Posted by: bookjewels on: May 12, 2009
Just read an online article from Star Tribune Minnesota
The gist of the article is complaining about the number of people who are perusing the Friends of the Library book sales with scanners in hand to buy their books for resale on the internet. They’re buying too much.
“Resellers have always been among the first in the door at community library sales, where used books donated by readers or withdrawn from library shelves typically sell for 50 cents to $1, with money raised going for library needs.
What’s new is that there are more resellers and a lot of them buy big loads of books, said Margie Schuster, Hennepin County Library staff coordinator for 26 Friends of the Library groups.
“Online sales has just gotten to be a huge, huge business,” Schuster said. “We are working hard trying to help our Friends groups figure out how to handle it.”
In some communities, library volunteers are trying to get a step ahead of resellers.
The Friends of the Edina Library, which typically makes $7,000 to $10,000 on each of its sales, displays high-quality fiction and special books on separate tables with prices set slightly higher”
Now I have to admit I can be sensitive about this sort of slanting on “the scanner monsters” as some booksellers would refer to any book seller who uses an electronic device to help them know what inventory to buy. It would seem that us resellers aren’t wanted at the book sales. However, reading the above paragraphs makes me wonder why there is even a question in the volunteers’ minds over “allowing” us resellers to come to their sale.
I sell books online. I would not complain about either of the writer’s statements I bold typed above if my customers (and ahem, booksellers are customers, too) were the first in my shop to buy huge amounts of books. Hey, my money would be made for the whole day before
11 a.m. from those loyal and big buying customers. I might even have to consider whether I should take the rest of the day off if I had such a run on my books!
This is a problem?! First in the door and buying lots of what you are selling?
I thought we were in a recession and we should be pleased with the mere possibility that we can raise any funds at all in this economy. I know here in NY I can safely say the booksellers fund at least 25% of the proceeds the Friends raise. Would you be willing to lose 25% of your revenue because you just don’t like the booksellers buying from you?
What do you think? I’d love to hear your perspective as both a shopper at the book sales and a reseller. Should the library volunteers sneer at good hard earned money flying into their coffers even if it is from a low life bookseller who wants to take their time, money, energy, and years of knowledge and experience to sell the same book online for more?
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September 27, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I wonder if the problem is mis-identified in the article you quote — it’s not the number of resellers, but the number who tear through the books like a tornado, not really caring about the books, but merely what they can make money from. Thus, if they can’t make money on a book, it is worthless to them. I find that I get annoyed whenever I see a scanner (I don’t use one, preferring to enjoy my experience rather than make a full time living off of it) because too often these people take up the entire aisle, or (worse) leave the books in such a state that I have to re-arrange them even to see what’s there. (And it’s worth doing this b/c this is how I find the pre-ISBN books that I prefer.)
If libraries would curb bad behavior, then I think they could appreciate the 25% revenue. After all, most of us know that it takes quite a while to turn around inventory and FOL sales just don’t have that manpower year round (or internet savvy volunteers).
If they can’t police their own sales, however, this 25% of their profits is driving off the rest of their sales — there are a few monthly sales I rarely check just b/c I know the scanners come through so regularly (and anything they leave will still be there next month!). I suspect this is why they get angry — not that their books are selling.