Book lovers and reading groups keen to get stuck in to one or more of the six titles on the recently announced 2012 Man Booker Prize shortlist will be looking for the best-priced deals.

Is it right to assume you will automatically get the cheapest prices from just one or two big-name online retailers, or is it worth trawling through various sites? We decided to find out in a snapshot price test.

Using search engines, specialist price comparison websites such as BookBrain.co.uk and BookButler (bookbutler.co.uk), and by checking direct with online and the larger high street booksellers, we went shopping.

First, we checked the price of a physical copy. As can be seen from the results in the table, five online retailers – Amazon.co.uk, The Book Depository (bookdepository.co.uk), Foyles (foyles.co.uk), Waterstones.com and WHSmith (whsmith.co.uk) – consistently vie for the top spot.

When mailing costs are included, The Book Depository, which offers free UK delivery, came up with the best price for three of the books: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, The Lighthouse by Alison Moore, and Swimming Home by Deborah Levy – though WHSmith was offering Tan Twan Eng's book for slightly less if you order and pay for it online but pick it up from your local store.

Amazon, which also offers a free supersaver delivery option, beat its rivals on prices for both Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel and Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil, while Foyles website, which offers free delivery on orders over £10, came out cheapest for Umbrella by Will Self.

If you are after several of the shortlisted titles, it might be worth hitting the high street, where Waterstones is including all four shortlisted paperbacks (Narcopolis at £12.99, Swimming Home at £7.99, The Lighthouse at £8.99 and The Garden of Evening Mists at £12.99) in its "buy one, get one half price" promotion.

But if you want the two hardbacks as well, you will pay a bit more in Waterstones stores – £13 for the Hilary Mantel and £14.99 for the Will Self.

For those who buy ebooks, the prices tend to match each other pretty closely.

This week, Umbrella cost £7.99 bought for either the Kindle via Amazon, or for a Kobo, WHSmith's e-reader. iTunes wanted £13.99.

Bring up the Bodies was £9.99 on iTunes, Amazon, Kobo (kobobooks.com) and Waterstones. The Lighthouse, meanwhile, will set you back £6.74 from Kobo or £5.66 from Amazon.

The Garden of Evening Mists cost £5.63 downloaded to a Kindle from Amazon, 1p more from WHSmith/Kobo, and £5.58 from Waterstones.

Swimming Home is £6.23 on WHSmith/Kobo, or £5.31 from Amazon. Narcopolis can be bought from Amazon for £6.54, and for the same price at WHSmith/Kobo.

This year's winner will be announced at a dinner at London's Guildhall on 16 October.