How to Get Out of Print Books

Finding out of print books may seem like a hard task, but there are many ways to locate out of print and even very rare books.

Out of print books represent our past in so many ways. Whether it is an old book of children's etiquette, a textbook or a family favorite which is no longer in print, these books are as valuable as the first day printed (and often even more so).

My hope is that this article will successfully guide you to resources to find Out of Print books for your reading and collecting pleasure.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
   Amazon

   SEARCH AMAZON - In the resources below you will find a link to Amazon.com Amazon is one of the largest online retailers of books, movies, games along with electronics and many other consumer items. It is also a great place to find out of print books and information on out of print books.
   
   It has a large and thriving marketplace of sellers listing used and new out of print and in print books. It is extremely easy to use.
   
   Simply, type the name of the book into the search line, select the appropriate title and look for availability. It will list how many copies are listed (if any). When you click in you will be able to see the offer price, condition of the book and reliability of the seller.

2. 
   Ebay

   SEARCH EBAY - Step 2 would be to search eBay. eBay is the largest auction website on the web. You will never know what you will find there.
   
   Many of out of print books are currently for sale on eBay.

3. 
   Book Finder

   USE BOOKFINDER - This is perhaps my favorite way to find out of print books. Bookfinder is programmed to compare pricing information and shipping information on all major online used book retailers included ecampus, buy.com, etc. It is marketed towards those looking for cheap textbooks, but is the perfect tool to find out of print books online. Although eBay and Amazon are more trustworthy sources, this will be an amazing resource to check other websites without having to do it manually.
   
   All you need to do is type in the name, author or ISBN number of the book, select the right copy and view the results.
   
   See the link in the resource section below for the link.

4. 
   Antique Stores

   SEARCH ANTIQUE STORES AND USED BOOK STORES - It is now time to get our your phonebook, or go to yellowpages.com to contact the used book stores and antique stores in your neighborhood. Searching in person, you may find other out of print books you are interested in as well.
   
   There is a chance that online used book specialty stores such as Better

5. 
   Goodwill Store

   SEARCH YARD SALES, GOODWILL, AMVET & SALVATION ARMY STORES - Frequent these types of stores and you will find a huge assortment of out of print books. This requires patience, but can reap huge rewards.

6. 
   Library Sales

   GO TO LIBRARY SALES - Many out of print books are found and purchased through library book sales. Ask your local library when they are planning to have a sale (some libraries have them going on a weekly or monthly basis).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are interested in reading the book, but do not need to purchase it, Search http://worldcat.org for a database of thousands of libraries. Make sure you contact your local librarian and make sure they put in a search for the book. You can also try contacting the nearest University Library.
• I highly recommend that you look for reviews of the book that you purchase before hand on Amazon or other book review websites.
• If you do not remember the title and author of the out of print book you are looking for, ask a librarian.
• If you can not find an out of print book right away, have patience and keep your eyes open.
• When purchasing online, always make sure to check the reliability of the seller and the number of items he/she has sold.

Resources

• Amazon Books
• Ebay
• BookFinder