I don’t know about you but in today’s economy I look for ways to save money both for the ministry and personally.
Save Money Buying Used Books
One of the things I do is to buy used books when it is not for a gift. Getting used books can also be a good way to build your church library. Pastors and teachers might need books for research purposes. Often you can find books in new, like new, or very good conditions that can well suit your purpose. Here’s a place I look:
Generally you will find that more recently published used books will be a higher cost. In that case, if the price seems close to the retail cost, I might buy a new book at ChristianBook, ChurchSource,or Amazon.com. I do some comparison shopping, remembering to figure in shipping costs from the different sites. (The ministry even makes money as an affiliate of the above sites as a commission is received for all sales that come through the links on this site.)
If we stop and think about what we do personally, in our churches and ministries, there are undoubtedly many other ways to save in today’s economy.
I loved your advice to buy used books when it’s not a gift for someone, and you made a really good point about more recently published books typically costing more. I am sure that taking the time to browse through some used options instead of buying all of your books new could add up to large savings in the long run, especially if you are someone who buys books often.