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Book Buying

Has anyone had success generating book-buying opportunities from a website?

Message 1 of 21
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Book Buying

I've had some luck putting up adverts on CL stating that we buy books.  For every good lead, I filter through 20 or 30 offering 10 year old text books, encyclopedias, copies of The Torch is Passed and the like.

 

Those good leads still make it worthwhile.

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Message 2 of 21
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Book Buying

I've had some luck putting up adverts on CL stating that we buy books.  For every good lead, I filter through 20 or 30 offering 10 year old text books, encyclopedias, copies of The Torch is Passed and the like.

 

Those good leads still make it worthwhile.

Message 2 of 21
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Book Buying

I go to Public Libraries in my area whenever they have used books sales and buy from them.

Message 3 of 21
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Book Buying

Do you mean having your own dedicated website?  

 

I have tried to sell books through Craigslist in the Chicago metro region with over 10 million people and I could not get a single response for very nice and rare books or low end cheap books.

Message 4 of 21
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Book Buying

A buddy of mine (now deceased -- thinkin' bout you, Mark!) created his store inventory by inserting an ad into dozens of  those free shopper's weekly newspapers that remain popular in small towns.  His ad was simple -- he would offer his services FREE to ANYONE who needed to clean out their attics, basements, garages or barns, and so on -- as long as they gave him a meal, and allowed him to keep ANYTHING that the owners decided to throw out.  Mark was ideally looking for old books and magazines (and he found THOUSANDS); but he also made a fairly good living on old sports equipment, tools, machine parts, toys, etc.  And he was a well-respected book dealer for over 35 years.

 

Can it be done today?  Why not?  So long as you don't mind hard work and no pay -- then go for it!

Message 5 of 21
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Book Buying

Before I did this for a living, I had a website, selloldpaper.com, that very specifically described what I was looking for as back then I steered clear of commodity books and now actual books are a very small percentage of what I sell.  With no SEO assistance, after a couple years it was generating around 20 leads a week, 99.99% of which were terrible, as nobody read the page that said what we don't buy.  I ultimately created a macro so that in one key stroke I could thank and decline the offers for dictionaries, bibles, encyclopedias, text books, etc.  The domain now points to my business site, but I am probably going to let it lapse.

 

Back then, I also had success on craigslist, as well as running an ad in a community that was demographically skewed to the elderly and had the highest consistency of good estate sales.  That ad had a much higher percentage of good leads including a couple spectacular ones, one of which was one of the "holy smokes!" experiences that led to me doing this for a living:

 

Elderly Guatemalan couple calls me out to their house of "several thousand books."  I get there and it's several thousand commodity books.  I pulled one thing to buy, a 19th century Guatemalan penal code.  Having a vague recollection that law books can be valuable when they are printed not long after an entity's creation, I asked when Guatemala first passed a constitution or something similar.  She told me and then said she had an old journal that was in her husband's law office in Guatemala and they were going to throw it out.  Another vague recollection that old journals could sell for around $100, I offered $20 even though it was in Spanish (I can't read Spanish) and they were delighted.  When I finally got around to researching it, I realized that it was the founding minute book of the political party that overthrew Guatemala's dictator in, IIRC, the 1910s or 1920s.  Thanks Google!  I went to the ABAA website, found a specialist in Latin Americana, and she sold it for around $6k, taking 25%.

 
 
 
Message 6 of 21
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Book Buying

Congratulations on your find -- that's one of the reasons that scroungers like the two of us still have dirt under our fingernails, and guano on our kneecaps!

 

Although these finds are steadily decreasing, they're still out there -- I just discovered two different used book stores (that had been in business for well over 30 years each), that are both planning on going out of business, and are both slashing the prices on their inventories in order to wither gracefully.  I've made several raids on each store during the past few months, and have walked away with some worthwhile inventory -- and always at a stupendous discount.  So check out old used book stores  (as well as antique stores) that may be on their last legs -- there may yet be gold in them thar stacks!

 

Good luck!

Message 7 of 21
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Book Buying

Appreciate all the helpful feedback, and consider all replies "accepted solutions."

Message 8 of 21
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Book Buying

Reminds me of an auction I went to near here.

Combined the contents of a book store with a collection from a comic collector.  If I had had a box truck I'd not have been able to buy everything that was for sale (or wanted to) but I did buy quite a bit.

