The cheapest place to buy a book online in Singapore is not the one with the lowest cover price. It is the one with the lowest landed cost, which is the book price plus shipping plus any import GST, divided over how many books you buy in one go. Most guides still rank Book Depository first, but Amazon shut it down on 26 April 2023, so that advice now sends you to a dead site. For a single English paperback, the best value in 2026 is usually a local store once you clear its free-delivery threshold, a UK site that bakes shipping into the price, or second-hand. For free, it is the National Library. This guide compares the stores that genuinely deliver here, shows the free-shipping thresholds, and does the landed-cost maths so you know what you will actually pay at the door.
If you want one English book and want it fast, Books Kinokuniya or OpenTrolley are the reliable local picks; pad the order to clear free delivery (S$50 at Kinokuniya, S$60 at OpenTrolley) or pay a per-order delivery fee below that (S$6 at Kinokuniya, S$4.90 at OpenTrolley); check each store's live delivery page before ordering, since rates change. If you buy in bulk or want a specific UK or US title, Blackwell's ships to Singapore with the shipping cost built into the price, so what you see is what you pay. If you read e-books, the National Library Board lends a large, free collection of e-books and audiobooks through the Libby app, with no postage and no GST. And for second-hand, Thryft is the local sustainable option with free delivery above S$30.
The trap with overseas sites is the import GST and the per-order shipping. A book that looks S$5 cheaper abroad often is not, once you add 9 percent GST and a few dollars of postage spread across a small order. The store ranking below is built around that, not around cover price alone.
For years the standard answer to cheap books in Singapore was Book Depository, a UK site Amazon owned that shipped worldwide with free delivery and no minimum. Amazon closed it on 26 April 2023. Listicles that still put it at the top, including some that rank well on Google, are pointing you at a site that no longer takes orders.
The other quiet change is Wordery. It was the go-to free-worldwide-shipping replacement, but as at late 2025 its own support pages say it is not offering international delivery and points overseas buyers to Blackwell's instead. Treat any single source as a snapshot and check the store's live shipping page before you check out, because thresholds and country lists move.
So the 2026 picture is simpler than the cluttered lists suggest. A handful of local stores deliver fast within Singapore. A couple of UK sites still ship here with the cost baked in. Amazon.sg covers the rest. Everything else is either second-hand or free from the library.
Local online bookstores deliver in days, not weeks, and they handle the GST for you because the goods are already here. The catch is the delivery fee on small orders. Each store has a spend threshold above which delivery is free, and below it you pay a few dollars that can wipe out any saving on a single book.
Books Kinokuniya has the deepest range, around 500,000 titles across English, Chinese, Japanese and more, with delivery free above S$50 and a S$6 per-order fee below that (S$4.50 for each subsequent delivery) on its webstore. OpenTrolley markets a huge catalogue sourced globally, free delivery above S$60 (S$4.90 below) and a 6-to-9 working-day wait because many titles are imported to order. Epigram Bookshop is the place for Singapore-published titles, free above S$60. Ethos Books and Woods in the Books are smaller independents with their own thresholds. The move is the same everywhere: batch your buying so one order clears the free-delivery line instead of paying postage three times.
| Store | Free delivery above | Fee below threshold | Rough delivery time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books Kinokuniya | S$50 | S$6.00 | 5 to 7 working days | Widest range, member discount |
| OpenTrolley | S$60 | S$4.90 | 6 to 9 working days | Imported and niche titles |
| Epigram Bookshop | S$60 | varies | 7 to 10 working days | Singapore-published books |
| Ethos Books | S$30 | around S$2.80 | 5 to 10 working days | Local literature, poetry |
| Thryft | S$30 | S$4.00 | 2 to 7 business days | Second-hand, sustainable |
Kinokuniya's loyalty card is the clearest worked example of a membership that either pays for itself or quietly costs you money. The Privilege Card is S$24 for one year (S$42 for two, S$58 for three, all including 9 percent GST) and gives 10 percent off the retail price in stores and on the webstore.
