Best place to buy second hand books online in India

So often it happens that you want to read so many books, your Goodreads want to read list keeps getting bigger and bigger every year and yet you think twice before buying that book. Because buying books can be really expensive, especially if you like to read a lot. 

I have bought lots of books over the years. And I enjoyed each of them. But after I'm done reading, I don't even open them again. There are books that are as exciting as the first time you read them (Kingkiller Chronicles for me). And there are books that aren't much fun the second time. Or the third. Instead, they get cornered on your shelf, eating dust. It would be much better if you can just buy used books at cheaper prices compared to Amazon and Flipkart. Books are magical and a second-hand book is the old magic spell. Luckily, there are websites where you can not just buy used books but sell your own. 

I'm listing below websites where it's easy to find many used books at cheaper prices.

1. Bookishsanta.com

Let's start with my favourite one - Bookishsanta.com. 

Started in 2017 by Innovative Startup LLP, it aims to provide quality literature to enthusiasts at affordable prices. With a collection of 50000+ new and pre-loved books, and partnering with courier partners Delhivery, FedEx and xpressbess, Bookishsanta is promoting a reading culture among the younger generation in India. 

You get free shipping for orders above 350 Rs.  And with the help of reputed courier partners, your books will be delivered within a week.  You can also sell your used book to them. Isn't that amazing?

Payment mode is both online and COD. However, COD will charge you 79 Rs. more than the online payment mode. 

They also have a referral program using which you can earn commission by sharing a link with your friend. 

The website also has a dedicated blog, publishing interesting and related posts on books. This shows how much it cares about its users by having relevant fresh content on its blog. 

I bought books of Discworld series by Terry Pratchett from Bookishsanta at a price of 414 for three books and was more than content with the condition of the books I received. Books of different genres are available on the website. But I'm particularly fond of Sci-Fi and fantasy books, which you might be familiar with if you're a regular reader of this blog. 

I recommend this website highly to every book enthusiast.  Visit it here -  Bookishsanta.com

2. Mypustak.com

This is one of my go-to websites to buy study materials and classics books. I have been a regular buyer of this website. And my experience has been good so far. 

There are lots of study material available on Mypustak right from UPSC, CAT, IIT-JEE, Banking, PSU exams to school and University books. These are study materials donated by people to Mypustak. Price generally starts from 100-200 and can go up to 2000-3000 Rs. But it's worth it.

There are fiction, non-fiction books available too. But they are not the books that were published recently. But you can search for the book you want in the search bar. Mostly the classics are easily available. Books of authors like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ronald Dahl, Dan Brown, Amish Tripathi etc are easily available. But since they are popular and Mypustak have a limited stock, many times the books are out of stock. So you need to regularly check the website if the book you're interested in is available or not. 

Other than that, payment can be made both online and COD. COD is an extra 50 Rs. You can try COD for the first order just to be sure of the website.

Payment mode - Netbanking, UPI, Debit/Credit card, Wallet, Amazon Pay, COD

Visit here for further info - https://www.mypustak.com/faq

Pros 

• Lots of study materials are available
• Wallet payment mode can get you cashback
• Can donate books
• Some books are free. They only charge for shipping and handling charges.

Cons 

• Can't find the latest published books.
• The website is sluggish sometimes. 
• COD costs 50 Rs. more than online payment
• Delivery can take up to 10-15 days

My orders from MyPustak

  1. Off with his head - 24 Rs 

  2. And then there were none - 72 Rs

  3. The Alchemist - 88 Rs

  4. The First Inspector Morse Omnibus - 120 Rs

3. Secondhandbooksindia.com

Secondhandbooksindia is another such website very similar to Mypustak.com. The category of books available here is broader than Mypustak.

The only difference is they don't have exam study materials on their website. But novels are abundant in stock compared to Mypustak. So if you don't find the book you're looking for on Mypustak you can search it here. Also, the books get frequently added here. I find the interface more user friendly. So many books are available on this website. Right from comics, biographies, religion to science fiction, fantasy, crime/mystery and action-adventure books.

