June 7, 2002, Newsletter Issue #75: Books on a Budget
Tip of the Week
Buy books at yard sales. It doesnīt matter if you like the particular titles or not, as long as they are popular titles, in good shape and cheap: you can take them to your local used store and trade them in for the books you want.
I usually spend my Saturday mornings zipping around St. Louis County with a list of yard sales (you can find them advertised in your local paper`s classified ads, and many cities now have online listings as well). I have a street guide and I`ve highlighted the sales that mention books.
Sometimes I`ll find something I wanted. I may not have known I wanted it, but once I see it, I`ve gotta have it. This, however, isn`t the main purpose of my shopping expedition.
What I`m REALLY looking for are good deals. I don`t have to like the books -- they just have to be popular, cheap and in good shape. Show me a box full of John Grisham paperbacks for a quarter each and I`m in heaven, even though I already own all of his books.
Sometimes I go straight from "yard saling" to the used bookstore with a trunk full of paperbacks. I paid a quarter for them. Their cover prices range from $5-10. The store owner will give me trade credit -- usually 1/4 the cover price -- toward buying anything I want from his stock -- usually at half the cover price.
If the price is right, it`s possible to turn a one dollar yard sale purchase into the books you want.
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