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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 28 2011 at 6:16pm | IP Logged
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What do you consider when buying books?
***you may vote multiple times(one choice at a time)***
Tell us more.. What's your most important criteria? Are you one that prefers to buy used to conserve resources? or perhaps you need most to conserve YOUR resources and buy either used or new and whatever edition as long as the price is right?
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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stellamaris
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| Posted: Feb 28 2011 at 6:24pm | IP Logged
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I will buy used or new depending on the use I plan to make of the book, how long I plan to keep it, and how many children will be needing to use it over time. Sometimes used books don't withstand quite as much handling, but sometimes they are better bound and work well.
I prefer hardback books to paperbacks generally, so I tend to buy used hardbacks over new paperbacks if I'm planning on the book being a permanent addition to my library.
I buy a lot of OOP books, so those I always get used!!
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Feb 28 2011 at 8:08pm | IP Logged
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I always consider price first... because I am such a book junkie! Buying used helps me stretch my school dollar, and I love used books, especially the inscriptions so many of them have.
My copy of Favorite Poems Old and New was a Christmas gift for someone back in 1965!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 28 2011 at 8:23pm | IP Logged
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i need to consider price first off too. I am limited in resources and need to get the biggest bang for my buck.. even if I'm holding the books together with glue and tape 
But for instance.. if I can get a book used for only a a bit less than the same book new.. well then I start looking at reliability.. I'd much rather pay a bit more to know I'll get prompt shipping and the book will actually get to me.. rather than being one of the admitedly small percentage of people who don't get the book from a used seller.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 01 2011 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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I could vote all of these, except I do forget to look at reliability of seller. I've only been burned once, I think. Any time I complain it's been resolved.
My first priority is hardback. I really dislike paperback, so I always look for an option. If the price is pretty comparable for a used hardback, or just a little more, I pay that.
I do look at condition...although I'm not afraid to repair books, I don't want them to be musty or missing pages. Like Caroline, I do buy loads of OOP books, so used is an option I use often.
ETA: I also look at publisher, especially for religious books. If it's a book I'm unfamiliar, being familiar with publishers helps me make a decision on the soundness of faith, etc. I try to avoid giving money to New Age publishers, and other that I don't want to support.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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stefoodie
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| Posted: March 01 2011 at 9:13am | IP Logged
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i'm like jen. my priority list goes like this:
hardback
condition (preferably very good to new, unless i really need/want the book then i'll consider good)
price
if i'm going through amazon i don't worry about the reliability of the seller -- most are pretty reliable, and in the eventuality that they're not i can complain to amazon and get refunded easily. actually i go through other vendors too, and there are others i trust besides A but A makes it really easy esp. with Prime.
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stef
mom to five
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jillian
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| Posted: March 01 2011 at 9:22am | IP Logged
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I weigh a lot of criteria:
price, condition, new v. used, seller and/or edition.
My priorities are like this:
-Price
-Edition (I will get a paperback book if the quality is good--thick paper/durable cover/etc, but I prefer a hardback)
-New v. Used. I prefer new but sometimes a gently used copy is a significantly better deal with still lots of use in it
-Seller
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: March 01 2011 at 10:13am | IP Logged
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My top two criteria are price and I always prefer hardcover to paperbacks. With all my little boys around buying a book is an investment so I need them to last. Paperbacks just don't last around here, so any we do have are put in high shelves  .
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Jenny
Mom to dds(00,03) and dss(05,06,08,09)
Grace in Loving Chaos
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: March 01 2011 at 11:10am | IP Logged
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I voted other since I consider each of the factors listed, then also consider whether a book is truly worthy of purchasing or whether we can borrow or preview it through the library, as well as whether it would have longterm value and use in our own household or extended family. At this point our home library has become so expansive that most of our purchases tend to be Catholic books that are usually not available through the library or used book sales, and would be used on a regular basis.
I've been seeing a larger number of Catholic titles being made available through library interloan lately...I have a feeling Catholic homeschoolers in our state may be getting more savvy to the concept of requesting Catholic book, DVD and CD purchases by the library. Several library systems in our area offer customer request options for library purchases. If enough requests come in, or if the library's purchaser deems a book worthy of adding to their inventory, many more souls can benefit through its availability. Ladies, if you have this option through your library system(s), you may want to consider taking a little time when you receive your next Catholic catalogue to request a few items through your library purchase department (this option is online through our main library system). Many lives may be blessed.
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Trinity
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| Posted: March 02 2011 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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Price is first and foremost in my considerations. I often buy used, but then I usually stick to books in "like new" or "very good" condition. I have purchased books in "good" condition before and have had them be in better condition than expected. I also look at sellers feedback.
I do most of my shopping through amazon as it is often cheaper than buying in a bookstore. I almost always get free shipping and I enjoy their 4 for 4 promotions. I also use Swagbucks to earn free giftcards for Amazon and that helps to purchase any books we need.
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Trinity
DS(05/01/03)& DD(03/02/08)
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: March 02 2011 at 10:32am | IP Logged
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I could put price, condition, reliability of seller, etc, but to be completely honest my real criteria is...
"How bad do I want it?" 
If I want it badly enough I will buy it in spite of all other criteria. If I don't really want it that badly, I wait and usually end up finding it at the library or a used book store some time later.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Erin
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I consider a number of factors, but price is my first consideration.
Then the reliability and whether seller will post to Aust. I have only a choice of three sellers whose postage rates are terrific and so is service. Sometimes I pay a bit more for one seller over another due to better service.
I will buy used if price difference makes it worthwhile, but there are some publishers I will not use anymore, and some I'll pay a bit more for.
I'll also consider paying slightly more for hardback, but as I cover all books it isn't quite the same issue it may otherwise be.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
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At_His_Feet
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| Posted: March 04 2011 at 7:22pm | IP Logged
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I have begun to do the unthinkable... give many of my books to charity 
(I can imagine the look on your face Erin  )
So my new criteria is do I REALLY need it, will I read it again and again. I now have a one in, one out policy.
I know you'll all think I'm crazy but I'm trying to limit the number of things we have, which includes books. It's so freeing. My aim is to keep only those books I just can't live without.
I have bought a few since I have begun my chucking phase, but it was accompanied by taking a few more bags of books to the St. Vinnies bin!
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Tricia
Mum to 3 boys 17, 15, and 10.
Do whatever He tells you
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Criteria for Buying Books?
