Bookstores and libraries have always been my happy place. Used or new, I love the smell of books and the general atmosphere—rows and rows of different worlds, knowledge, and history bound in paper and ink. I considered becoming a librarian once, but working outside the home wasn’t ideal since I had just begun homeschooling. I needed to build our own personal library for the kids since they wouldn’t have access to the plethora of books at the public school. After a bit of research, I discovered Thriftbooks. Probably my best find of 2018 and two years later, I’m still throwing money at them for our book obsession.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliated links. That means I will earn reader reward points if you click through the links provided and make a purchase on Thriftbooks.com.
Book availability
Thriftbooks offers a wide variety in genres, including biographies, education, mystery, fiction, collectibles, history, science, foreign, and so many more, including audiobooks! I originally intended to use Thriftbooks to build my kids’ personal library, but discovered they had textbooks my husband needed for college. Digging deeper into their virtual shelves, I found books of my own preference. They have something for everyone.
Budget-friendly books
When we began homeschooling, we were on a tight budget. If you don’t know already, curriculum is expensive! It doesn’t matter if it’s online courses or tangible books, it’s not cheap. I had to find the most affordable book source. That’s where Thriftbooks wins every time. Most of the children’s books I found where under $4.00. Some books were closer to $9.00 depending on the condition and if it was in higher demand. The best part is shipping … which is free is your order is over $10.00. It’s not that hard for me to hit that $10.00 minimum, though. Thriftbooks also offers reader reward points that go towards free books. Free books … it sounds so sweet, doesn’t it? If you’re an avid reader, it doesn’t take much to earn free books.
Quality and quantity … you can have them both.
Depending on the title’s availability, Thriftbooks will offer conditions in new, like new, very good, good, and acceptable. An asterisk will sometimes appear next to the type of condition with an explanation. For example, I just purchased The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena in *good condition. I may be pushing 30 years old, but I enjoy Rick Riordan’s books. Don’t judge me. The asterisk advised that this book is missing the dust cover; I never use the dust covers anyway, so I couldn’t care less. Thriftbooks tries to be as transparent as possible, so you aren’t surprised when you find a flaw in a book.
Shipping and customer service
Like I mentioned above, shipping is free if your order is $10.00 or more before taxes, rewards, and/or coupons. If you don’t surpass the minimum purchase for free shipping, it’s okay. Their standard shipping rates are typically under $4.00. However, they offer faster shipping at higher costs if you need your order quickly. Shipping usually is fast, but due to COVID-19, deliveries are arriving later than usual. If, by some fluke, you receive your order and there is an issue, contact customer service. They’re wonderful and resolve issues in a timely manner. I had been sent the wrong book once, and they not only expedited the correct book to me, but they told me to keep the incorrect book. It ended up being a pretty exciting book, too, so win for me!
I sincerely hope you found this review to be informative and helpful! If you want to take advantage of Thriftbooks awesome deals, click this here for 15% off your first order! If you love books, new or used, as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed!