Second Hand Book Stores In Cm

[wildpikey]

I have recently got back into reading after a long period of not doing so, don't quite know why I stopped because I used to really enjoy it and obviously still do.

I know there are a lot of second hand shops here, I have only ever been inside one to sell some second hand books.

Can anyone tell me there policies?

A friend told me that he bought one and returned it to them he recieved half price for the book is this true of all the shops? or which one has the best deals?

Also does anyone know which is the best / most honest in CM.

I know I should try myself but a bit of prior knowledge wouldn't hurt.

Thanks in advance.

[isanbirder]

Each to his own taste!

If you visit the shops, you will get a pretty good idea for yourself which one you like to deal with. Is it well-organised, nice to browse in? Are the books kept clean, or are they covered in dust? Does it seem to have a good range of the type of books you are interested in? If you ask for information, are the staff/owner helpful?

Most shops have a half-price return policy, but some limit this to a few months. The reason for this is that current best-sellers go quickly out of fashion.

[uptheos]

I very rarely take books back, I much prefer to pass them on in the hope this will be repeated.

However, for buying I have found most books that I want in Gecko.

I have parted with some special subject books and always received a very fair price from them.

[elektrified]

Gecko has a great selection and several locations. I never return books either so don't know about prices for returns. The owner is a friendly guy and his staff are helpful.

[eyecatcher]

There is currently a new publication out called "Encounter" all about Chiang mai, and also many articles on Buddhist Philosophies...looks heavy but its very interesting.

I think volume 2 (there only upto vl3) had an article on 2nd hand bookshops- they did a survey based on volume/staff freindlyness/prices/ etc/etc and compiled the top 5 in the city.

From memory the top choice was a shop on the Rajvithi Road, forget the name, but there were 2 Gecko stores on the list aswell.

If someone has the encounter volume 2, which was delivered free as a promotion to many bars/busiensses, maybe you can list those top 5 suggestions.

[scd]

I can recommend Backstreet Books which is in the soi on Thapae road closest to the Thapae gate. Same buy-back policies as the others. Wide variety of material. Well organised and friendly staff. I had an unpleasant customer experience with Gecko and will not be giving them my business again.

[New2LOS]

There is currently a new publication out called "Encounter" all about Chiang mai, and also many articles on Buddhist Philosophies...looks heavy but its very interesting.

I think volume 2 (there only upto vl3) had an article on 2nd hand bookshops- they did a survey based on volume/staff freindlyness/prices/ etc/etc and compiled the top 5 in the city.

From memory the top choice was a shop on the Rajvithi Road, forget the name, but there were 2 Gecko stores on the list aswell.

If someone has the encounter volume 2, which was delivered free as a promotion to many bars/busiensses, maybe you can list those top 5 suggestions.

If I recall correctly, it was not a survey. It was the personal opinions of the bloke who wrote the article and I did not agree with most of his views (frankly, I could care less who dusts their bookshelves the most frequently). It looked more like a plug for his mates rather than anything to be taken seriously. His 'top pick' is a decent shop, but no better than 4 or 5 other places in town and with less choice than some of the others that he does not rate very highly.

There are a lot of good used bookshops in Chiang Mai, but what they sell constantly changes and which one is "best" depends on what they have in stock when one happens to visit. Personally, I like to go to all of them as most of the better ones are very close together.

[uptheos]

I can recommend Backstreet Books which is in the soi on Thapae road closest to the Thapae gate. Same buy-back policies as the others. Wide variety of material. Well organised and friendly staff. I had an unpleasant customer experience with Gecko and will not be giving them my business again.

I can honestly say that I have never found what I wanted in Backstreet Books.

[New2LOS]

I can recommend Backstreet Books which is in the soi on Thapae road closest to the Thapae gate. Same buy-back policies as the others. Wide variety of material. Well organised and friendly staff. I had an unpleasant customer experience with Gecko and will not be giving them my business again.

And I had an extremely unpleasant experience at Backstreet Books - arrogance on steroids. I'll never go near the place - except to visit the Gecko establishment next door where they have consistently shown depth of knowledge and plenty of stock in the varied subjects that I find interesting, not to mention a willingness to go out of their way to provide assistance. They have several outlets throughout Chiang Mai.

[isanbirder]

As I said, each to his own taste!

Gekko is American owned, and its selection tends to be slanted towards American publications. Backstreet is Irish-owned, and tends to be more British. Both own/control several other stores. I buy from both groups, whichever happens to have things I want to buy.

[Sparkles]

As I said, each to his own taste!

Gekko is American owned, and its selection tends to be slanted towards American publications. Backstreet is Irish-owned, and tends to be more British. Both own/control several other stores. I buy from both groups, whichever happens to have things I want to buy.

Never had a problem with any store. Backstreet does have a greater selection, numerically but Its not like to you have to walk far to find another store and depends what authors you are looking for. Would suggest that CM has more bookshops per head of population than any other city in Thailand, including Bangkok.

[huli]

I go to either Backstreet Books near Tha Pae Gate, previously mentioned, or to a fine little bookstore called Lost Books, on the north side of Rachamanka, the one way going east street in central CM. It's about a block from the east moat. Both stores are owned by the same guy, who I have had a cordial relationship with. Backstreet is much bigger, but I have been impressed with the selection at Lost also. Both are clean, well-organized, staff helpful, and give 50% on return. We are really lucky to have these english bookstores in CM, the best place for farang in Thailand.

[Greenside]

Only slightly off topic, but from feeling rather negative about the idea of e-books and having a real preference for reading material on paper, I have been completely won over by the acquisition of a Kindle Touch. Easy on the eyes, light to hold and carry about and both easy and cheap to get the most up to date books - it really does the job it sets out to do. So, despite missing shelves full of books in my house, I don't see myself going back to buying the paper variety with any regularity except where illustrations or some physical aspect like pop-ups are important.

[eyecatcher]

I like to go into bookshops and ask for a book called "How to cope with rejection without killing. Do you have it?"

keep a camera handy, the reaction is usually priceless

[DaamNaam]

Gecko books.

[TommoPhysicist]

Amazon.com

Any book I like delivered direct to my Kindle.

[isanbirder]

Don't forget Off the Road Bookshop, near the Irish Pub, also associated with Backstreet.

Two other established stores are the 99Baht Bookstore, near the Diamond (Petchngarm) Hotel, which comes up with some surprises from time to time, and Shaman, near Thapae Gate, which is a branch of a Bangkok store.

[lannarebirth]

I like both Bakstreet Books and Gecko Books near Thapae Gate. If one doesn't have what I'm looking for then the other one usually does. Backstreet's nice for finding books you didn't know you were looking for but glad you happened upon.

[daoyai]

I can recommend Backstreet Books which is in the soi on Thapae road closest to the Thapae gate. Same buy-back policies as the others. Wide variety of material. Well organised and friendly staff. I had an unpleasant customer experience with Gecko and will not be giving them my business again.

I can honestly say that I have never found what I wanted in Backstreet Books.

Me too, All I found there was books !