ForeignerChan suggested that we dive deeper into the question about physical manga. So where do you get yours?

You can submit poll ideas here
http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=3903

Previous Poll Results:
Question: You prefer digital or physical for reading manga, manhwa, manhua?
Choices:
Physical (i.e., paper) - votes: 848 (30.9%)
Digital - votes: 1900 (69.2%)
There were 2747 total votes.
The poll ended: July 22nd, 2023 2:35pm PDT

I wonder if this poll would be different if we were talking about novels with physical books vs eBooks

A just ruler amongst tyrants

Mostly new online.

Looking at my shelf a fair amount is from "flea market" events at anime conventions though so it's somebody's old copies they were clearing out.

I actually bought most of mine from a local bookstore, which seems strange to me since I'm majority online shopping nowadays. I wonder if the used bookstore here has any now.

I really don't buy physical manga anymore mmm...
The last time I bought one, it was from a local book store almost 20 years ago mmm....

I will change this world mmm...
So the world can change me mmm...

Used from online retailer. I always have bought most of my books online just cos I lived in the boonies growing up. Now, its cos I want some out of print TokyoPop or IceKunion

Internet Lurker At Heart

Most of the manga I own are used and from local second hand bookstores. I'm not opposed to buying new, but if I can get books for a deal I'm there. 😎 Plus you never know what you'll stumble across at your local bookstores or comic book shops. These places help me to be more open to trying new series; especially when it's being sold for half price. Unfortunately, two series that I'm currently looking for haven't had reprints for years and are ridiculously over priced on the online second hand market. 😢 I've lucked up a couple times and found volumes that go for $50-$100 online and bought them for $5. 😁 When I was younger I read manga mainly online (illegally) or borrowed physical copies from my local library. Mostly because I didn't have the money to buy it or a series wasn't published in English. Now that I have the extra cash, I've been trying to collect physical copies of my favorite series. I wish I could go back in time and buy all the volumes of Eyeshield 21 and From Far Away. 😢

I have several tomes, most of them i bought at a book store... Though a few i did order from Amazon... Though last time i bought was like 8 years ago... Recently i wanted to buy on Amazon, but there was a Kindle version so i just bought that instead...

I am envoy from nowhere in nowhere. Nobody and nothing have sent me. And though it is impossible I exist. © Trimutius

If I have to buy manga, I prefer to buy it new. It's rare someone would sell used copy around here. But rather than buying a physical copy, I prefer renting it from a manga cafe. It's a win-win solution for my economy and for the manga industry (since I don't read pirated copy). 😀

I actually buy quite a number of physical manga though almost never new. Twice a year there's a used library book sale near me that i go to and buy a few dozen volumes of manga for $2.50 a pop. Sometimes I'd get lucky and get a complete collection at one time too. You can't beat that kinda deal though now i have several boxes of manga with nowhere to put them... The only time I buy brand new copies is if its something I really like since most volumes these days are usually over $14.

It's interesting to see the variety of responses to this poll!

I semi-recently moved near a Kinokuniya store, which has made shopping for new manga a fun experience. Plus, they occasionally have special editions with unique cover art or a free gift!

If Kinokuniya doesn't have what I'm looking for, I'll sometimes order online from a local indie bookstore.

But I don't buy TONS of new manga. Theres a used bookstore nearby that has a big manga selection with a lot of breadth of genre. That's my favorite place.

Still, I prefer reading digitally most of the time. It's rare for a series I like to be published in English, so I read scanlations, and when/if it gets licensed, I then SCURRY to the bookstore to show my support. It is nice to read the paper volumes, though.

BL fiend | tag gremlin | metadata yum

I'll buy some manga used, especially out-of-print stuff.
However, most of my collection was bought new from Rightstuf. They just have too many good deals to make going to a bookstore (and paying full cover price) worthwhile.

Visit my scanning blog: Jammin' Scans

::End of Transmission::

I buy them online because the ones at the bookstore have been grabbed by too many oily or sticky hands. I prefer the books new and don't enjoy buying them used at a new price.

The country I live in doesn't have any bookstores (or even a functioning mail system) let alone manga , so I have to rely on online scans. I wish I could purchase my favorites.