The most popular online bookstores in China are Kongfz.com, Dangdang.com, Amazon China (亚马逊中国 z.cn, 一站放心购全球) and Taobao. Of course, on Amazon and Taobao you can purchase far more than just books but if you’re looking for books there are millions of them on all these sites. All these websites have both English and Chinese paperbacks for sale.
For English paperbacks of contemporary readings and modern books, Amazon China would have the most variety. The best part about Amazon China is that you can search and browse in English unlike the other websites.
Our favorite online bookstore in China however is Kongfz. Kongfz (kongfz.com)【孔夫子旧书网】网上买书：图书_书籍_古籍_二手书，网上卖书：网上书店_古旧书拍卖，中国领先的古旧书交易平台 is a wonderful (although not necessarily as well known as Taobao or Dangdang) mega online bookstore which specializes in B-to-C and C-to-C selling of old and sometimes even ancient historical vintage books, ancient texts to photocopied reprints, manuscripts, magazines, newspapers, letters, calligraphy, scrolls, DVDs and other collectors' items that would be of interest to historians, hobbyists, academics intellectuals and simply interested in language, history and culture.
Many of these vintage books and other items are only available in single or very low quantities and hence when you see something you wish to buy on Kongfz, it is important to do so as soon as possible as it can very quickly go out of stock. Kongfz's constantly growing database renders easily searchable the holdings of literally thousands of bookshops in all corners of China. While Dangdang may be better for buying modern books, there is no doubt that Kongfz is the go-to-place for buying vintage books and items from China.
Countless academics, historians and Chinese cultural enthusiasts around the world use CNXtrans to buy books, manuscripts, maps and other historical artifacts from China and ship internationally to them. Since Kongfz does not accept international payment methods, you will need to submit your order to CNXtrans and let CNXtrans handle the purchasing from Kongfz and ship internationally to you, your friends or even your university anywhere around the world.
Ultimately, which Chinese online bookstore you buy from will depend on your specific needs.
For those based outside China, if you need help buying and shipping internationally from Kongfz, Dangdang, Amazon.cn, Taobao and other websites in China, simply use CNXtrans (www.cnxtrans.com) to buy and ship internationally to you. CNXtrans will buy, send the goods to the CNXtrans warehouse in China and then ship internationally to your doorstep. Click here to submit a CNXtrans ‘Buy+Ship for You order’ or contact CNXtrans at contact@cnxtrans.com
