More on next month's cooperative venture by which University Book
Store, Seattle, Wash., will learn about buying and selling used general
books from the master of the art, Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., as
mentioned here last Friday.
Staff at the University Book Store had discussed buying and selling used general books "for years," Mark Mouser, general book manager, told Shelf Awareness. But several factors "pushed the issue to the forefront." They included the major market changes in the past five years, particularly the spread of new-book sales to many non-bookstore sites and Amazon.com's listing of used books with new books. The store finally decided to take the plunge "in order to offer our customers more choice in selection and pricing."
While the store knows the used textbook business very well, used general books are "a whole different animal," as Mouser put it. For one, with text buybacks, condition doesn't matter. "It can be the rattiest copy, but if a book is on the list, it's bought," he continued. "This change may be tricky for some of our customers."
Like Powell's, University Book Store wants to mix new and used titles together. Until it builds up "critical mass," however, University will display the titles in small fixtures within categories, so that, for example, in the history section there will be a fixture of used history books.
The store will start off selling used books in the main store and after a year consider selling them at its two largest branches, in Bellevue and Mill Creek, too. It will also begin buying used books regularly in the main store, probably three times a week and seven days a week by appointment, but expand that in six months. It plans to buy at some of the other stores, including the Bellevue, Mill Creek and Tacoma branches, a couple days a month on a set schedule "so customers will know when we'll be there."
The store's buying and selling policies for used books will likely be similar to Powell's, Mouser said. Most will be priced at 50% off the retail price and the store will pay about 25%--with 20% more for credit.
The store will put the used books into its inventory control system, which is requiring some extra work, and in a few months hopes to list titles on its Web site and list with abebooks.com, too. University Book Store is one of the first college stores to buy and sell used general books.
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For Powell's, working with University Book Store grew easily out of a longtime relationship between the two stores, both member of the Independent Booksellers Consortium. Powell's has done "satellite buying" expeditions, usually lasting 10 days, in the last year in Eugene, Ore., Austin, Tex., and last September in Seattle. During the Seattle trip, with University Book Store's help, Powell's set up across the street from the store's main branch. "While we were there, Mark and a couple other University booksellers hung around, watched the operation and soaked it up," Powell's CEO Miriam Sontz told Shelf Awareness. "When we talked with them about coming back this year, it evolved" into the current program.
Right after Labor Day, Mouser and four other University Book Store people will go to Portland and train for two days in several Powell's stores. During the Seattle buy, 8-10 Powell's employees will rotate through Seattle, with four working fulltime any given day. University Book Store staff, including everyone in the general books department, will spend some time assisting. (In Seattle, Powell's is buying for itself and will sell the books nationwide.) Asked about costs or payments, Sontz said, "We worked out an agreement based on what we each are offering. They're offering space; we're offering training."
Noting that readers are becoming more comfortable buying and selling used books and losing the "misconception that used bookstores are old, smelly and dusty," Sontz called the expansion of used book sales in new-book bookstores "a wonderful trend. There is no scarcity of books. Many more people can be involved in this business, and Powell's Books can play a major role in that. We would be thrilled to do this kind of project with other stores."
Staff at the University Book Store had discussed buying and selling used general books "for years," Mark Mouser, general book manager, told Shelf Awareness. But several factors "pushed the issue to the forefront." They included the major market changes in the past five years, particularly the spread of new-book sales to many non-bookstore sites and Amazon.com's listing of used books with new books. The store finally decided to take the plunge "in order to offer our customers more choice in selection and pricing."
While the store knows the used textbook business very well, used general books are "a whole different animal," as Mouser put it. For one, with text buybacks, condition doesn't matter. "It can be the rattiest copy, but if a book is on the list, it's bought," he continued. "This change may be tricky for some of our customers."
Like Powell's, University Book Store wants to mix new and used titles together. Until it builds up "critical mass," however, University will display the titles in small fixtures within categories, so that, for example, in the history section there will be a fixture of used history books.
The store will start off selling used books in the main store and after a year consider selling them at its two largest branches, in Bellevue and Mill Creek, too. It will also begin buying used books regularly in the main store, probably three times a week and seven days a week by appointment, but expand that in six months. It plans to buy at some of the other stores, including the Bellevue, Mill Creek and Tacoma branches, a couple days a month on a set schedule "so customers will know when we'll be there."
The store's buying and selling policies for used books will likely be similar to Powell's, Mouser said. Most will be priced at 50% off the retail price and the store will pay about 25%--with 20% more for credit.
The store will put the used books into its inventory control system, which is requiring some extra work, and in a few months hopes to list titles on its Web site and list with abebooks.com, too. University Book Store is one of the first college stores to buy and sell used general books.
---
For Powell's, working with University Book Store grew easily out of a longtime relationship between the two stores, both member of the Independent Booksellers Consortium. Powell's has done "satellite buying" expeditions, usually lasting 10 days, in the last year in Eugene, Ore., Austin, Tex., and last September in Seattle. During the Seattle trip, with University Book Store's help, Powell's set up across the street from the store's main branch. "While we were there, Mark and a couple other University booksellers hung around, watched the operation and soaked it up," Powell's CEO Miriam Sontz told Shelf Awareness. "When we talked with them about coming back this year, it evolved" into the current program.
Right after Labor Day, Mouser and four other University Book Store people will go to Portland and train for two days in several Powell's stores. During the Seattle buy, 8-10 Powell's employees will rotate through Seattle, with four working fulltime any given day. University Book Store staff, including everyone in the general books department, will spend some time assisting. (In Seattle, Powell's is buying for itself and will sell the books nationwide.) Asked about costs or payments, Sontz said, "We worked out an agreement based on what we each are offering. They're offering space; we're offering training."
Noting that readers are becoming more comfortable buying and selling used books and losing the "misconception that used bookstores are old, smelly and dusty," Sontz called the expansion of used book sales in new-book bookstores "a wonderful trend. There is no scarcity of books. Many more people can be involved in this business, and Powell's Books can play a major role in that. We would be thrilled to do this kind of project with other stores."