COMMENT
Save 50% On Books Before Christmas!

By Cliff D'Arcy
November 23, 2005

One thing I've discovered in life is that I'd much rather read a good book than watch a bad television programme. Indeed, any show with the word "Celebrity" in its title has me immediately reaching for the remote control and my latest read!

Of course, book sales go ballistic at this time of year, because we buy millions of books as Christmas gifts. Last week, in Get 46% Off DVD Prices, I explained how you can make huge savings by shopping around online for DVDs. Naturally, with a short surfing session, you can make similar savings on the RRP (recommended retail price) of any book.

Let's look at how much we could save on a best-selling book. According to The Bookseller, Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver (ISBN: 0718147707) is number four in the Official UK Top 50 list. The RRP for the "geezer" chef's latest cookbook is £20; how much could we save by shopping around online? I checked several of my favourite websites to find out; here are my results:

Major price-comparison websites (all prices include postage and packing)

• Shopping couldn't find this book, which is weird, because it was released in early October!
• Froogle searched nineteen stores, with the cheapest being Tesco at £11.90 (BOL charges £8.99, but this is for book-club members only).
• Kelkoo searched nine stores, the cheapest of which was Play (£9.99).
• Pricerunner searched a disappointing four stores, with Amazon the cheapest at £14.75 (including P&P of £2.75, although orders over £15 qualify for free Super Saver delivery).

Specialised shopbots (shopping robots)

• Best Book Price searched fifteen retailers, with the cheapest being WHSmith (£12 if collected from local branch).
• BookBrain.co.uk found this book at seven websites, with Swotbooks the cheapest at £14.70, including P&P of £1.50.
• BookButler produced 34 results from UK-based and international retailers, with the cheapest being Play again.
• BookkooB ("Book" forwards and backwards) found this book at fourteen stores, with Play the winner once more.

(By the way, for Motley Fool books, always visit our Fool Shop first!)

So, as you can see, it's possible to find this particular bestseller for £9.99, which is just under half the RRP. Then again, the savings don't stop there! As I explained in Save A Fortune When You Spend, you can make a few extra percent on top by paying with a Best Buy cashback card and signing up to cashback websites. Alternatively, if you want to buy now and pay much later without paying a penny in interest, get a Best Buy 0% credit card!

Finally, I've found a simple way to read this book (or get another gift priced up to £15) for free, without visiting your local library! If you apply for an Amazon credit card (which offers 0% on balance transfers and purchases for six months), you receive 1,500 FREE loyalty points after making your first purchase. This is worth £15 on the Amazon website, so you (or someone you love) can have a free treat. Yippee!

More: Check out our deck of delightful credit cards!