There was a time when avid readers and collectors of books would dedicate a couple of hours (at least) to zipping down to the local bookstore or stores and sifting through their offerings. Then, after all that they may return home empty handed because nothing struck their fancy or it was just too expensive - that is until it became possible to buy books online.

The purpose of this online books buying guide is to help you with the decisions that a physical book store doesn’t give you.  Let’s start this books buying guide out with some of the most helpful things to know and steps to take.

Purchasing books online can be cheaper, yes. It’s a fact and if you read voraciously or want a specific author’s newest offering then online book buying may be the choice for you. In fact, for any type of books buying online can be the least expensive choice with almost limitless options.

The only exception might be rare first edition books, which are often not valued for their contents but their rarity. In that case a physical purchase and examination are probably wise but then again, you surely don’t need that advice you already know.

The reason that buying books online can be such a cost savings is that the overhead is much lower for a virtual shop. An online shop has no shop rent, sales staff, and all the frills that go with making a comfortable place for book shoppers to come.

So, you are ready to shop for books online, you know what you want – hardcover – paperback – new – used – age group - author – or maybe you know none of these? Don’t worry you can browse just as if you were in a regular store smelling faintly of paper and dust. Instead you are seated comfortably in your home and checking out all the new books.

Choose your book site carefully. Ok, some people worry about purchasing online even though it has become old hat to many but with a little care you can enjoy the good parts of shopping online without experiencing the downsides or the urban myths. 

A well respected site (established) is almost always going to be your best choice; places like Amazon have impeccable reputations and selections. Peace of mind is important for online buying so, it is wise to go with a site that has a lot of reputation to lose if things don’t go right.

So let’s say you found your book site and it is a large one you feel comfortable with. How do you find your books to buy online?  Good online shopping websites will have simple and clear navigation simply choose the books section and type in your term or look in the side bar.

Usually with big sites you will not only have the option to buying books online but the option to choose their format and whether they are new or used.  Audio books are even available with larger sites for selected book titles. By this time you should be pretty impressed with the selection and with the choices presented by buying books online but there are a few more key points that need to be made in this online books buying guide.

Buying books online often involves a delivery method that may mean shipping to your home or it may mean a digital download to your computer in the form  of text or audio tapes. You are at the purchasing decision point, audio, paperback, hardbound, new or used and ship to your home or use the digital download?  A lot of choices here and it depends on your preferences and where you like to read your books and who the book for.

Let’s say you chose a standard delivery hardback book new from Amazon. You will almost surely find the price is less than in a retail bookstore but you should take care to factor in the shipping costs before pushing that order button. You don’t want to burn up your savings with extra shipping costs. If you are in a hurry to receive the physical book then sometimes expedited shipping is available but it will be more costly than standard shipping.

One special case to consider when buying books online is that of children’s books. The story is important, and we know kids like simple stories but images are equally important for certain age groups. Images help bring the spoken and sometimes written word together for them they capture their attention and their imagination and make learning fun. When buying books online from a reputable site, you will have the opportunity to not only look at the cover but to digitally browse the first few pages of many of the children’s books.

If you are considering buying books online from a source that doesn’t have this feature, use caution when ordering children’s books because image, message, and colors are what comprise a good learning tool and fascinating book for children.

Should you buy new books or used books online? You have probably noticed that the price ranges vary significantly between used books and new books online as well as in a real shop. Your choice depends upon your purpose in buying a particular book.

A used book can present a significant savings and if you do not plan to put it on the coffee table as a conversation piece then it will provide the same reading experience as well.  Shipping costs may still apply if you are ordering the physical book and usually books in like new or excellent condition are preferable to well used or poor condition books. Who wants hot chocolate stains covering the most exciting page?

The last segment of our online books buying guide is to explain the download book versus the physical book question. Digital download books are available, shipping costs don’t apply and the book can be downloaded immediately and you can be reading or listening in the case of the audio books , in mere minutes. Such books purchased from a reputable store are virus free, and legal as the author receives royalties for these digital downloads. 

On the negative side, you should be comfortable with sitting at your computer for hours reading, or your ipod or wherever you store your books. This is not a physical object, and even a laptop can be a little uncomfortable to take to bed to read yourself to sleep with.

Whether it is digital downloads, physical hardcover books, best sellers or brightly colored children books, online shopping can actually present a chance to save, a chance to find the right book for you, and a shopping experience free of the traffic, parking  and pressure.