The break-even is simple: 10 percent of your annual spend has to exceed the S$24 fee, so you need to spend more than S$240 on books in a year for the card to come out ahead. If you buy a couple of novels a quarter, you are probably past that. If you buy two or three books a year, you are not, and the card is a small loss. Members also get the 10 percent off other things like Singapore Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum admission, which can tip the maths if you would use them anyway.
This is the same break-even test you would run on any subscription or membership before paying: does the discount you will realistically use beat the fee. If the honest answer is no, skip it and put the S$24 toward the books themselves. The discipline of checking is the same one we apply to recurring spending in our take on lifestyle inflation.
A UK or US listing can look cheaper than the local price, then arrive costing more once shipping and tax are added. Two stores still make this work for Singapore by absorbing the shipping into the price. Blackwell's, a long-standing UK bookseller, ships to Singapore with delivery costs included in the book price, so the figure you see is close to what you pay; expect roughly 10 to 15 business days. Amazon.sg is the everything-else option: non-Prime customers get free standard delivery on orders of S$60 and above, while Prime (S$4.99 a month or S$49.90 a year) gives free delivery on eligible items with no minimum, including international titles. We walk through clearing that threshold in the Amazon.sg free delivery guide.
Where people get caught is import GST. Singapore charges 9 percent GST on goods, and since 1 January 2023 that applies to imported low-value goods valued at S$400 or below bought from a GST-registered overseas seller, charged at checkout so the price already includes it. For shipments above S$400 from a seller who is not GST-registered, GST is collected at the border by the courier, who usually adds a handling fee. A pile of paperbacks rarely crosses S$400, so the practical effect is that 9 percent is baked into the checkout price on the big platforms, but a small order from a site that charges separate postage can still land higher than the local equivalent.
Run the full sum before you buy abroad: cover price, plus shipping, plus GST, divided by how many books are in the order. A single book with S$8 of standalone postage is poor value; ten books sharing that postage is fine. The same import-tax arithmetic trips people up on other cross-border buys, which we break down in the Taobao shopping guide.
| Store | Shipping to SG | Delivery time | GST handling | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwell's (UK) | Included in book price | 10 to 15 business days | Built into listed price | Specific UK/US titles, bulk |
| Amazon.sg | Free over S$60, or with Prime | Days (local) to ~1-2 weeks (intl) | Included at checkout for low-value goods | Wide range, fast local stock |
| Better World Books (US/UK) | Free worldwide, no minimum | Roughly 2 to 3 weeks | Order under S$400, included if seller is GST-registered | Cheap second-hand, free shipping |
Book Depository was loved for one thing above all: free worldwide delivery with no minimum order. That model mostly vanished when it closed, and Wordery, the usual replacement, stopped its international service. One credible option still runs it. Better World Books, a US-based seller of mostly second-hand books, ships free to Singapore with no minimum, drawing on a catalogue of millions of used titles plus some new stock. It is the closest thing left to the old Book Depository deal for English-language paperbacks.
The honest trade-offs: these are pre-owned copies, so condition varies, and the journey from a US or UK warehouse means roughly two to three weeks, sometimes longer. Stock is what it is, so a specific edition or a brand-new release may not be there. Because each order sits well under the S$400 low-value-goods line, GST is handled the same way as any other small import, included at checkout when the seller is GST-registered and otherwise collected at the border. For a one-off English novel where you do not mind a used copy and are not in a hurry, the free shipping makes the all-in cost hard to beat. The store also runs a social model, funding literacy programmes, which is a nice extra rather than a reason to overpay.
Compare it the same way you would any overseas buy: the landed cost is just the book price here, since shipping is free and GST is small, so it usually wins on a single book and loses only if you need speed or a pristine copy. Where it falls short, the local second-hand route below is faster.
