Brick-and-mortar bookstores are able to replenish their stock on a regular basis by buying books back from their customers. As online booksellers, we don’t have this option and need to find other ways of filling our shelves. We do this by seeking out under-priced sources for clean books. In the book-buying world, this is referred to as book scouting.
Most of the time book, scouting is fun and rewarding. Nothing gets the blood pumping like finding a $300 textbook for 50 cents, or a box of good books for a few dollars. Be prepared for many exciting days that await you. There will be times when it becomes exhausting, and days when you find little and feel broken down. The important thing is that you keep looking, because that great score is probably on the next shelf. You should be prepared to spend some time each day scouting in order to maintain a steady supply of books. In this lesson, we will outline some of our most productive book scouting destinations. Try all of these sources because they will be the backbone of your scouting, but always keep your eyes open for other opportunities.
- Thrift stores
- Garage sales
- Auctions
- Library sales
- Antique malls
- Estate sales
- Used bookstores
- New bookstores
- Wholesale stores like Costco, or Sam’s Club
- Craigslist
- Ebay, Amazon,
Next lesson, Garage sales, Thrift stores, Auctions, Libary sales.
