
Did you know that there are thousands of books available on Amazon for the cost of shipping? I have talked to a few different people and apparently it is not all that well known.
I am going to be using the book Router Basics as an example of a book that is available for the cost of shipping. In general, if the book was extremely popular there will be lots of copies out there and often times a seller is done with their copy and wants to get rid of it.
Brief Router Basics Review
If you are like me the last time you had any training on how to use a router was in shop class. That was a long time ago and the training wasn’t that in depth to begin with. Later in life if you want to learn how to get the most out of a router, a book like this will be helpful. This book features:
- Plenty of info on terminology and different bits
- How to make a mortise and tenon joint
- Black and white photos on almost every page
- Project Plans including work bench, router table and book case
Availability on Amazon
How do you identify a book that is available for the cost of shipping? Step 1 is to check the Amazon page. Pay attention to the number of used books being offered. When I took the screen capture below, there were 64 used copies available with the lowest price being offered at ten cents.

Step 2 is to pick out a seller. When you click the “64 used” link above a list of the available used copies appears. Amazon helps you pick a seller by showing the seller’s ratings and the seller’s description of the condition of the book. As you can see several sellers are practically giving the book away for the cost of shipping and handling.

Have you ever picked up an inexpensive used book from Amazon? Let me know in the comments below.