Purchasing Items for a Library

Renea Skaggs asks the following:

What company do you purchase most of your books from - one that has the best prices?  When purchasing books for a church library, do you pay taxes on your purchases?

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  • I am going to write down all these places that you guys use.  We have a Christian Book Store about 30 miles from here that I love but don't get up there often.  I normally just buy books from Christianbook.com and we do not pay taxes on this website.  I am very satisfied with this company but would love to have other places to check out other options of books.  Especially for teens and youth (ages 8-12).  

  • My local Christian book store often has better prices than Amazon or CBD plus they give me 10% off and the sales tax also.  It's half an hour away but where we live everything is half an hour away.  It's great to talk with a real person who is up on the new books and cares how my library is working.  Shout out to On the Third Day in Pottstown , PA

  • Baker Book House sells new and used books and will accept tax exempt certificates.  Here is the link.

    https://bakerbookhouse.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organi...

    Baker Book House - New, used, and bargain Christian books
    Selling new, used, and bargain Christian books, Bibles and products since 1939.
  • We have no local bookstore.  The closest are half hour away in opposite directions.  One is a Christian book store but the books are always full price and a very poor selection.  Their emphasis seems to be on selling Christian knickknacks, jewelry, house decor and coffee and food rather than actual books.  The other town has a Barnes and Noble.  That town also has a Half Price Books with which l have the best luck.  

    I use Christian Book Distr and Amazon also.  We receive lots of donations (what l don't use goes into my annual book etc sale) and we also receive memorial monetary donations and gift cards for book purchases now and then.  Plus l have an annual budget. 


    No, we do not pay taxes . If you don't have a tax exempt card you should get one.  Half Price Books gives an educators discount which is 10%.  We also don't pay taxes on material preparation supplies so make sure you are tax exempt there.

     

     

  • Thank you. All this info has been very helpful. 

  • I have used Library and Educatioal Services a lot. It is for nonprofits only, and has very good prices, although it is a small warehouse and has a limited inventory. Webistie is: www.libraryanded.com. Their store is located in Buchanan, Michigan (southwest Michigan).

    To answer the second question, get a tax exempt form from your church which shows you are a nonprofit. Christianbooks has ours on file, so I never pay sales tax. It is accepted at used book stores also.

  • I use several places, always checking for the best prices. But I've been using Baker Book House a lot. They have great prices and especially if you preorder books. Usually it's 40% off and free shipping. Even regular books are usually 20-30% off and lots have free shipping. 
    I also use Thriftbooks for used books. I've been pleased with them. Of course I use CBD and Amazon. 

  • In addition to the ones listed below, we also use BookOutlet.com. You have to order $35 in order to get free shipping, but their books are all "like new" condition.

  • Although I would love to patronize local book stores, it rarely happens because they cannot compete with the prices at CBD and Amazon except on rare occasions.  Being a good steward of the money we have is important to me.  When buying used books online, I have had mixed results, but generally positive ones.  Although not a site where books can be purchased, I find bookfinder.com very useful, particularly when trying to replace older items.  They list links to other sites where you can find new and used copies.  It's saved me a lot of time in the past.  

  • We buy most of our books used, Some places we use are:

     www.thriftbooks.com

    www.betterworldbooks.com

    www.abebooks.com

    www.smile/amazon.com

     

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