A practical guide to used books How to save money by alternating between platforms and websites

In recent weeks, for academic reasons, I’ve had to consider purchasing quite a few essays, manuals, and volumes. Given that my PhD grant in a city like Milan hardly matches the statistics that indicate an average monthly salary of €2,642 (!), I tried to buy the books through different websites and platforms, saving quite a lot. For example: a manual titled Research Design and Method Selection, brand new, cost €50 on Amazon, for the same price I managed to get that manual plus five other essays I needed. So, I decided to make a short list to help anyone facing the expense of books for university, master’s programs, or other needs.

Where to buy used books in 2025

Ebay

Before Vinted or Libraccio, there was Ebay, launched in 1995. A platform often underestimated, but if you read literature in foreign languages or need academic texts that are not exactly new on the market, perhaps books from the ’80s, ’90s, or early 2000s, this is the right place. I recommend not necessarily typing full titles, because they often don’t appear in the results. Instead, set the “Sort” option in the upper-right corner to “Price + Shipping: Lowest First.” As often happens with used books, patience is key: many sellers allow combined purchases to reduce shipping costs, but not all do. For this reason, it’s always best to contact them before buying. Generally, I’ve often ordered from the UK, where there are no extra fees to pay, you just need to be patient and wait 10–20 days for the items to arrive.

Vinted

The secondhand platform par excellence, and the app that consumes most of my screen time. Usually, Vinted is used for buying clothes, shoes, and accessories, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find great deals on used books as well. You can often find university textbooks, and if you’re not a fan of other people’s underlining, it’s best to select “Excellent Condition.” As with Ebay, searching by author name and title isn’t always effective: I suggest using only the author’s last name, then scrolling through results, or combining a keyword from the title with the surname. If the book isn’t available, you can activate notifications that alert you when a user lists the desired title.

Bookbot

My latest discovery: Bookbot is a start-up founded in 2019 in the Czech Republic, giving used books a second life while offering sellers a dedicated platform. It only arrived in Italy this past summer, I recently placed an order on Monday, and three days later the books arrived in excellent condition. At the moment, Bookbot offers a wide selection of school and university textbooks, as well as literature in multiple languages, Italian, Spanish, French, and German. On this website, too, you can activate email notifications in case a user lists the book you’re looking for.

AbeBooks

Slightly younger than Ebay, AbeBooks was founded in 1996, and for nearly thirty years it has been the most famous website for book commerce. Its mechanism is the same as Ebay: you can choose to buy several books from the same seller at a lower price. Rare and antique books can also be found here, and again I suggest using keywords and the author’s surname rather than full titles. For example: the essay I’m currently looking for, Doing Visual Analysis: From Theory to Practice, costs €64 on Feltrinelli’s website, but only €10 (shipping included from the UK) on AbeBooks. Since sellers often handle a huge volume of books, stock photos are frequently used. To be sure of a book’s actual condition, always email the seller to verify details about the edition or dust jacket before purchasing.