The general rankings answer one question, where to buy an English paperback, and skip the buyers who want something specific. If you read in another language or collect a niche, the right store is often not the cheapest all-rounder but the one that actually stocks the title. Kinokuniya is the safe default here because its catalogue runs deep in Chinese, Japanese manga and French alongside English, all delivered locally with the same free-over-S$50 threshold. For Singapore-published and local-author work, Epigram and Ethos remain the natural homes, both covered above.
Two niches reward going direct. Basheer Graphic Books is the long-running Singapore specialist for design, architecture, art, fashion, photography and animation titles, the kind of imported visual books the mass stores rarely carry; it sells online and delivers locally, though shipping is charged per order rather than bundled, so check the fee at checkout. For school needs, Popular runs a full online store covering assessment books, textbooks and stationery, which the literary-leaning guides ignore even though it is where most Singapore parents actually buy. Times Bookstore, still listed in older guides, shut its physical shops in September 2024; its online arm GoGuru carries on for books and assessment titles, so treat any 'Times' recommendation as the online store only and confirm it is live before relying on it.
The rule for niches is the same as everywhere else: match the store to what you are buying. A design monograph, a Chinese novel and a Primary 5 maths assessment book each have a natural home, and forcing all three through one general store usually means a worse price or a longer wait.
| Need | Best store | Delivery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese, Japanese, French | Books Kinokuniya | Free over S$50, S$6 below | Deepest multilingual range, local stock |
| Manga and graphic novels | Books Kinokuniya | Free over S$50, S$6 below | Large manga catalogue |
| Art, design, architecture | Basheer Graphic Books | Per-order fee, check at checkout | Niche imported visual books |
| Singapore-published titles | Epigram, Ethos Books | Free over S$60 / S$30 | Local authors and poetry |
| Assessment and textbooks | Popular online | Check live page | Schoolbooks and stationery |
| Second-hand any genre | Thryft | Free over S$30, S$4 below | Trade-ins accepted |
If you do not need a brand-new copy, second-hand is the biggest single saving on books, often half the new price or less. Thryft is Singapore's sustainable online used-book store, with free delivery above S$30 (S$4 below) and a 2-to-7 business-day turnaround. It also takes trade-ins, so the books you have finished can offset the ones you want, which is the closest thing to a free refill if you read a lot.
Beyond Thryft, Carousell is full of used books from individual sellers, usually meet-up or cheap mail, and physical second-hand shops list stock online too. The trade-off is condition and availability: you take what is in stock, and you carry the usual buyer-beware risk of a private sale. For textbooks and recent bestsellers in particular, checking second-hand first before paying full price is the simplest way to cut the cost of a reading habit.
Before buying anything, check whether the library already has it. The National Library Board lends a large, free collection of e-books and audiobooks that you can borrow instantly through the Libby app using your myLibrary ID. No trip, no postage, no GST. For most casual reading this is the cheapest path by a mile, and it is the one the cost-conscious comparison guides tend to skip because there is nothing to sell you.
The honest limits: popular new releases have holds, so you may wait, and you do not own the copy. For books you will reread, annotate or keep, buying still makes sense. But for the one-time read, a novel you will finish and forget, treating the library as your default and buying only the keepers is the single biggest lever on what you spend on books in a year.
Think of the money you free up this way as cash you can redirect rather than fritter. Even a modest S$20 a month not spent on books you would only read once adds up, and parked somewhere that earns it compounds. We cover where short-term cash works hardest in our look at the best savings accounts, and the longer-run effect of small regular amounts in the compound interest calculator.
Match the store to the order, not the other way round. For one English book you want soon, use a local store and either pad the cart to free delivery or accept the small fee. For a stack of books or a hard-to-find UK title, Blackwell's gives you shipping-in-price certainty and the cost spreads across the order. For Singapore-published or local-author titles, Epigram and Ethos are the natural homes. For anything you might read once, the library first, then second-hand, then new.