It started in 2004. So it existed much before Mypustak started.

The prices of books on both websites are more or less the same. But Secondhandbooksindia charges 25 Rs delivery charges for every book in addition to the small price of the book. If you're a registered user you can get a 7% discount by adding money to the cash basket of your account.

In the case of Mypustak, you're paying for nominal shipping and handling charges only. So a very high chance you'll find it cheaper there.

Both websites have their own advantages. You can compare the prices yourself if a particular book is available at both places.

Payment mode - Online, offline both

Pros

• Free delivery for Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab
• You can get a 7 % discount by adding money to the cash basket in your account
• Lots of books of different genre are available.
• Frequent addition of books

Cons

•    25 Rs. delivery charge for every book even if you're buying in bulk.
•    No study materials available.

Visit here for more information.


4. Bookchor.com

  Even after going to the above sites, you couldn't find your favourite books then this is your next spot. Fiction, fantasy, crime & thriller, classics, non-fiction are some of the categories of which the books are available.

However, it doesn't update books as frequently as Mypustak and Secondhandbooksindia. I think 3 or 4 books get added per day on their website. 

You get loyalty points after buying books which will be converted to rupees and will help you get some discount on your next order.

Free delivery option is available for orders worth more than 500 Rs.

Payment can be made both online as well as offline. However, offline mode charges just a little more money.

If you're staying in Delhi, you're in luck. Because you can also sell your books to Bookchor. This option is only available in Delhi currently.

Bookchor has refer and earn program where you refer your friend using your ID and if they buy it you get a 2.5 % commission of their order value. If you want to add me as your referral friend, you can do so by going here and adding my referral ID  - #BC470232.
  

Pros

• No delivery charges for orders above 500 Rs.
• Loyalty Points which can be used in the next order
• Refer and Earn program
• Sell your books if you're living in Delhi
• Exciting offers on special days

Cons

• COD costs more than online payments
• No study materials available

My orders from Bookchor. 

1. Children of the Mind - 138 Rs

2.Shadow of the Hegemon - 138 Rs.

3.Ender's shadow- 133 Rs.

4.The third Inspector Morse Omnibus-108 Rs.

The first three are the books from Ender's game series that are a bit costly on Amazon. The combined value of all three books is more than 2000 Rs. on amazon at the moment. On Bookchor I got it for 409 Rs. And the books are as good as new. 

So these were the top websites that you can go to buy used books at cheaper prices. Generally, you will get the book you want from one of these four.

Below are some other sites that sell used books. I haven't bought from these websites yet. I got all my used books from the above four. But you can always try them if you want.

5. www.usedbooksfactory.com

6. Kitabay.com

7. Buyusedbooks.in

8. booksbykilo.in

9.  Kharidobecho.in

10. Bx-zone.com




Note :

1. When you're searching for books, use words like omnibus, trilogy, series, collection in the search box. That will help you get an idea about the type of books that are available on that website and what different author's books are in stock.

2. Search for the author, not the book. Searching for an individual book will be a long process. For example, try searching 'Agatha Christie' instead of 'And then there were none'

3. Compare the prices with Amazon and Flipkart. Classics books might be cheaper on Amazon if there is a sale. It's always a good idea to compare the prices first rather than finding out later that you could have bought the whole new book cheaper compared to the used book.

 For example :- You can get 'The old man at the sea' on Flipkart at only 70 Rs. So no need to buy a used book in that case.

4. When you're ordering for the first time, if you're not sure whether to trust the online payment system (or the website itself) or not, use cash on delivery. Only after you've ordered quite a few times from that website you should trust it. Never take anyone's word for it.

4. Use Alexa.com to find similar sites. You can look out for similar sites like this using Alexa.com's tools. An easier way is to use the Alexa chrome extension that suggests similar sites automatically.

5. I do not take guarantee of these websites. Order from these websites after carefully going through all the details of the website, reviews from other people, contacting their customer service team etc.

 If you know any other website like these where you can buy used books, please write it in the comment box. 

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