8 Instagram-Based Booksellers In M’sia To Get Cheap Preloved & New Books While Social Distancing - TheSmartLocal Malaysia - Travel, Lifestyle, Culture & Language Guide

Malaysian Instagram booksellers

There are plenty of online bookstores in Malaysia for you to get your hands on books from the comfort of your couch. Not only does it bring the same joy of getting books in an easy way, it’s also a great way to practice social distancing and support fellow Malaysians at this time.

So for more thrifting spots, we’ve rounded up 8 booksellers on Instagram with preloved books and new books for sale and new titles posted daily. You can also keep track of it all while scrolling down your Instagram feed as usual, and get your hands on cheap finds that’s just a convenient DM away.

1. The Spines Bookstore (@thespinesbookstore) – affordable new books

Image credit: @elvinareads

While most booksellers solely carry preloved books at a steal, The Spines Bookstores has both preloved and new books sorted neatly for sale on its Instagram page.

Preloved titles come conveniently stacked up by prices in a single image, with books going for as low as RM8 each. A scroll through their page shows popular titles from authors such as Roald Dahl, Philip Roth, and Nicholas Sparks for sale.

Books are sorted according to prices in a single image
Image adapted from: @thespinesbookstore

You’ll find new paperbacks and hardcovers for as low as RM25 too. They are usually posted individually in a single image, so it’s easy to find the books you want even in Instagram’s grid layout.

Keeping things even more convenient for you, The Spines Bookstore also includes the book summary in the caption so you won’t have to go to the trouble of Googling the book to find out more about it.

Sift out affordable new books at The Spines Bookstore
Image credit: @thespinesbookstore

Shipping fees start at RM4.50.

Shop for books on The Spines Bookstore’s Instagram page here.

2. The Sleepy Cat Bookshop (@thesleepycatbookshop) – Goodreads’ ratings included

Image credit: @thesleepycatbookshop

For those reliant on reviews to see if a movie or book is worth checking out, The Sleepy Cat Bookshop has included Goodreads’ ratings on its Instagram posts for all its preloved books on sale. With input from bookworms worldwide, these out-of-5-star ratings will help you make quick decisions while you’re shopping with them.

The Sleepy Cat Bookshop’s aesthetically pleasing Instagram page for books on sale
Image adapted from: @thesleepycatbookshop

You’ll spot popular fiction books from authors such as Cecelia Ahern and David Mitchell, as well as literary titles from Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood.

Every book on sale is posted individually on their Instagram page too. It also comes listed with the total number of pages so you’ll have a sense of how much commitment you’re in for, as well as condition status that ranges from “Reading Copy” to “New”.

The bookseller also lets you know how much you’ll be saving as well, with the book’s recommended retail price stated alongside its slashed price.

Posts include details such as each book’s Goodreads rating, details, condition, price, and stocks available.
Image adapted from: @thesleepycatbookshop

Shipping fees through Poslaju starts at RM8, with deliveries arriving at your doorstep as early as 1-2 days after placing an order.

Shop for books on The Sleepy Cat Bookshop’s Instagram page here.

3. Revitalize Books (@revitalize_books) – reserves your book for 2 weeks

Books on sale on Revitalize Books’ IG page
Image adapted from: @revitalize_books

Booksellers on Instagram usually give their customers reservation times, capped at a week at most, which is a huge perk typical bookstores won’t give you. Going the extra mile, Revitalize Books holds reservations for all its preloved books for up to 2 weeks so you can take your time to search for books on their page and not have to double up on shipping fees (from RM6).

And if you’re a bookworm on a budget, utilise the store’s series of unique hashtags – such as #revbks5, #revbks6 and #revbks8 – which sorts books according to prices for under RM5, RM6, and RM8 respectively.

There are also hashtags for genres, including #revbksyoungadult and #revbksromance, to help you narrow down your search for books with them.

Books are tagged according to prices using hashtags that the seller has come up with
Image adapted from: @revitalize_books

You can find all sorts of genres for preloved books here, including children’s books, memoirs, and self-help guides. There are also detailed condition listings on posts to let you know the state of the books and whether they have spots or are shelf-worn.

Shop for books on Revitalize Books’ Instagram page here.

