Charity shop find vs book shop purchase?

JJewel

JJewel

Douglas Morrison
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So what is better, the rummage through a charity pile and finding an unknown treasure or heading into a pristine book shop and finding lines of untouched books with a knowledgeable assistant?
- On that score I have discovered some amazing treasures in charity shops, like reprints of Paul Cains detective novels and early editions of EE Doc Smiths work, not to mention endless Philip K Dick`s collections.
 
I must confess that I don't visit them as often as I should, but I recently bought Neal Asher's Orbus in hardback from a charity shop.
 
I admit to rarely going in to my local bookshop because it has not one "knowledgeable assistant" that I have met. When I know more about an author or a book than the person selling it to me I worry.
As for charity shops... Not so much in the last 6 months. but in previous years I have picked up a few beautifully illustrated editions of things like The Wizard of Oz, Ben Hur and Beau Geste. They must have come from a Book Club somewhen...
 
I run a bookstore that does both new and second hand and it’s hard to tell. The new do well some days, the used others. We do curate the used ones very carefully and my husband is a magpie with an eye for a great used book - he unearths all sorts of stuff from the most unlikely places - so the bargain room is a treasure trove.
 
CupofJoe said:
I admit to rarely going in to my local bookshop because it has not one "knowledgeable assistant" that I have met. When I know more about an author or a book than the person selling it to me I worry.
As for charity shops... Not so much in the last 6 months. but in previous years I have picked up a few beautifully illustrated editions of things like The Wizard of Oz, Ben Hur and Beau Geste. They must have come from a Book Club somewhen...
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I never expect a shop assistant to be perfect on all subjects, I am a massive fan of H P Lovecraft so generally I have more knowledge than the assistant but they are good for more general advice I find as well as release dates of course. New Neil Gaiman book due out obviously so they are aware of stuff like that.
 
Jo Zebedee said:
I run a bookstore that does both new and second hand and it’s hard to tell. The new do well some days, the used others. We do curate the used ones very carefully and my husband is a magpie with an eye for a great used book - he unearths all sorts of stuff from the most unlikely places - so the bargain room is a treasure trove.
Click to expand...
We have a local charity shop with a specalist book section in the back, and it is amazing, shelves of old classics and even autographed stuff from forgotten authors, all usually for a few pounds. Still searching for an elusive signed Ted Lewis though.
So do you find more profit in the old or the new?
 
JJewel said:
We have a local charity shop with a specalist book section in the back, and it is amazing, shelves of old classics and even autographed stuff from forgotten authors, all usually for a few pounds. Still searching for an elusive signed Ted Lewis though.
So do you find more profit in the old or the new?
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we get far more profit in terms of margin from the used because a lot of them are donations and because of the said magpie’s eye. But in terms of sales through the till the new books bring in more - but they have a cost to us. We have first editions, signed, rare ones. But the sale of a bargain paperback is the equivalent profit to selling a new paperback.

we are going online in November for the new books element - yay! - with bookshop.org but I don‘t know if I’ll do the same with the bargain books - I might put up selected highlighted ones - So that will swing things more towards the new I think.
 
Jo Zebedee said:
we get far more profit in terms of margin from the used because a lot of them are donations and because of the said magpie’s eye. But in terms of sales through the till the new books bring in more - but they have a cost to us. We have first editions, signed, rare ones. But the sale of a bargain paperback is the equivalent profit to selling a new paperback.

we are going online in November for the new books element - yay! - with bookshop.org but I don‘t know if I’ll do the same with the bargain books - I might put up selected highlighted ones - So that will swing things more towards the new I think.
Click to expand...
I have my book in a few local bookshops and they all say the same thing which to be frank is depressing, that Amazon is killing bookshops. The local owner quoted me that in the UK their was 2800 shops now their is 800 left. But saying that more people are reading than ever?

And I would have guessed that the older material sold better, I always prefer a second hand book to a new, especially with the idea that often their is a treasure left behond, a scribbled note or a bookmark even something as silly as a 20 year old bus ticket stub i once found.
 
JJewel said:
I have my book in a few local bookshops and they all say the same thing which to be frank is depressing, that Amazon is killing bookshops. The local owner quoted me that in the UK their was 2800 shops now their is 800 left. But saying that more people are reading than ever?

And I would have guessed that the older material sold better, I always prefer a second hand book to a new, especially with the idea that often their is a treasure left behond, a scribbled note or a bookmark even something as silly as a 20 year old bus ticket stub i once found.
Click to expand...

Bookstores are doing well, actually with a real come back happening- we have tons of support here despite not matching prices to Amazon. Instead we focus on the buying experience. We maintain an active Facebook community, have reading nooks, run events (online only at the mo - there are a series of them on You Tube under The Secret Bookshelf, Carrickfergus) take orders, take book tokens, support local crafters and a load of other stuff that supports the local community.

We sell more new books overall - we make more margin on the used. They both support each other - many customers make a mixed sale.
 
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I love a good charity/second hand shop for book finds. Sometimes you come up with a real gem. But I also love any bookshop. I could spend hours in a good one. Sadly, I haven't set foot in either type in months.
 
I love a good charity shop mooch. I go in looking for books and CDs. One charity shop in the town has its books shelved alphabetically. I recently found a P. G. Wodehouse book there for £1
 
AE35Unit said:
I love a good charity shop mooch. I go in looking for books and CDs. One charity shop in the town has its books shelved alphabetically. I recently found a P. G. Wodehouse book there for £1
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A few years ago they republished the entire jeeves and wooster in a box set, was a great read. Although it is a toss up on watch the TV series or read the book.
 
New book stores are great and essential if there’s a particular title you need right now or as soon as possible but I’ll wander into a thrift store or library book sale without anything specific in mind just to slake my unquenchable thirst.
 
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