Becoming a Bookseller!

Kaybenson

Recently i was looking at few ideas to back up my main job and book selling comes to mind.

Anyone knows what is entails in this business?


How do they get discounted prices etc?

Cheers

soolin

What sort of books and where will you sell them?

The book market online is not strong at the moment, I've just given up the majority of my online book business as I cannot compete with Amazon who now have some heavily discounted prices and free postage. I used to do book fairs but again people were really looking at car boot sale prices there and really weren't happy to pay more than 50p - £1 for a book.

The wholesalers I encountered were selling some good books, but I did notice a trend in that they would often be the ones i would see a week or so later in the pound shop. Other than that I never found a wholesaler who could beat Amazon prices.

Kaybenson

Alright, how does the booksellers make money then?

Where do pound-shop get their own?

Does academic books used in A levels and university had such problems as well?

To do such business, does one need to register with the publishers?

Cheers

Sambucus_Nigra

Kaybenson wrote: »

Anyone knows what is entails in this business?

It entails: buying books at one price and selling them at another, usually higher, price.

Hope that helps.

lincroft1710

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

selling them at another, usually higher, price

This is the hard part. Unless you can find specialist books or sell esoteric secondhand books, you will be competing against Amazon, supermarkets, and Waterstones and Smiths who often have half price or 3 for 2 offers. eBay is already full of well established trusted online bookshops so you would have to offer something different to break into that market.

Ring round a few publishers/wholesalers see what is on offer.

Kaybenson

I am a bit surprised about pricing system. I still cant believe how some sellers sell below publisher's price!

Owain_Moneysaver

Kaybenson wrote: »

I am a bit surprised about pricing system. I still cant believe how some sellers sell below publisher's price!

They're either getting a better publisher's price than you can get, because of bulk buying, or they're selling below cost as a loss leader.

SUESMITH_2

not a market i would want to enter at the mo, we had a fab independent bookshop near where i live, she had book-groups, writing groups and held book launches etc. there too. she would order anything in you wanted and was very knowledgeable about her stock - she had always worked in publishing and it showed

that shop is now a takeaway - she just couldn't compete against the big multiples and their bulk buying and 342 offers etc. people say they want a service like she provided but would go home and order off amazon

sorry to be so negative

Mark_Moran

Buy in bulk from the wholesale section of eBay (sometimes as low as 10p a book if you buy a big pallet full) and list them on Amazon as a seller.

Educational books sell best as students are often hard up and buy books second hand.

I trawl my local Gumtree site for students selling their books, which are quite cheap, and I then relist them on Amazon.

Hope this helps.

soolin

Mark_Moran wrote: »

Buy in bulk from the wholesale section of eBay (sometimes as low as 10p a book if you buy a big pallet full) and list them on Amazon as a seller.

Educational books sell best as students are often hard up and buy books second hand.

I trawl my local Gumtree site for students selling their books, which are quite cheap, and I then relist them on Amazon.

Hope this helps.

A great many of the books on ebay are unwanted stock from Amazon sellers.