Used Book SalesUsed Book SalesIn Connecticut 2009In Connecticut 2009

Presented by:Presented by:

Carl W. NawrockiCarl W. Nawrocki

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 2

USED BOOK SALES

• According to 2009 FOCL Directory– 72 planned used book sales in CT– 276 used book sale days

• 52 Friends groups responded to the survey

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 3

Other Characteristics

• Admission Prices– About one-half of the groups reporting have preview or early admissions

fee

– Half of the book sales charge $ 5 and the remainder from $ 10 to $ 20

• Length of Sale– One-half of the book sales are for a single day– Another third are for two days– 3-day and 4-day sales make up 10%– The remainder are greater than 4 days

• When– Saturday is the most popular day for a book sales followed by combinations of

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday– Some sales are for an entire week

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 4

Categories

• Generally, the larger the number of books, the more categories

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4 5 6 10 12 13 15 20 25 26 30 40 44 45 50 60 70 72 80 90

Number of Categories

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FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 5

Hardbound Fiction Prices

3

11

2

19

1

0

5

10

15

20

$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $7.00 $8.00 $9.00

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36 surveys gave a single price

• $2 is most common

$10

11 surveys showed a range of prices

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 6

3

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3

19

1

0

5

10

15

20

$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $7.00 $8.00 $9.00

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Hardbound Non-Fiction Prices

• $2 is most common

• 8 surveys showed a range of prices

• Wider ranges

$10$25

$20

$1,000

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 7

1

5

22

3

9

0

5

10

15

20

25

$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00

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Trade Paperback Prices

• $1 is most common

• 4 surveys showed a range of prices

• 21 groups priced trade paperbacks higher than mass market paperbacks

$3

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 8

7

23

12

0

5

10

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$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50

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Paperback Prices

• $0.50 is most common

• One group charges 3/$1 and there are a few ranges even here

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 9

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$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50

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Children’s Prices

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1

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5

10

15

20

25

$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00

Fri

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s Hardback

Paperback

• $0.50 is most common

• One group charges $0.35 and another charges 3/$1

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 10

DVD Prices

• $2.00 is most common

• One group charges $0.75

1

9

19

2

8

02

46

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1618

20

$0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00

Fri

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FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 11

Other Items for Sale

• Most Groups– DVDs, CDs, Videos, records, games

• Less Common Basket raffle Magazines Puzzles Mugs Christmas items Flea market / Tag sale Stuffed animals

Book bags Tee shirts Bookmarks Plants, herbs, and flowers Note cards Decorative tiles Magnets Historical prints

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 12

Bag Sales

• 38 Groups reported bag sales

• Two-thirds – Last day(s) dedicated to bag sale– Half of these are on Sunday

• One-third– Conducted during the last couple of hours of a sale– Transition to bag sale by announcement and signs– Bags are handed out by the staff

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 13

Per Bag Prices

• $5.00 is most common

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$1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $7.00 $8.00

Fri

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FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 14

Leftover Books

• Sell– About one-half of the groups sell leftover books to a wholesaler

– Pro Quo Books is the most often used

• Donate– Goodwill gets most donations– Other possibilities: clinics, hospitals, other Friends groups,

schools, retirement homes, traveler restaurants, and GOT books

• Retain– Selected books for Friends Bookstore, Friends shelf/cart, online

bookstore Discounted sales?

November 14, 2009 FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 15

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

Profit by # of Books in Sales

< 5000 5000 – 9999

10,000 – 19,999

100,000+

20,000 – 30,000

50,000 – 80,000

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 16

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

Profit by Population Served

< 5000 5000 – 9999

10,000 – 19,999

50,000+20,000 – 49,999

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 17

Questions

• Pre-Sale– How do you price books?– What do you do with rare/valuable books?– What publicity is effective?– Do you reach out to dealers?– Where do you sort and/or store books?

• During the Sale– How do you handle dealers using scanners?– How do you handle dealers who are too pushy?

• After-Sale– ?

Q and A

FOCL Workshop – Used Book Sales in CT 19

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