Books can get expensive, especially newer releases. What is a bookworm to do? Every Book Outlet review I found was glowing, but I had to see for myself.
I love buying books but sometimes it gets expensive, so when I heard of the existence of Book Outlet I was very interested. Thriftbooks is great, but you can’t get much of a discount off newer releases. The catch is some might be imperfect, slightly damaged, etc, but if you’re willing to take a chance, it seems definitely worth it.
So, with no further ado:
My 100% Unvarnished Book Outlet Review
Shopping on Book Outlet
The catch with Book Outlet is they won’t necessarily have every book you want like Amazon or Barnes and Noble might, so shopping on the site is a little different.
Thus, I used my tried-and-true method of discount shopping: add everything I was kind of interested in, then pare down later.
This means my cart started at about $200, but I was able to whittle it down to a far more reasonable $35.46 (yes this was a painful process). This was then brought down to $30.46 with the $5 off coupon… but then because it was under the $35 threshold, I would have had to pay shipping.
Not doing that.
So, of course, I perused the discount section and added one more book. Then the total was about $41.77 with tax and with no additional shipping charges (yay!). Soon, the following books were on their way to me:
- Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery ( a gift for my octopus-loving husband for his birthday 😊)
- Hyde by Russel Craig
- Schrader’s Chord by Scott Leeds
- Edenville by Sam Rebelein
Related: Haunting Revival: Modern Gothic Horror Novels You Need To Read
Working out to about $8.34 per book. Not bad considering if I’d bought those same books on Amazon it would have been at least $60. Plus, I was able to get $1.04 back from Ibotta. Not much, but it adds up when I use it casually for groceries and other purchases.
(P.s.: don’t use Ibotta yet? Use my link and/or code FIGOKIA and you’ll get extra money back on your first purchase!)
Shipping/Receiving My Order from Book Outlet
Free shipping is 3-10 business days, which tracks. I placed my order on March 9th and received it on March 19th, but no complaints. Media mail is obviously slower, but cheaper, and the free-ness makes up for that.
The packaging pleasantly surprised me. The books were packaged in an actual cardboard box (not flimsy bubble packs). It also had a zipper-style open which prevented the risk of slicing your new books with scissors. Definitely a fan!
Book Outlet also offers rewards points! You get 1 point for every $2 spent, plus a bonus 10 points just for making an account. You can also earn points by referring friends, which I’m unabashedly doing – if you order through this link, we’ll both receive $5 in rewards.
If you have a better friend with an account feel free to check out their referral link, you won’t hurt my feelings.
The Downside of Book Outlet
There is one major downside of Book Outlet. It’s not a huge deal for me because nothing about my life is aesthetic (1200 square feet, four kids… you do the math). For others, though, it might be a bigger deal.
One downside of Book Outlet is that the edge of pages of the book sold get marked. The reason? S they aren’t fraudulently returned for a higher cost at Barnes and Noble, etc. For most books, that’s not a big deal, really. For sprayed edges and such, it can be a little unfortunate.
Maybe someone has a trick for removing it, but I’m not sure. Either way, it’s not a huge deal – but worth mentioning, just in case.
My son also had the idea of adding more marks and making a polka-dotted faux sprayed edge book. This, frankly, isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard.
On the other hand, Book Outlet offers a lot of popular releases. If you’re patient, you could probably find them for cheaper on Thriftbooks. However, that’s no guarantee, especially considering the different condition categories.
Book Outlet Pricing
Thrifting in person can be cheaper, but there are a lot of thrift stores which have really jumped the shark as far as their pricing is concerned. Plus, it’s undoubtedly more convenient to sort through categories on a website instead of looking through shelves in person.
I was able to get 2.5% cash back on Ibotta for my purchase, plus a $5 off coupon because it was my first purchase, plus free shipping over $35.
They even have pretty versions of the classics for a freaking bargain! Like this imitation leather bound copy of Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, and Dracula.
That means Book Outlet represents a way more affordable way to make your bookish space aesthetically pleasing… as well as full of classic literature.
No they might not have everything you’re looking for, but what is available is available at a good price.
The Verdict: My Book Outlet Review In A Nutshell
In short, my Book Outlet review boils down to: this is an awesome discounted online book store. Book Outlet is definitely worth the hype.
Will I shop there all the time? Probably not. I’ll probably make use of Thriftbooks or my library more often. But sometimes it’s just a fun treat to get nice, hardcover books for a much more reasonable price.
Have you ordered from Book Outlet? Tell me about your book haul in the comments!
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