4. Books Junkie (@booksjunkie) – same-day delivery in Klang Valley

Image adapted from: @booksjunkie

Klang Valley dwellers can get the books that they bought from Book Junkie on the same day, as the bookseller offers express deliveries (from RM5) within the area with Grab and Lalamove from 8AM-8PM. So expect to have your hands on all sorts of poetry, philosophy, literature, and collectable new books quickly.

They carry preloved and new books from authors such as Paulo Coelho and Haruki Murakami, as well as Cecelia Ahern and Charles Dickens, with prices for books going for as low as RM15. Postings also come with book summaries, and images of pages from the books, so you can do some flipping and scanning of the books before placing an order.

Get to do some virtual flip of book pages with BooksJunkie
Image adapted from: @booksjunkie

Shop for books on Books Junkie’s Instagram page here.

5. Buku Buku Effi (@buku_buku_effi) – daily postage

Image credit: @buku_buku_effi

Buku Buku Effi goes the extra mile to include information on the format, genre, weight, summary, and postage options (from RM5) for every book on top of its condition in its posts.

You’ll find a variety of new and preloved fiction books from authors such as Stephen King, Mark Twain, and David Levithan with them. And they go for as low as RM8 and RM20 for preloved and new books respectively.

Books on sale come loaded with information, such as condition and weight, on posts
Image adapted from: @buku_buku_effi

They also ship out their books daily, so you know you’ll get your orders from them speedily.

Shop for books on Buku Buku Effi’s Instagram page here.

6. Bookworm Sale Malaysia (@bookwormsalemalaysia) – preloved books from RM5

Prices for books are listed on images at Bookworm Sale Malaysia
Image adapted from: @bookwormsalemalaysia

For an even more efficient way of getting books from Instagram booksellers, hit that “Follow” button on Bookworm Sale Malaysia’s page. Most of their preloved books go at a flat price of RM10, RM15, or RM18, with most of the prices posted on the images themselves.

But they have new books for sale (from RM20) too, which come wrapped in plastic for fussy buyers.

You’ll find exceptions to prices on images with new books on sale, which are all under RM30.
Image adapted from: @bookwormsalemalaysia

But as they act as a middleman to help Malaysians get their books to new homes, expect to find a whole slew of affordable preloved books available on their page with shipping fees from RM9.

The majority of finds here are young adult fiction, with books from authors such as Suzanne Collins and Jenny Han. You’ll also find books from various other genres, such as self-help and business 101 books.

If you have any books on your shelf that you’re thinking of getting rid of to make space for your new purchases, you can also sell your books through them for a 30% commission fee.

Shop for books on Bookworm Sale Malaysia’s Instagram page here.

7. Once Upon A Book (@onceuponabook_books) – books dispatched 3 days a week

Image credit: @onceuponabook_books

Impatient bookworms will be glad to know that Once Upon A Books also posts out orders 3 days a week on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This way, you won’t have to wait too long for your books to arrive.

You also get to reserve a book for up to a week so you can change your mind if you see a newer title on their page that you’d like to get your hands on. The bookseller also rates the condition of the books out of 10 (10 being the best) on postings for preloved books, with prices starting from as low as RM8.

Image adapted from: @onceuponabook_books

You can also get new books that start at RM18. There’s a selection of fiction, literary, poetry, memoirs, self-help, and even lifestyle titles, and books from authors such as Celeste Ng, Kevin Kwan, and Rupi Kaur.

Shipping fees start at a flat price of RM8 for 1-2 books, and RM11 for 3-6 books.

Shop for books on Once Upon A Book’s Instagram page here.

8. BooksHeaven (@ralpedo) – new non-fiction books with discounts of up to 50%

Image adapted from: @ralpedo

BooksHeaven carries a variety of preloved and new books from genres such as memoirs, travel, self-help, literary, and fiction, for sale. They also have a webstore on Carousell, where they have the same titles.

Fussy buyers will also be glad to know that some of their books even come wrapped with plastic. Some of the titles on their page include hardbacks from authors such as JK Rowling, Agatha Christie, and Jim Collins, all available from RM20 and with shipping fees from RM8.

New and wrapped books at discounted prices are available here
Image adapted from: @ralpedo

Shop for books on BooksHeaven’s Instagram page here.

Instagram-based booksellers in Malaysia

These modern bookstore options on Instagram are great for those who want book haunt spots that are friendly to the environment and wallet. As it’s also a great way to practice social distancing at this time as well, you’ll have your share of cheap finds while also keeping safe at home.