Tips on Starting an Antiquarian and Used Book Business

The first time I walked past the gas pumps in front of Mr. Garbaden's service station to the little library that his wife ran out of a couple of rooms in their house in Sidney Center, New York, I never imagined that someday I would make my living selling books. One thing I did know--I loved books. My passion for books grew as I grew. I read several books every week and eventually went to college to study English Literature. After I graduated from college. I began to think about the possibility of selling books.

Starting a Used and Antiquarian Book Business Requires Little Capital

I wanted to sell used and antiquarian books, partly because I loved them better than new books, but also because I knew I wouldn't need much capital to get started. Like the small library in Mrs. Garbaden's house, I began to sell books out of a couple of rooms in my house. I acquired my stock by going to library sales, garage sales and thrift stores. Most of the time, I paid less than a dollar for a book. As time went on, and I gained knowledge, I began advertising for books in local newspapers and was willing to pay a lot more for them.

The Necessity Of Networking and Trying New Sales Venues

One mistake I made during my first year was not getting out and meeting other booksellers. When I finally did, I found that almost all of them were generous with advice, and that their advice helped my business grow. I also improved my business by borrowing or buying as many books as I could on starting small businesses, especially books by successful booksellers.

After selling books out of my house for awhile, I started selling at book fairs. I also rented a bookcase at a local antique shop. Both ventures helped my business grow. I subscribed to trade publications in which dealers listed books they were trying to locate for their clients. I made frequent sales this way. I also learned a lot about the book trade from reading the articles in the publications. Eventually I rented commercial space and moved my books out of my house.

Used and Antiquarian Booksellers Must Be Flexible

Adaptability is important to any business and the book business is no exception. Internet selling has revolutionized buying and selling, and booksellers have had to adapt in order to survive. I have sold books through various sites on the internet including eBay and amazon. I now have settled comfortably into selling on four sites: abebooks, alibris, biblio and The Book Hound. The Book Hound is my own site, which was set up by Chrislands for a reasonable setup and monthly fee. I have been very satisfied with their service. Chrislands' sole business is setting up bookstores online. Because they specialize, they can produce a better product for booksellers than website developers that don't specialize in setting up bookstores online.

Through alibris, I indirectly sell through several other sites including Barnes and Noble and half.com. While I sold on eBay in the past and did well on it, I found that I preferred selling through sites that were started and run by book people, that focused on selling books, and that had high standards for those who were selling on the site.

Used and Antiquarian Booksellers Must Continue To Learn More About Their Trade

I try to gain more knowledge about the book business regularly. The internet has made learning easy. There are several free e-zines, written by experts in the business, that I subscribe to. My two favorites are AE Monthly and The Book Thinker. It is also imperative that you learn to rate the condition of books properly. If you don't learn to rate books properly, you will end up with some unhappy customers. Also, If you don't know how to price a book accurately, then I would suggest looking up your books on Bookfinder to get an idea of their true worth.

The principles that I used to get started in the book business still work today. They also can be applied to other businesses, particularly to those businesses that sell used, collectible or antique items. You can start small, with only a little capital. You will make mistakes such as paying too much for some items or buying things that seem saleable but are not. These mistakes will cost you little. If you are passionate about the thing that you are selling, it won't be long before you become an expert because you will take every opportunity to learn more about it. And you will enjoy the learning.

I have been selling books for fourteen years now. I love what I am doing and wouldn't trade it for any other job. And while I have thousands of books of my own to chose from, I still go to the library weekly to borrow more.