book store
 

hi all,

i have been reading about people opening bars, restaurants, cafes, offering painting services, plummbing, electricity etc etc.

has anyone opened a Used Book store, or know of anyone who has done it? Did it work?

nicks

Re: book store
 

There's one in Vejer I think.

Re: book store
 

Hi bil,

would you by anychanse know if it gets any clients, has it been around a long time? I am on the other side of the atlantic (central america), so its kind of hard to check it out.

Want i want to know, is if there is a need/intrest for used book stores in general among the expats comunity?

thanks

nick

Re: book store
 

There's a popular and successful (AFAIK) used bookshop that serves my area. Been in existence for 4 years, under the same ownership, so more successful than any of the expat bars!
It also sells greetings cards, magazines, some new books and, since moving to bigger premises, has an internet cafe. It works on the basis that you get half your money back when you return a book. Prices typically 2.50€ - 4.00€ per used paperback.

Re: book store
 

I live in France and in my nearby town in the South, there's an English girl at the weekly market with a good-quality second-hand bookstall, + decent greetings cards. She does about 5 different markets a week and seems to be earning her living. She buys books for 1 € and quite often I give her books in exchange for English birthday cards.:)

Re: book store
 

What does she charge for the books she sells?

thanks!

nick

Re: book store
 

They tend to be on the markets everywhere

You can buy a paperback for 4 euros or thereabouts, and when you've read it you can return it and they give you 2 euros off your next book, and so on and so on
You can also sell you're old books to them

Re: book store
 

Where I am they are usually 1 €, there is a dog refuge stall that does them 3 or 4 for a € as they are all donated to them.

Re: book store
 

Well, it apears that there is a market for second hand books. Question is, can one make a deasent living out of it, like making around 1300 euros a month, net. If the average book is sold for 3.50 euos, then i would have to sell at least 600 books a month... or about 23 books a day.

nicks

Re: book store
 

Double that if you're refunding half the money when a book is returned.
ooops, looks like you took that into account?! Unless by net you meant after overheads...

Re: book store
 

yep, i figure including rental, buying books etc, i would need to sell about 60 books a day. I dont think thats doaable, it would have a location with tremendous amount of people walking past, and i was thinking about the Torrevieja area. Hmmmm this is complicated :confused:

n

Re: book store
 

You will struggle to get 600 @ 3.50 a book a month, what about buying stock and pitches price.
You will also need licences for proper markets.

Re: book store
 

I would buy the books used in bulk, not new, so the licenses for the books is not a issue. i would need licenses for having a business. The books in bulk come out to about 1 euro each, incl shipping.

nick

Re: book store
 

I was going to say that you have to pay the Municipalité a fee for a market pitch here. I can find out how much, if you want, but this is France, not Spain. My bookseller charges about 3,50€ for a book, so makes a profit of 2,50€ when making an exchange. I'll leave it to you to calculate whether it's a feasible option in the long run, bearing in mind that it's not fine all year in the south and my bookseller missed four weeks running because of constant bad weather this Spring.:blink:

Re: book store
 

Hi DMU,

this would be in spain where the laws are difrente.

Also, i would have a actual shop/store, not using markets, because like you say, a few rainy days, and there are no sales, since no one goes to the market.

thanks for the feed back, releay apriciate it.

nicks

Re: book store
 

I would think very seriously about this.

I love books and have maybe 1500 :ohmy:

I just like being surrounded by them, and have often thought it would be an ideal 'job' for me- BUT- when a (and I must admit good, with it's well done website etc) bookstore opened in Lloret de Mar a few years ago, response has been extremely slow.

I now work putting PCs (pay as you go) in bars, cafes etc, and I thought the bookstore would be an asset to the shop and earn us a few euros as well.

Not so.

The owner of the shop is quite closed and not the best seller in the world but I also found it interesting that on coming across a second hand bookshop in Barcelona he had exactly the same complaint that people will bring 5 books in to do an exchange for 1, which is not good because you get 5 books nobody wants and have lost a 5€ sale and do not earn a cent.

I don't recommend it- I think it must be done as a labour of love rather than to make money, and is not even viable to combine with internet, as I found out to my loss- I thought it would be a good idea.

BTW, the shop here also sells greetings cards, secondhand DVDs etc. :(

Re: book store
 

Hi Diana,

thanks for your input. its like you say, people come in with 5 books, and if you are lucky they walk out with one, so you loose money.

i know a guy in Quito, Ecuador. What he does is that he will not accept any book, people bring in., he is very picky, he only accepts new books, or famous authors. He does buy the books in bulk from the US.

It seams that this kind of business works, fine in some countries and in other not, even when both have a lot of expats, or others who read english books.

n

Re: book store
 

Hi again,

It obviously depends abit on where you are.

Some bars here have a book exchange which is fine if you want to swap a Jackie Collins for another- but even they have too many books and end up putting them in the bin!

My local shop has a good variety of non-fiction stuff, but sod's law, they never have just what I am looking for and it is so easy and cheap to order of Amazon and get exactly what you want.

It is a shame but I think the day of the secondhand book store has gone :(

Re: book store
 

Well, the idea sounded good at the time. Just have to move on to the next one..

Hows the bar business treating you?
have read/heard horror stories from all over the costas about people buying and loosing all there savings from a bad bar investment, or lack of knowlage, or both.

nicks

Re: book store
 

Nicks-

I think it is the same as everything else these days, think of something a bit 'niche' or basically think of something you know about.

I know of car mechanics who have left the UK and tried to be bar owners at the age of 50.
I mean they could have earned a good living being a freelance car mechanic, without having to rent a garage or anything- just by becoming self-employed and letting it be known among the expats they fix cars.

If business is slow, well, one could advertise a class e.g- "easy car maintenance for women" - must be loads of expat ladies who would go just for the fun/social thing and it would also be great to learn how to change a flat without a man around.

That is only an example of course, but rather than look at what business might work, I would first ask "What do I know something about?" and go on from there.

To you it might seem unimportant, maybe you know a bit about PCs but think it is a saturated market?
But expats would generally far rather deal with someone who speaks their language. Some may say thats wrong but it isn't- if there is a Spanish guy who is a whizz at fixing PCs in Camdem, believe me, all the Spanish expats in London are going to call him before going to the English chaps:))

I would first make a list of your talents- even talents that are not obvious in the UK could be valued here.

Re: book store
 

Thanks for the advice Diana, i will keep it in mind for if/when i move over there.

nicks

Re: book store
 

Hi Nicks,

I notice that you asked about books first and then bars.
Why not combine both?
We go regularly on holiday to Mexico (Pacific coast) and there is a company that is called "A page in the Sun". This is usually a coffee shop where you can buy second hand books. The books are being stamped and you can take stamped books back (other books are not taken) you get your next book at a lower price. You can also drink coffee and read books there and buy them if you like them.

The place is usually packed, and books come regularly back.

Just a thought.