do you prefer Dutch/ French/ German? Any of the above? :P

If for personal use, what genres do you enjoy? I have a lot of books that I donate (I don't have room to keep them all) and could possibly send them to you. I'm not sure if they charge import fees if it's just a person to person shipment; could probably find out.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_ixywi82 wrote

It's only for personal use and i mostly read English books. I enjoy romance and fantasy but it's more to find specific books i have to read for school. Thanks for the offer anyway!

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Sandi_T t1_ixywnq5 wrote

Oh, I see. If you change your mind, let me know. I'm a romance and fantasy reader, too. :D

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DanTheTerrible t1_iy0lxxu wrote

I use Thriftbooks all the time, but they are really oriented to the USA. It appears they do ship to Belgium but I don't know what they would charge. I doubt they have a good selection of books in any language but English. It shouldn't be difficult to just visit their site, put a book in your cart, and go through the order process until they list shipping charges and taxes. It is not difficult to cancel an order before finalizing it if you don't like the numbers.

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_iy414s1 wrote

Yeah they charge 6$ for international shipping but i've had some problems before with unexpected charges when buying from the USA or UK (even from big companies). I kinda want to avoid that now so i won't lose any dumb money anymore :p

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Tamatu t1_iy1i9fg wrote

Living in New Zealand its the delivery costs that are especially prohibitive. The Book depository has free postage which makes it economic depending on the book s original price https://www.bookdepository.com/

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tangerinaaaas t1_iy1ieb2 wrote

i live in Portugal and usually go with bookdepository

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MrFizzard t1_ixzhqps wrote

I personally like used books stores lol

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allysreadingdiary OP t1_iy3zhl1 wrote

Same but it's very difficult to find specific books :(

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MrFizzard t1_iy408xr wrote

Very true but I hardly ever look for something specific. I just love the smell of old books lol. Weird I know 🤷‍♂️

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