Alternatives To Amazon
When buying books online it can be very easy to always default to Amazon due to its low prices and speedy delivery. However, today we will be exploring some alternatives in the UK that give Amazon a good run for their money.
Local Bookshops:
Of course, this will always be on the top of our list. Buying local is always the best option but, especially during covid, many of our local bookshops haven’t been open and have suffered if they don’t have an online service. One of our local favourites is The Book Nook which is based in Hove.
Blackwells is a new go-to for us. Most of the purchases made so far this year have been from Blackwells. It’s hard to go anywhere else when they offer free UK delivery on every order and pretty much always match Amazon’s low prices. Although you have to wait the average 3-5 working days for delivery, this really is not a problem when we’ve always got a book on the go.
Wordery offers over 10 million books as well as providing free delivery to over 100 countries. The prices are slightly higher, however, the delivery is definitely much quicker than most at an average of 2-3 days. Their website is very easy to navigate and offer a wide range of genres including graphic novels.
Hive is an online service that prides itself in supporting the local bookshops they are partnered with. When you make a purchase with Hive they will give you the option to choose a local bookshop that will receive the proceeds to your purchase. Hive is also a great place if you are an avid lover of both ebooks and audiobook, especially if you are trying to avoid amazon. They have some amazing deals and offer free UK delivery.
Like Hive, Bookshop.org prides itself on supporting local bookshops all over the country. When purchasing your money will enter an earnings pot that will then be divided evenly to those independent shops that are partnered. Alternatively, if your preferred shop is already part of the program you can choose them to receive the full profit of your order. They are very transparent about how much goes to each company and at the top of the website is a rolling tally of just how much has been generated for local bookshops.
If you are a lover of second-hand books in great condition then World of Books is the place for you. Not only can you donate your books to them through the mobile app Ziffit they also buy directly from charities taking the books they do not have space for. The website is very easy to use and clearly shows what state the book is in and is priced respectively. They also offer free UK delivery.
The Works is a personal favourite of ours when it comes to high street brands. They offer some amazing deals and is always our go-to for series bundles. The only downside is that their website can be hard to navigate with some books being found in weird genres. However, if you are willing to put in the time to properly look you will find some absolute bargains.
Waterstones probably needs no introduction as it is Amazon’s biggest competitor in the UK. If you are struggling to find a title at any of the sites above then Waterstones will definitely have it. They are also great for when you want to pre-order a book due to having all the latest stock on release days.
