Second-Hand Bookshops in Britain: 2024 Report(wormwoodiana.blogspot.com) |
Second-Hand Bookshops in Britain: 2024 Report(wormwoodiana.blogspot.com) |
Periodically the commercial real estate market sags, and it is some years before it picks up again. An owner can be caught between the end of the leases and the rebuilding. In these cases, a charity bookshop is probably not a bad tenant. It is unlikely to disturb neighboring properties with noise or litter. It will probably not start a fire, as squatters have inadvertently done in a vacant block downtown.
And I really don't think that in a large city this is unlikely to distort the market. I haven't counted the vacant storefronts within five blocks either way of the current Carpe Librum at 14th and I NW, but there are quite a few.
Charity shops benefit the shoppers and the donators, who benefit from how easy it is to get rid of their stuff, compared to the alternatives that are time consuming or difficult.
Their model was, you give us a book, we give you $0.50 off a single book purchase. All books are $1. So if you gave them 25 books, you would get $12.50 in credit, but can only use $0.50 per book you bought. So you still end up giving them a profitable transaction. And most people didn't use credits to buy their books, they went in, and bought 10 books after perusing for an hour or so.
It's such a good concept, I'd like to try it some day in an area where there is enough of a population within an hour that it makes sense.
It would be good if it was extended to organisations like CIC however.
Local authorities want to see more diverse and vibrant high streets, but they're economically reliant on charity shops - local government collects and spends business rates, but central government funds the rates relief that charity shops receive. They simply can't afford to offer rate relief to other tenants who might use that space to build a more valuable business, because the tax system has distorted everyone's incentives.
In many towns, charity shops are visibly crowding out other kinds of retail. The relief for charities props up landlords and local authorities, taking away the urgency to reform the system and take steps towards a more sustainable future for declining high streets.
The new government are finally talking about fundamentally reforming the business rates system, but it's happening at least a decade later than it should have done.
https://www.cbi.org.uk/articles/the-path-to-business-rates-r...
That said, I still visit professional shops rather more than I should (it depends on the shop.)
Of course charity shops are cheaper, that's part of the appeal, but I have more success in them because they are less discerning.
Over the years I've acquired a LOT of books, so now I tend to limit myself more. Mostly I now collect science fiction, with an emphasis on work pre 1970. These were made cheap, and are usually in "poor" condition now.
Professional shops won't shelve them, whereas charity shops will, so I have more success there.
It also mentioned, at the end, the trend I'd noticed for schools, supermarkets and others to have places to trade second hand books for free.
Ie, even when buying a new book today I’d rather pay $1 or $2 more in price on good paper that won’t turn yellow in a few years, but it seems most publishers aim for the lowest common denominator on shitty paper.
I’ve had some general luck with hardbacks being more robust but it’s not always the case.
Just seeing if you had thoughts on book types or publishing houses with the best paper that has lasted over the years.
Thats mostly paperback novels.
Stuff that was printed cheap in the 30s and 40s (ie "pulp" fiction) is taking strain now - which is to be expected.
Books I got as a child seem yo be I fine condition, despite a lot of rough handling at my hands, and my kids hands.
One thing I enjoy is when people get rid of their computer science textbooks. They are sometimes older editions, but can be had for less than 10% of the original price. It's rare, though, so just have to keep going and take the opportunity when it arises.
what books are sold: I would like to understand the proportion of books sold by genre. Shops have a very high proportion of thrillers and crime novels.
likelihood of donation: Perhaps some fans are more likely to keep books than others. In my donations, thriller & crime books are donated first, I keep my SF.
This leads to a low chance of success in finding science fiction paperback for me. I guess SF (myself included) are just hoarders.....
Of course one can find truly valuable stuff, not just books, but I never have...
If by 'other kinds of retail' you mean retail chains or department stores, then yes, the current tax regime causes them to be disadvantaged. But almost every kind of local high street company (including cafés, jewellers, newsagents, toy shops, and yes, even second-hand bookshops) is helped considerably by these tax breaks - it's not just charity shops.
There are lots of reasons why high street businesses and retail in general are struggling, but I'm confident that business rates aren't one of them.
It's a charity, how is giving them an advantage over chains that put their profits into the pockets of billionaires a bad thing?
Funny enough an acquaintance used to volunteer at one and his main income (aside from the dole) was finding the good stuff, taking it, and selling it on ebay (he was delighted when someone's old school Game Boy with original pokemon cartridges came in one day...).
There is a loss to customers because instead of knowledgeable owners, charity shops are run by volunteers of varying quality.
I know of one case (through a volunteer at a charity shop) in which someone threw out a book of 19th century prints because they "threw out all the old rubbish". That would not happen in a commercial shop. I think its less likely to happen now that there are charity bookshops that tend to take the more valuable books, but I would not say it never happens.
Most importantly, the ability to avoid paying rates reduces the incentive to let the shops out, reducing supply and raising rents. IN many cases owners would rather have empty premises than let at lower rents and removing a cost of doing so makes this more attractive. The higher rents this causes that give chains such a big advantage over the small businesses they have largely replaced.