The Amazon Alternatives for Books
Please support your local, independent book shop where possible.
Find one using the Booksellers Association’s local bookshop search if you are in the UK or IndieBound’s Indie Bookstore Finder if you are in the US.
If you need to buy online I’ve got you covered: Simply search for your book using my ethical book search tool. You can perform a single search for any book and see results from various ethical book stores.
Listed below are the bookstores included in the search tool with some information about each of them. They are ordered by a combination of their rankings from Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA) and Ethical Revolution readers’ rankings of consumer satisfaction.
The satisfaction rankings originally came from a survey I carried out in 2017, rating the consumer experience of the top ethical online book sellers. I came out with a definitive TOP 10 list of ethical online booksellers.
The rankings are now constantly updated thanks to ongoing survey submissions by people like you who buy books using the ethical book search tool and then participate in my ongoing survey.
The booksellers and their rankings
Many of the links to book sellers on this site are affiliate links. I do not allow this to determine which book sellers are listed. The order of the search results in my Ethical Bookseller Search Tool is by cheapest first.
Oxfam Books have a wide range of second hand titles available to buy online. (63/100 ECRA rating.)
Books etc. often beat Amazon on price for new books. Plus they offer free UK delivery on every order. (58/100 ECRA rating.)
Hive is a brilliant concept, enabling you to buy books, ebooks, DVD & blu-ray, music, stationery and gifts online in much the same way as on Amazon, but with the twist that every time you make a purchase you are supporting your local independent shop. Free UK Delivery on all orders. (55/100 ECRA rating.)
Better World Books have over 1 million new and used books, textbooks and more at bargain prices with free worldwide delivery worldwide. They also donate a portion of all sales to fund literacy programs. (63/100 ECRA rating.)
World of Books are a B-Corp who sell second-hand books. Authors receive a royalty on their second hand books bought via World of Books thanks to thee Author Share scheme. (68/100 ECRA rating.)
Biblio support independent, community businesses and are dedicated to a triple bottom line. (65/100 ECRA rating.)
Awesome Books are helping to drive a circular model of retailing – selling books, creating ways to recover books and continuing to pass them on. They combine this environmental good with social good. (65/100 ECRA rating.)
Bookshop.org are an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. By design, they give away over 75% of their profit margin to stores, publications, authors and others who make up the thriving, inspirational culture around books. Bookshop is a B-Corp – dedicated to the public good. (60/100 ECRA rating.)
Alibris have over 270 million books, movies, and albums from thousands of independent sellers worldwide. (58/100 ECRA rating.)
Guardian Bookshop is the online bookshop for The Guardian and The Observer, with over 150,000 titles. (63/100 ECRA rating.)
Love Reading is an online bookstore with a social purpose who donate 25% of the cover price (15% for eBooks) to a school of your choice to buy more books.
The Works are one of the UK’s leading multi-channel specialist retailers which includes books. (53/100 ECRA rating.)
WHSmith started out as family-run newsagents before becoming the first retail chain in the world. (43/100 ECRA rating.)
Daunt Books is an independent chain of bookshops although it’s founder is also the MD of Waterstones. (45/100 ECRA rating)
xigxag (63/100 ECRA rating) for audiobooks.
eBooks (63/100 ECRA rating) for audiobooks.
NB: As of September 2023 Wordery, Foyles, Waterstones and Blackwells have been downgraded to 18/100 by Ethical Consumer and so are no longer included in the Ethical Bookseller Search Tool.
Don’t Get Duped!
I’ve encountered many people who try to avoid Amazon but use ‘Abe Books’ and ‘The Book Depository’. Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing! They are both Amazon companies.
Booksellers in other parts of the world
You can use my ethical bookseller search tool if you are in Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK. Results from any eligible booksellers already listed above will display as well any of the relevant sellers to your country listed below.
Australia 🇦🇺
Better World Books sell new and used books at bargain prices with free worldwide delivery worldwide. They also donate a portion of all sales to fund literacy programs.
Biblio Australia supports independent, community businesses and are dedicated to a triple bottom line.
ebooks are a popular ebook retailer.
Readings is an independent retailer of books, music and film based in Melbourne.
The Book Grocer is an independent, family owned bookseller based in Melbourne.
Awesome Books donate a book to a global literacy project for every book purchased.
World of Books are a B-Corp who sell second-hand books.
Dymocks is a bookstore franchise.
Canada 🇨🇦
Bookshop North America is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores.
Indigo is Canada’s largest bookseller.
Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.
Audrey’s is an independent book store based in Edmonton.
Black Bond Books is a small chain of family owned bookstores based in British Colombia.
Book City is Toronto’s leading independent bookstore.
McNallyRobinson is an independent book seller with stores in Winnipeg and Saskatoon.
The Bookshelf is an independent bookstore and cinema in Guelph, Ontario.
Ireland 🇮🇪
Charlie Byrne’s is a bookshop in Galway.
Gutter is an independent bookshop in Dublin.
Kenny’s is an independent bookshop in Galway who sell online and ship for free within Ireland.
Liber is a bookshop in Sligo.
Vibes & Scribes are purveyors of new & used books, based in Cork.
Awesome Books donate a book to a global literacy project for every book purchased.
ebooks are a popular ebook retailer.
New Zealand 🇳🇿
Biblio NZ supports independent, community businesses and are dedicated to a triple bottom line.
ebooks are a popular ebook retailer.
Awesome Books donate a book to a global literacy project for every book purchased.
USA 🇺🇸
Biblio USA supports independent, community businesses and are dedicated to a triple bottom line.
Bookshop North America is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores.
Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.
Thrift Books sell used books at low prices with a focus on three core tenets of charitable support, environmental impact and literacy.
Mahogany Books is an independent bookstore in Washington that believes in social entreprenuership.
Red Emmas are a worker-owned, radical bookstore in Baltimore.
Also, if you’re in the US check out Threshold’s Amazon Alternatives page.