Rare Book Monthly
Articles - January - 2006 Issue
BISG Study Shows Rapid Growth of Online Book Sales
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The BISG also asked booksellers what percent of their books were sold through the major online sites, such as Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and eBay. For those who did not have storefronts, the total was around 70%. They sold another 15% through their own websites. For those dealers with used book stores, 30% of their sales were through the major online sites, 3% through their own websites. When it came to "collectible books," those with stores said this segment constituted 20% of their business, while those without stores said it comprised 30% of their sales.
What conclusions can the used book seller draw from this study? Well, not to belabor the obvious, but if you are not yet selling online, you are missing a large market, and evidently, the only one that is still growing. New technologies can be unsettling, but if you don't jump on this train very soon, you will likely be left behind. Many traditional stores already have been forced to close their doors. You evolve or you die. Bibliophilic Darwinism is brutal and unfeeling.
You can download a copy of the BISG report from their site. Go to http://www.bisg.org and click on "Preview a summary of the findings" under "Used Books: A New BISG Study."
