What’s the most you ever paid for a book

[disneychrista]

I am just either cheap or on a tight budget

I am just cheap , which is why I don't buy books that I don't have to (which is why I mentioned the text book, which is likely the last book I bought).

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

$10 isn't much. I prefer to spend under $15 for a paperback, but have spent upwards of $25 for a hardback copy of a book that I really wanted.

Textbooks are a whole other story. Many were in the $150-$225 range 10-20 years ago! I remember a lab book alone that could not be resold was $110 in 2000.

Ugh... My A&P book with the lab manual was $700!!! The only thing that made me feel marginally better is the fact that I can still use it now in A&P II.

***Edit- I confused myself. I paid a little over $700 for all my books last semester, but the A&P one was $450.

I have a lot of books worth decent money but they were gifts from my father, or things left to me after he passed such as my Superman #6 issue or my Sandman first edition collection.

 

[superme80]

I think close to $30 or $35. My grandma bought the book from the musical Wicked as a gift. I know that book was over $50.

 

[RangerPooh]

Ugh... My A&P book with the lab manual was $700!!! The only thing that made me feel marginally better is the fact that I can still use it now in A&P II.

***Edit- I confused myself. I paid a little over $700 for all my books last semester, but the A&P one was $450.

I have a lot of books worth decent money but they were gifts from my father, or things left to me after he passed such as my Superman #6 issue or my Sandman first edition collection.

Text book prices are terrible. The fact that you often can only sell them back for a small percentage makes it even worse, especially knowing that they will turn around and resell if for not much less than it originally cost. Financial aid does not keep up with book or tuition prices. The $5 offer for buy back on a $70 book is insulting on so many levels.

 

[Kitty 34]

Excluding textbooks I would say possibly $12. I was fortunate as my mom loves Barnes and Noble and loves buying us sisters all the books we want.

 

[MIGrandma]

$50 - I saw a book about the Grand Hotel at a bookstore on Mackinaw Island and they wanted $80 for it. I found one (used but in perfect condition) for $50 on Amazon so I bought it.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Text book prices are terrible. The fact that you often can only sell them back for a small percentage makes it even worse, especially knowing that they will turn around and resell if for not much less than it originally cost. Financial aid does not keep up with book or tuition prices. The $5 offer for buy back on a $70 book is insulting on so many levels.

Or the fact that many schools now use a “loose leaf” format to save the students money, but then you can’t sell those back at all!

 

[BadPinkTink]

I like collecting books and I read alot. I stopped buying magazines about 8 years ago and just buy books.

For just general reading while on the bus etc I usually buy cheap books in the supermarket or in a discount book shop or thrift shops. For those types of books, read once types, I wont pay more than €5 / same price range as magazines. These types of books I give to family members or take to thrift shops when Im done.

For more specialised general books, from authors or genres I collect / will read more than once, new I will pay up to €20, depending on whether it is a hardback or paper back etc. Limited edition / collectors edition books are different again. It depends on how limited the book and what is the subject matter. The most expensive collectors edition book I bought new is an OPUS book, which cost about €200 and that is the lower end of the OPUS price range.

College books I dont buy, I use the books in the college library

 

[sailorstitch]

First of all I want to thank everybody that still buys physical books. I work in a book warehouse. You keep me employed!

After working in a book warehouse for 13 years, I've become quite spoiled by my employee discount. The discount we get varies by publisher, but most are 50% off the cover price. Some are as much as 75% off. Then there's the holiday book sale where select titles are up to 90% off. And there's the employee book give away in Nov. Each employee gets to fill a box of books for free. These books are all either damaged, overstock or out of print. And there's the warehouse sale in June that is open to the public. Every book they put out, no matter how big or small it is, is $1.

Our company handles the distribution of the Disney Press books. Over the years I've amassed a large collection of Disney art books and have paid next to nothing for them.

But to answer the original question, the most I've ever paid for one book (excluding text books) is probably under $30.

sailorstitch

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Sorry @sailorstitch for putting you out of a job if it’s any consolation I stopped buying dvds for the same reason

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I LOVE those huge coffee table type books. I spent I think it was about 40 dollars for Norman Rockwell's America. It's enormous.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I think I spent $50 getting a graphic novel for my daughter once. The book came in two parts and each one was around $25.

For myself I have spent $30 on hard bound books prior to getting my kindle. Now I spend $13-15 for new releases and less than $10 for older books. Sometimes I can get lucky and catch a pre-order for around $5

 

[SallySkelington]

I get most of my books secondhand nowadays. There's a local secondhand book shop near my house that will take old books off of my hands for in-store credit, and most of their books are like new. I love it. There are only certain books that I will purchase brand new and that's only of I can't find it anywhere else for a decent price.

In the range of normal books though I spent $30+ on just one before. Don't even get me started on how much I've spent on book sets though... Those I'll buy brand new half the time and they are expensive.

 

[eileenjez]

I usually don't spend much on books but I did splurge once and paid about $45 on a book written by the Wind Talkers of the Navahos. I also got them to autograph it for me. Very fascinating read. I was also privileged to have share lunch with them one day at the New Mexico State Fair.

 

[ronandannette]

if you don’t mind me asking I saw one I was interested in for 10 dollars it would not be so bad if it was just one but it’s part of a series

I bought every one of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series in hard cover immediately as they were released. There were 14 of them, published over a period of 20 years or so. The early ones probably cost about $20, the last one maybe $35. It was before the days of e-publishing and the library's wait-list was endless. I wasn't collecting them or anything, just really, really loved the story and wanted to read each of them asap. I gave each one away practically as soon as I was finished with it.

 

[Mirielle]

Once paid over $100 for a book to give my dad for Christmas...a coffee table book about architecture. Won't spend that for my own books! Like to buy books at a local thrift store where proceeds support a local museum.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm a sucker for books! I tend to borrow a lot from the library, but if I can't get them that way, or want to keep them for reference, I'm fine with buying. I think you were right to get it for $10, Tink!

 

[RangerPooh]

Or the fact that many schools now use a “loose leaf” format to save the students money, but then you can’t sell those back at all!

I had a few of those in grad school. Still out $70 plus the cost of a binder to hold it. And the hole punch reinforcer tickets for when you accidentally rip it out. Or dividers yo break up the “book” into sections. Not cool at all.

 

[RangerPooh]

I get most of my books secondhand nowadays. There's a local secondhand book shop near my house that will take old books off of my hands for in-store credit, and most of their books are like new. I love it. There are only certain books that I will purchase brand new and that's only of I can't find it anywhere else for a decent price.

There was a wonderful second hand book store where we previously lived. Bought almost all of our books there. Found a few vintage books as well. Sadly I can’t find anything like that we’re we moved.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Either textbooks or bibles