Browsing books online from the comfort of your own home does away with the tactile experience and immediate gratification of shopping in-store. But it brings a different kind of gratification—the kind that has you anticipating your deliveries, unboxing parcels, and getting the books you want without having to step out of your home. If you’re like us and you’d like to make your book shopping experience a little easier, we’ve found nine of the best online bookstores in Malaysia that will dispatch the best reads to you, wherever you are in the country.
Best Online Bookstores In Malaysia For A Seamless Shopping Experience
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1. BookXcess
BookXcess’s many outlets in Malaysia (including this REXKL labyrinth) need no introduction. But did you know that you can also purchase the same in-store titles online through BookXcess’s virtual bookstore on Shopee Malaysia? Its online selection—from classic novels to children’s box sets to self-help books—is just as affordable, but because it’s mostly made up of remaindered titles, you’re not likely to find books that are hot off the press here.
Bestsellers: Disney Super Colouring Book, Horrible Histories, children’s picture books
2. Bookalicious!
Operating out of a neighbourhood mall in Subang Jaya, Bookalicious! is an independent bookstore that peddles good reads online and offline. With an inventory that caters largely to young adults, there’s no shortage of #BookTok bestsellers, fantasy fiction, and movie tie-ins to browse from. Every purchase comes with a complimentary bookmark and a handwritten note that speaks to the store’s highly personalised service.
Bestsellers: Heartstopper, I Want To Die But I Want To Eat TteokBokki, Before The Coffee Gets Cold, The Accidental Malay
3. Popular
Having built an online presence since 2021, Popular Bookstore delivers books, stationeries, and gadgets to any far-reaching places in Malaysia. Just like its brick-and-mortar stores, you’ll find publications in English, Malay, and Chinese, but comics, manga, and Malay novels seem to top the online bestsellers’ list. You’ll also get to shop from an array of revision and reference books, from pre-school to pre-U levels.
Bestsellers: When I Was A Kid, Doraemon, Spy x Family, Mr. Hoodie Pujaan Hati, Dr. Alpha Male
4. Big Bad Wolf Books
Thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, roving book fair Big Bad Wolf (BBW) has made its marked-down books accessible to all via an online bookstore on Shopee Malaysia. Much like its sister store, BookXcess, BBW carries fiction, non-fiction, and a huge collection of children’s picture books, most of which are out-of-print publications that warrant their affordable price tags.
Bestsellers: Star Wars Annual series, Ladybird Bedtime Tales, Disney Storybook Collection, Enchanted Forest
5. Kelip Kelip
If you’re planning to buy children’s books online in Malaysia, head on over to Kelip Kelip. Story books, activity books, encyclopaedias, you name it—the local bookstore cherrypicks only the most fun and educational titles for little ones. Don’t miss out on the Blippi, Paw Patrol, or My Little Pony activity and colouring books that will get little ones off the screen!
Bestsellers: Blippi Activity Case, Disneyland Colouring Book, Dinosaur Colouring And Maze Book, Cocomelon ABC First Words
Related: 16 Must-Have Story Books For Kids Of All Ages
6. Iman Shoppe Bookstore
Iman Shoppe is an online bookstore in Malaysia that offers Malay and English books for Muslims of all ages. Children’s books, as well as Islamic reference books on philosophy, marriage, and family are available in abundance, all of which come with messages and lessons that will inspire readers. For more casual reading, Iman also offers a selection of in-house fiction works by local authors Norhafsah Hamid, Aidil Ghazali, and Aisyah Madadiy, among others.
Bestsellers: The Art of Letting God, Will You Love Me?, Bergaji & Pokai, Mendakap Kesedihan dengan Al-Quran
7. Scholastic
For popular children’s series like The Magic School Bus, Geronimo Stilton, and Captain Underpants, check out Scholastic’s very own online bookstore in Malaysia. Apart from these crowd pleasers, Scholastic also carries a dozen or so beautifully illustrated picture books penned by Asian authors.
Bestsellers: Geronimo Stilton, Captain Underpants, Dog Man, The First Journey, Sula’s Voyage, Wandering Off
8. Buku Fixi
When you browse or buy books online from Buku Fixi, you’ll find some of the most interesting and mind-boggling reads by emerging Malaysian authors. (And perhaps by design, most of them have one-word titles too!) The homegrown publisher offers a variety of Malay contemporary novels at affordable prices, which make them highly popular among teens and young adults. Whether it’s fantasy, mystery, crime, romance, or horror you’re after, Buku Fixi has it all.
Bestsellers: Sempurna, Unbox, Sonogram, Tragedi, Sumpah, Di Situ Langit Dijunjung
9. Bookurve
If you’re worried about printing quality or getting bootleg copies, you can buy books with peace of mind from this online bookstore in Malaysia. Selling only original books from authorised publishers and distributors, Bookurve’s inventory is driven by readers’ interests. So you’ll find lots of critically acclaimed English and Chinese titles here, from chick lit and poetry to self-help and parenting.
Bestsellers: Atomic Habits, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Almond: A Novel
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Buy Your Books From These Best Online Bookstores In Malaysia
Between these nine online bookstores, there are close to 100,000 titles to choose from! We’re sure that’s more than enough to fulfil every kind of reading appetite, so you might as well skip the hassle of going to a bookstore. Since all of these online bookstores are available on Shopee Malaysia, make sure to collect store vouchers to enjoy even lower prices when you cart out. Or else, head to Kedai Buku Shopee to check out the best deals on every genre.
If new books are a little out of your budget, you can always borrow some at a nominal fee from a public library in the Klang Valley. Planning to go digital in the foreseeable future? Then take a sneak peek at the best e-book readers you can buy in Malaysia.
Cover photo courtesy of Karolina Grabowska via Pexels.
