DD has been wanting a set of encyclopedias for years, but they are all so expensive. She would be looking for World Book or another high end brand, and preferably all of the volumes, but unfortunately, the prices come out to over 1,000 dollars usually. If you have encyclopedias, did you give in and pay this much? I know you can get them on eBay for much cheaper, but they might not be in the best condition, has anyone gone this route?

I have a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica in boxes, and haven't used them. We also have the Britannica on CD, which I used a few times but then stopped. Today I use Wikipedia for a quick overview of most things, and otherwise do library research.

If you don't want to spend money on the books, how about a software version?

I asked at the public library and they do occasionally sell encyclopedia sets when they have the book sales. They said people show up a couple hours before the library opens on those days to stand in line. There ain't no way! So I asked a friend who is a middle school teacher and she said the school occasionally has book sales and once in a while the put encyclopedia sets out. I asked her to grab them if they do and I will buy them from her. I may be waiting a few years for the opportunity, but I have "ordered" my encyclopedia set.

We bought a complete set of three year old World Book Encyclopedias for $75 at a library sale. Best money I ever spent as they've been used pretty much every day. My suggestion would be talk with your librarian and find out when they get rid of sets. Also, I'd check Craigslist and put a wanted listing. My opinion is that it is not particularly important that the encyclopedias be brand new. Maybe you don't want them to be fifty years old and smelly, but really if they are ten years old they are probably just as good for 99% of what your kid would want. If the shipping is reasonable Ebay may not be a bad option. Generally people are good about describing condition and you always have protection through ebay, paypal and your credit card.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2005-World-Book..._Nonfiction_Book&hash=item255e022675 $209, new in box, free shipping. This looks great!

http://cgi.ebay.com/World-Book-Ency..._Nonfiction_Book&hash=item3cb16bfb6f 2009, library set around $315, free shipping

Do you have a Half Price Books or something like it in your area? I have seen so many encyclopedia sets in our used book stores and for great prices. When DD is older it is definitely an option for us.

We have a set, and I love it, anyway,
Ds10 hasn't hit the stage of having to research a ton yet, so they are not majorly used by him. I suspect dd will want to just sit and read them like I did as a kid.

I just saw a slew of sets on ebay, so that might be of interest...