If you’ve been wanting to pick up your own Kindle, or you want to grab a second one for that family member who won’t leave yours alone, the used Kindle market is finally turning in your favor. SmartMoney notes that as Kindle 2 devices are released, owners of the first generation device who choose to upgrade are finally selling theirs online through sites like eBay (boo) and CraigsList (hooray). The result is that prices for the Kindle 1 are starting to drop significantly, so long as you’re willing to buy a previously owned one.
There will be a couple of drawbacks, of course: you might not get any warranty protection, and since Kindles have only been out for a little over a year, there’s still no real information on how well they hold up over time. I still think it’s a good way for bargain-hunters to grab a Kindle–unless you really need the text-to-speech function of the Kindle 2, there’s not much else going for it to justify the full price if you think you’d be just as happy with a used device.
SmartMoney advises that you wait another few weeks, though, so the the Kindle 2s can start flowing and push more of the Kindle 1s to the secondary market, where hopefully they’ll drive down the price a bit more.
“How to Get a Kindle on the Cheap” [SmartMoney]
Some combination of Christmas shopping, the bad economy, and a strong desire to procrastinate has got me trawling the Amazon Kindle store for bargains lately. Here’s a list of titles I found today selling for $5 or less–as well as three more that I thought were worth highlighting, even though they edge up to the six dollar mark.
Remember, these prices can change at any time, so don’t blame me if you click through and discover Amazon (or is it the publisher?) has raised the price.
Also, be sure to check out Bees (and Books) on The Knob for occasional news on free and cheap Kindle books. I think “Karen in TN” tends to watch the Amazon Kindle blog more regularly than I do, and she highlights any bargains she finds.
This is not the time to go crazy with your book budget, which is why I’ve put together this list of books that range in cost from less than a candy bar to a little more than a venti Frappuccino that’s been all gussied up with extras. (Apparently my sweet tooth is writing this post.)
Due to my own limitations, the list leans heavily toward sci fi, humor, and horror titles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find similar great deals in other genres. And if you find them, please let me know so I can share the info with readers.
(NB: Amazon may change the prices at any time, so I am listing the current price next to each link; if, when you click through, you see a higher price, it’s because Amazon has increased it since 8 December 2008.)
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Here’s a great book for pretty much any reader who’s ever asked himself some random question about the world. Examples: Why do we have eyebrows? Why do some people sneeze in bright light? Why don’t sleeping birds fall out of trees? Amazon is selling it for only $4.43 via the Kindle Store.
After the book “Does Anything Eat Wasps?” became a bestseller in 2006, New Scientist collected the best questions from two earlier volumes that had only found modest audiences, then added some new ones. From the Publishers Weekly description on the Amazon product page: “This compilation of readers’ questions and answers published in “The Last Word” column of New Scientist Magazine prove there really is no such thing as a stupid question: reader questions “Why is nasal mucus often green?”; “Why doesn’t superglue stick to the inside of its tube?”; “Why is red meat red and white meat white?”; and “What time is it at the North Pole?” all draw serious consideration from their fellow readers.”
I love finding bargain books on the Kindle store. If you come across other specially-priced books that you think deserve to be purchased, please let me know!
($1.95)
($3.75)
($3.91)
($3.15)
($3.75)
($3.79)
($4.08)
($4.17)
($4.81)
($4.95)
($4.95)
($5.85)
($6.00)
