Tell me about book sales…
The book sales featured on Book Sale Scout are often run as fundraisers. Groups, such as Friends of the Library or AAUW, will collect book donations for a protracted period of time and then offer them to the public, usually at prices way below market value. The popularity of book sales has increased so much that nearly every library system, including many branch libraries, has some form of book sale. While some have just a few hundred, some sales offer upwards of 500,000 books for sale.
Book sales often start with a “preview” sale, where organizations will ask for an admission fee or membership into their organization. After this period, which could be a few hours or the whole first day, nearly all sales charge no admission fee. Prices at book sales vary, but often start highest on the first day and work progressively down. Some sales may offer a “bag” or “box” sale at the end of the event, which really excites bargain hunters.
This makes used book sales a great place for bargain hunters, booksellers, and book collectors alike to get books. With the boom of the online bookselling industry, the number of “book scouts” has increased dramatically. Many people are leveraging the power of sites like eBay and Amazon to sell their used books online. As people continue to take up this occupation, as both traditional and home-based businesses, the presence of book scouts has increased. Consequently you will often find, at the beginning of most sales, long lines and crowded aisles.
As you consider which book sales to attend, think a minute about the community served by the organization whose sale it is. For example, if you’re looking for a dozen new Danielle Steele books, the local university library may have less choice than your branch library. The market of the library often dictates the genre and quality of the books.
In any event, you will most certainly find book sales great fun. Nothing beats the thrill of finding a good bargain. Be sure to report back to Book Sale Scout your comments on the sale and rank it using our star ranking system on the sale’s individual webpage.
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