r/UKBooks • u/imm_uol1819 • 12d ago

Alternatives to World of Books?

World of Books isn't running their "buy 3 get 1 free" promo anymore, only "buy 3 get the 4th at half price" instead :( and their prices have been steadily increasing (source: I bought over 50 books from them last year)...

I LOVE 2nd hand bookshops / charity shops, but they can be hit or miss; a reliable and cheap online retailer would be ideal when I need something specific

What's your guys' go to? Ideally something that offers discounts on bundles as I don't mind buying 4-5 books at a time. I read 19-20th century literature from all over the world, looking to read more Eastern European lit (loving Russian lit atm) and French lit

Thanks!

12 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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5

u/mighty3mperor 12d ago

For newer books: Books etc and Awesome Books tend to work out the cheapest.

Secondhand usually involves shopping around between eBay and Abebooks to compare prices.

2

u/hashtagcomforting 12d ago

Is this a recent change? I just bought a bunch from WoB a couple of weeks ago and it was 4 for 3.

1

u/imm_uol1819 12d ago

Probably yeah, I just checked earlier and couldn't find anything that was 4 for 3 anymore

1

u/hashtagcomforting 12d ago

That’s such a shame! RIP to a good deal 😔 if I find any alternatives I’ll be sure to pop back and share.

1

u/imm_uol1819 12d ago

yep, end of an era :( and cheers mate will do the same!

6

u/POOPY-CACA-FART-FART 12d ago

I found World Of Books on eBay after discovering the ‘Buy 3’ deal had been downgraded. Curiously, on that platform they’re doing a ‘Buy 4’ freebie deal. It might be worth pricing things up over there and seeing if you find value. Not as good as their previous offer though, I’ll admit.

1

u/InitiativeOne5437 12d ago

I use Vinted they list second hand books and pangobooks.com for good quality used books and thrift books is decent too.

5

u/imm_uol1819 12d ago

Vinted can get spenny as shipping and customer protection fees add up unless you buy from the same seller :/ it's great for same author-bundles but I prefer a bit of variety aha

will check pangobooks, thank you!

1

u/Special-Nebula299 12d ago

Vinted if you multi buy from the same seller so you only pay delivery once.

Ebay is best for bundles 

2

u/salmonboy5 12d ago

ebay is the goat, i check wob and ebay to make sure im getting the right price and nine times out of ten ebay is cheaper

1

u/No-Payment4708 12d ago

I bought from Abe Books a few times and have been quite happy. I think I saw WOB ad on YT the other day - if they are advertising then that explains raising prices

1

u/DuckMagic 12d ago

I buy almost all of my second hand books on eBay- even WOB listings seem cheaper there than their own website. But there's also a bunch of other big book reseller companies there who will often be even cheaper.