Get cheap books

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“I have insomnia lah, don’t know why.. tak boleh tidorr,” human1 moaned.

“Ahh.. just read Buku Teks Sejarah lah!” human2 suggested.

For students, reading certain textbooks can be boring. No imagination, stiffled creativity, outdated context. (Ehh, I hope my history teacher doesn’t find this blog and know me. Her classes were always interesting because she was an interesting and fierce character ahhhh.)

Once a person graduated from school, be it secondary, primary?, college/university and goes to work, does he/she still read books, magazines, newsletters and newspapers as much during school times?

Here are the places/ways you can buy/read books at lower price:

Online auction and stores
lelong.com.my, ebay.com.my, amazon, barnes & noble – especially when sold by third party, secondhand (or more) books & magazines. Most of the books are cheaper than retail although you still have to consider shipment, insurance charges, etc.

Always check feedback from previous customers. Online auctions and stores require you to pay before the item is shipped. If there’s no picture of how the item looks like, you can contact the seller for more info and warranty. Once you’ve received the item, you should check its condition and provide feedback on the merchant/seller. Any discrepiences should be settled ASAP.

Online Forums
Most forums have topics to sell off junks and treasures.

Bookshops
During launch, there may be free door gifts, early birds gifts, book reading, signature and photo with the author. The experience of meeting your favourite author and participating in the event could have a more lasting impression on your life than saving some money.

A few times per year, there would be sales for books.

Some bookshops like NZ Magazine sells outdated magazines from RM5 onwards.

What’s a post without comfort in reading?

Major outlets in MPH come with stools and benches. Mid Valley’s even has a small fountain for a peaceful read/browse.

Kinokuniya and Popular have benches too.

Silverfish
Silverfish has the latest news on books in Malaysia. Books can be bought online (International too). There’s even RSS feeds! It focuses on literature, philosophy, religion and Malaysiana – areas which are either neglected or not addressed intelligently in the main stream bookstores.

Borders always have Buy 2 Free 1 and Buy 3 Free 1 for selected titles and the books are not only old and boring stuff, some of them are actually best sellers.

If you are only interested in 1 or 2 and not qualified to buy under the promotion, you can always ask anyone you know if they are interested in combining the purchase with you.

Online version of brick & mortar bookshops
may offer more discounts because they don’t need to display and manage the books in display at brick & mortar shops.

MPH has weekend deals.

Used bookshops
Pay Less Books 1 of the regular bookshops featured in PASIM. The books are already cheaper than retail (albeit older and ‘wrinkled’) and it still has warehouse clearance book fairs! Did you know it has an outlet in 1U new wing, tucked in a corner?

Exchange
with your friends, colleagues, family, classmates, neighbour. If you are feeling brave, ask the people who browse the sections in bookshops and library that you are looking for.

Is anyone in Book Crossing? Book crossing is the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. It has a cool Catch/Release map.

Closing bookshops
Rare but not impossible. Check out newspapers for such ads – especially in the classifieds. You’ll have to scrutinize for the ads – mostly likely these companies are not making money, thus, small ads to save money.

Public & private Libraries
Certain libraries do sell out unwanted books and magazines but this is rare too.

Has anyone been to the National Library lately?

National Library

Links in National Library to other libraries in Malaysia.Does your school/college/University allow outsiders to borrow books? What are the conditions?

Book fairs
Usually held in PWTC (KL International Book Fair) and Selangor Book Fest – books are at discounted from 5-20% from reputable publishers. Revision and text books are rarely sold at more than 40% unless they are veeeeeeeeeeery outdated.

Most magazines have a page on yearly subscription and you get freebies when you sign up.

If you are looking for magazine subscription for several magazines, this is the place to go. You can compare the prices between subscribing manually with individual magazine or get the package under 1 company.

Warehouse sales
Such news are advertised in newspapers and online websites/blogs like here and there.

In Malaysia, the major bookshop retailers that have warehouse clearance are Popular, MPH and Times Bookshop.

Rental bookshops
Ampcorp Mall has a lot of rental bookshops. Best days to head over there are during Sat & Sun when there’s flea market in several floors!

Reader’s Shack (online) allows readers to rent from each other and from Reader’s Shack. Reader’s Shack will take 25% of the Rental Price as commission.

There are fixed rate on the rental no matter what genre, new/old while others depend on how popular the book is (the more popular it is, the more deposit and/or rental), the older the book, the cheaper to rent it.

If you want to keep the book, then the book is worth the deposit + rental.

Flea markets, bazaars and night markets

Mont Kiara Sunday ABC Market
Mont Kiara Sunday ABC Market

The Curve, Ampcorp Mall, Subang Parade, Metro Prima Kepong, Little Penang, Mont Kiara (Sunday ABC Market and Fiesta Nite Market), Chow Kit (too?), Bangsar Shopping Complex. (Go to links > shopping malls for links to these malls, if available)

Offernutz has listing on night markets. If not mistaken, local newspapers publish night market location too.

Journey Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur – Shopping & Nightlife has more info on the flea markets

Charity events, school fairs
More people and companies are donating books, magazines to charity (it’s a double edge sword – you clear clutter from home/work, you get to help others by reading or reselling them at lower price)

Free e-books

Clubs
If you are under any membership club, there are free library (aha, it’s already under your $$$ membership payment) with comfortable sofa.

Hypermarkets, supermarkets
Tesco & Carrefour became the ‘villains’ in the price war for Harry Potter Deathly Hallows. Now everyone knows hypermarkets do sell books and at a cheaper price for some books.

Related links:

If you know more, please spread the info in comments :)

10 thoughts on “Get cheap books”

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  5. I still sticking to my boycott of MPH, Times & Popular. These 3 bookstores have shown arrogance and insensitiveness to Malaysian readers. With so many other bookstores around, I have no problems sticking to my boycott.

    Reply

  7. ayu, I’ve seen Japanese craft books and magazines (old) in Atria Shopping Centre, Selangor, in Kinokuniya sale, MPH, Big Bookshop, Popular and Times warehouse sales. Jusco used to sell this but I haven’t seen them lately. Try ebay or lelong.

    Japanese craft books are rarely sold at low price mainly because of the currency difference.

    Reply

  8. well have you tried ebay? In particular an ebay store called Murder and Mayhem Books. They have great new and secondhand crime books that are really fantastic value. I’ve bought a few and they’re terrific to deal with and the books looked like they’d hardly been read!.
    You should check them out!

    Reply

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