Used Bookstore Business - questions please

Hi everyone. I'm considering opening a used book store and would like
some insight/questions.

I live in a city with 3 million people. Within a 20 mile range of me
there are 3 used bookstores. I know the owner of one very well. He is
retired and opened the store just to give him something to do. He is in
a strip mall anchored by a WalMart (very high traffic) in a 1200 square
foot suite. Nothing fancy not even decorations. He also sells on
Amazon. He is very religious and honest and even showed me his Amazon
account. He is currently grossing $7,000/month in the store and
$10,000/month on Amazon. He does no advertising and relies on walk-by
customers. He only buys books in perfect shape. The romance novels and
Steven King novels he says are valueless because you can get them
online for 1 cent, but cook books and unique books, audio books are big
sellers. In fact he is only 1 block away from a Borders and Barnes &
Noble but tells me the people shopping in used bookstores are a
different breed. He just signed another 5 year lease. In fact he's so
busy they hired extra help.

Based on his experience, I thought opening a used book store with my
wife in my area of town would be a good idea (heavily traveled strip
mall). We own another business that takes up little time and nets
around $300k/yr. But I go online and do some research and 99% of
everything I read is that used bookstores are going the way of the
typewriter. They are closing up, being put out of business, have high
failure rate, etc. So I'm a bit confused. Can anyone give me some
insight on the used book store business and just how risky it is? Is it
worth it or like travel agencies will it be wiped out by the internet
soon? I don't understand how this bookstore can do so well but
everything I read is so negative.

On 26 Oct 2006 20:54:32 -0700, "
wrote:

He is currently grossing $7,000/month in the store and
$10,000/month on Amazon.

Hmm. Did you see his shipping department?

If his average sale was $10 per item that would be 1000 packages per
month, or around thirty per day. Even at $100 per book, which is
unlikely, he'd be shipping 100 packages a month. They should know him
in the post office.

Sorry, but when I hear someone is honest, religious, and making money
with a used bookstore, I figure they're wrong on at least 2 out of 3.

Denton

Hmm. Did you see his shipping department?

If his average sale was $10 per item that would be 1000 packages per
month, or around thirty per day. Even at $100 per book, which is
unlikely, he'd be shipping 100 packages a month. They should know him
in the post office.

Sorry, but when I hear someone is honest, religious, and making money
with a used bookstore, I figure they're wrong on at least 2 out of 3.

Yes. His extra help is his "shipping dept". They package book orders 6
days a week 9am-6pm and take 3 of those white crates to the post office
daily. The main reason they keep the brick-mortar store is so people
bring them stock. But they also gross around $400/day in the store.

Hmm. Did you see his shipping department?

If his average sale was $10 per item that would be 1000 packages per
month, or around thirty per day. Even at $100 per book, which is
unlikely, he'd be shipping 100 packages a month. They should know him
in the post office.

Sorry, but when I hear someone is honest, religious, and making money
with a used bookstore, I figure they're wrong on at least 2 out of 3.

Yes. His extra help is his "shipping dept". They package book orders 6
days a week 9am-6pm and take 3 of those white crates to the post office
daily. The main reason they keep the brick-mortar store is so people
bring them stock. But they also gross around $400/day in the store.

And if they weren't making any money, they would't have just signed
another 5 year lease at $3k/month. They put everything on Amazon that
people bring in. I mean every single book. And he showed me the account
onlnie and from 10/1-10-14 their gross sales were around $5k.

If you think you can make money, despite the fact that used book stores
are going belly up by the hour, then go for it!
Walk-in trade will bring in some books, usually those of no value but
occasionally some gems, in my experience.
Clean-outs, garage sales & estate sales are great places to pick up
stock - scan the paper - even the obituaries!
--
RWF

Hmm. Did you see his shipping department?

If his average sale was $10 per item that would be 1000 packages per
month, or around thirty per day. Even at $100 per book, which is
unlikely, he'd be shipping 100 packages a month. They should know him
in the post office.

Sorry, but when I hear someone is honest, religious, and making money
with a used bookstore, I figure they're wrong on at least 2 out of 3.

Yes. His extra help is his "shipping dept". They package book orders 6
days a week 9am-6pm and take 3 of those white crates to the post office
daily. The main reason they keep the brick-mortar store is so people
bring them stock. But they also gross around $400/day in the store.

On Oct 27, 12:23 pm, "
wrote:
Hmm. Did you see his shipping department?

If his average sale was $10 per item that would be 1000 packages per
month, or around thirty per day. Even at $100 per book, which is
unlikely, he'd be shipping 100 packages a month. They should know him
in the post office.

Sorry, but when I hear someone is honest, religious, and making money
with a used bookstore, I figure they're wrong on at least 2 out of 3.Yes. His extra help is his "shipping dept". They package book orders 6
days a week 9am-6pm and take 3 of those white crates to the post office
daily. The main reason they keep the brick-mortar store is so people
bring them stock. But they also gross around $400/day in the store.

And if they weren't making any money, they would't have just signed
another 5 year lease at $3k/month. They put everything on Amazon that
people bring in. I mean every single book.

That does not make much sense. In the first
place, with the popular mass market stuff, you
don't have much chance of selling a book unless
you have the Amazon Low Price. And to have
the ALP, he would need to be selling a lot of
books for a few cents. Maybe this is one of
those cases where the dealer scapes fifty
cents between what Amazon rebates him for
the Standard Shipping Rate and what he
actually pays for postage and shipping
envelope.

That is sort of a pathetic way to
make money as a "book seller" but some
people are doing it, I guess. The dealers
I talk to don't like to list anything for less
than $5, and some prefer at least $10 with
regard to the price that makes a worthwhile
net transaction. But, then, they are
booksellers, not people trying to make a
fortune by scrounging a penny here and
a penny there per sale and running a mill
churning out thousands of sales every
month. That's not being a bookseller.
That's being a money-grubber.

I am not saying that the poster's friend
fits the bill there, but I do have a difficult time
understanding how someone "buying every
book" that is brought to him could make
any real money in relation to his investment
in time and trouble, as well as cash..

[Memo from the upstairs office.]

And he showed me the account
onlnie and from 10/1-10-14 their gross sales were around $5k.