Two habits do most of the work. First, always total the landed cost before you commit: price plus shipping plus GST, divided by the number of books. Second, batch your buying so postage and free-delivery thresholds work for you rather than against you. Do those two things and the store name barely matters; you will already be paying close to the lowest sensible price.
There is no single drop-in replacement with free worldwide shipping and no minimum. For UK and US titles with shipping built into the price, Blackwell's ships to Singapore. For fast local delivery, use Books Kinokuniya or OpenTrolley and clear their free-delivery thresholds (S$50 and S$60). Wordery, often suggested as a replacement, was not offering international delivery as at late 2025, so check its live shipping page before ordering.
The cheapest is no delivery at all: local stores offer free delivery once you clear their threshold (S$50 at Kinokuniya, S$60 at OpenTrolley, S$30 at Thryft and Ethos). Below the threshold you pay a per-order fee, roughly S$3 to S$6 depending on the store (for example S$6 at Kinokuniya, S$4.90 at OpenTrolley, S$4 at Thryft). Blackwell's includes shipping in the book price, and Amazon.sg is free over S$60 or with a Prime membership. Compare on landed cost, not cover price.
Yes. Singapore's GST is 9 percent, and since 1 January 2023 it applies to imported low-value goods valued at S$400 or below from GST-registered overseas sellers, charged at checkout so the price already includes it. Shipments above S$400 from non-registered sellers have GST collected at the border, usually with a courier handling fee. Most book orders sit under S$400, so the 9 percent is built into the checkout price on the major platforms.
Only if you spend enough. The card is S$24 a year for 10 percent off books, so you break even at S$240 of annual book spending. Above that, the card saves you money; below it, the fee costs more than the discount returns. Bonus perks like concert and museum discounts only count if you would have paid for those anyway.
The National Library Board lends a large, free collection of e-books and audiobooks through the Libby app, using your myLibrary ID. There is no postage, no GST and no minimum spend. Popular new releases may have a holds queue, and you do not own the copy, so buy the books you will reread or keep and borrow the one-time reads.
Usually yes, often half the new price or less. Thryft is Singapore's main online used-book store, with free delivery above S$30 and trade-ins that offset future buys. Carousell has casual used titles even cheaper, with the usual private-sale risk on condition and availability. For textbooks and recent bestsellers, checking second-hand first is the simplest saving.
It depends on stock. Titles a store holds in Singapore ship in a few days. Import-to-order titles take longer: roughly 5 to 7 working days at Kinokuniya and 6 to 9 at OpenTrolley. Overseas sites like Blackwell's take about 10 to 15 business days. Check the product page, since the same store can be fast on one book and slow on another.
Yes, but only really one. Better World Books, a US seller of mostly second-hand books, ships free to Singapore with no minimum order. The trade-offs are used condition and a roughly two-to-three-week wait, so it suits a cheap one-off English title rather than a new release or an urgent read. Wordery, often suggested, was not running international delivery as at late 2025, so do not count on it.
Books Kinokuniya is the strongest single source. Its catalogue runs deep in Chinese, Japanese manga and French as well as English, all delivered locally with free delivery above S$50 and a S$6 fee below that. For Japanese manga in particular it carries one of the widest ranges available here, so you rarely need to import a single volume from overseas.
Basheer Graphic Books is the Singapore specialist for design, architecture, art, fashion, photography and animation titles, sells online and delivers locally. Shipping is charged per order rather than bundled into the price, so confirm the fee at checkout. Kinokuniya carries some visual and graphic titles too, but Basheer's range in these niches is deeper.
For new copies, Popular runs an online store covering assessment books, textbooks and stationery with delivery. For savings, check second-hand first: Thryft and Carousell both list used textbooks, which read exactly the same as new ones, often at half the price or less. Times Bookstore's physical shops closed in 2024, so only its GoGuru online arm remains for these titles.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.