The basic shelf stock went in 4 box lots for $5-10 so I cold leave behind much of what I didn't want to lug about.

Message 9 of 21
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Book Buying

Hello Everyone, 

Chiming in for the first time... tickled to see this active! 

Just wanted to share my experience yesterday... we have a 2nd hand store locally that I like to frequent.  It’s more like 10th hand store as most is junk but the store prices are yard sale prices! Super cheap! Gotta love that! 

Anyway to get to my story... the store does have books but they are often in boxes or stacks or under stuff.  Yesterday I took the time to dig. Really dig! As I went along I was actually stacking books properly on shelves etc ... it’s a mess! 

My digging paid off! Walked away with 2 sacks of 1st Edition books all in beautiful condition many were signed! Value: $325 at least! Cost me $6! 

Im a digger! It usually always pays off! 

I’m thinking about going back later and offering to clean up his book area in exchange for any books I wish to keep. Maybe next time I won’t have to dig so hard. Lol. 

Happy Hunting! 

Message 10 of 21
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Book Buying

I think we all agree there is more fun in the hunting of books than the selling.
Message 11 of 21
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Book Buying

I used to do book buying at yard sales, but realized thatthere was too much traveling for a relatively few gems.

 

Now I do almost all my buying at estate sales.  It helps me sleep better at night.

 

Ethical question:  If you show up at a yard sale held by a 60 year old homeowner.  They bring out grandmas book collection, either unpriced or everything is $1.00.  In the stack is a book that everybody who reads this board knows is worth $2000.00.

 

If the lady asks you to make her a fair offer, can you sleep at night if you offer her $1.00?  Same answer if the police stop by your house that night and accuse you of taking advantage of the homeowner?

 

2nd ethical question:  An experienced estate saler has a well attended sale with 100's of good condition railroad books, marked at $2.00 each.  If you know the books are worth $2.00 to $300.00, do you have any problem loading up your truck at their asking price?

 

If you return the next day and they have 50+ books that are worth reselling, do you have any problem offering $20 for the entire remaining inventory?

 

As an educated book buyer, I have a problem ethically taking a book for $1.00 from somebody who obviously has no idea of value.  I would feel a bit better if I performed a service by cleaning out the entire garage inventory, but the garage sale lady asked my opinion and I deceived her.

 

At the professional estate sale, and this happened to me a few months ago, I have no ethical qualms at loading up.

Regarding the 2nd day cleanout, I have no problems with asking for a discount as two days of the public proved maybe this last group was not worth the posted price.

 

And to those of you who know I am a lawyer, I could not and would not buy from an estate I represent.

 

So in answe to the original situation, I would rather buy where professionals set the price.  I can make more money that way.

 

 

Message 12 of 21
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Book Buying

" I could not and would not buy from an estate I represent." I agree but being a book scout-seller and not a attorney not a problem for me.

But that reminds me of an appraiser offering to purchase an item he has been asked to appraise, an infortunately common practice. 

 

Message 13 of 21
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Book Buying

Many years ago Joe offered the advice that "if asked for a fair price" you are required to offer 1/3 the perceived resale value, by law. This may be only in New York State, where he lives, but it seems good advice.

If the price is set, the ethical problem is the seller's.

We are selling our knowledge, hard earned over a long period of time. I take consignments from the FOL I work for. It took me 18 years to work myself into that position of trust.

If they hand me something--they have consigned it.
If I whisk it from the shelves, then I have the option of buying it or consigning it. Big lots I generally consign because as often as not I allow them to grow there rather than stockpile at home (where I work) until large enough to be worth my while to lug, list, shelf and pack.
If I take it after the sale is over, it is free.
If I take it from the dust bin or the freebie shelf, it is free.

My quandary right now is the 8 book Oxford Reference Library in one of the several limited Franklin editions--this one the deep navy 500th anniversary edition. It is fine condition.

But after nearly a year in my garage shelved fanned and apart from others, it still stinks.

The donor left it in the basement.

The Friends were going to toss them.

Message 14 of 21
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Book Buying

I just bought an Ozone Generator to pull out musty odors... I heard it also works great on books... I’ll let you know when I try if I had success.
Message 15 of 21
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