Hey, wanna know some tips on book bargains?

Thinking Outside the Box is a brand spanking new feature here at my blog for topics that are random but still book related.

I can tell you that here in the country reading is a luxury. Education while should be a right of every citizen is always a privilege. So yes, whether it is a fiction or non-fiction books, those come with very lavish price tags (although compare to other countries ours is way cheaper). But don’t fret my dearest; I have come to help you. I am a very frugal person myself and I’m very proud of it. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon on my mouth but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy few luxurious activities (luxury is subjective anyways) here and there. ‘Cos when you know where to look you can maximize your money’s worth.

So I will talk about book bargain and book hunting. I think I’ve scouted the entire net to find the cheapest book around. Note that I haven’t tried some of them but I read positive reviews about it. So without further ado I present you my top places/events a bookworm like you and me must know!

Booksale (http://booksale.com.ph/). Who doesn’t know Booksale? If you are true book lover you must have heard this book shop. It is on sale every day. They have the cheapest books out there in every genre, shape and sizes. Did you know that I bought the one and only hardback book I own for as low as Php. 150.00? Yes, so freaking cheap. And the condition is almost brand new. There’s even one time a Sarah Dessen box set worth Php. 500! Amazing right? But do you know what I love about Booksale? Mangas! If you buy manga on bookstore they will cost around 400-600 Pesos depends on the title and publisher. But here they have it fixed to 160.00. Look how much you can save?! 95% of our manga are bought from Booksale!

• Pros: Cheap! They have lots of branches. Check the nearest mall in your vicinity.
• Cons: Not all the titles you want are available. You need to search for the title or wait for it but once it is there, purchased it! Motto here? Finders keepers!

Sulit.com.ph. (http://www.sulit.com.ph/) Electronic gadgets, house and lot and even cars they have it listed and with the right price you can have it. Some people also sell their books here with cheaper price. I have yet to purchase via sulit. But my bother has a sideline and uses this website to buy and sell and so far he’s doing well. But my number one advice is to be cautious. Look for that person’s record (I think they have it on their profiles). Don’t negotiate if the conditions are shabby. But if you find a legit seller you can definitely buy gems here.

• Pros: You can negotiate further. But don’t ask too low, ok?
• Cons: Scammers, be sure you have it checked before you release you hard earn money.

National Bookstore Warehouse Sale. (http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/) I don’t know how many times they do it in a year. I just heard of it this year. And I don’t know if there’s going to be another one this year (around the Metro). I read that books range from 50 Pesos up! I wanted to experience this so hopefully there will be one this year.

• Pros: Massive sale! And I think they are also brand new! Wooo!
• Cons: No definite place and date. Follow NBS via Twitter or Facebook to get updates about their sales!

here International Book Fair. (http://www.manilabookfair.com/) It’s on its 34th year and this year I’m going. I think they have book sales there from different publishing houses, local or foreign. I also heard three NYT bestselling authors are coming to grace the event (courtesy of NBS). I haven’t participated on events like this and I heard it is our local version of BEA (Book Expo America). I want to see aisles and aisles of books. It’s going to be Disneyland for bibliophile like me!

• Pros: wide range of titles and you can engage other activities for booklovers! (book signing, meet local authors, etc)
• Cons: It’s once a year (understandably). And if you’re not around here is going to be very expensive travel all the way to Pasay (but I think it’s worth it considering all the things you can do here). And it is just once year and it is five day event, it’ll be worth it.

And there you have it. That’s what made my top list.

So how about you? Do you have any tips you want to share? I welcome comments!  :hearts: :happy: