6 Ways to Get Books (and Anything Else) Cheaper Than Retail
- Grab Clearance Items and Ask for Discounts and Freebies: I walked into our local health store in late 2008 and saw about 150 diet books on a table for $1.00 each (hardback, with a publisher's price of $18.95). I asked the manager if she would consider donating a few to my nonprofit organization. The manger said she just wanted them out of the store and gave the entire lot to me – for free. She did not even want a tax receipt!
- Businesses That Downsize Eliminate Inventory – Cheap! When a national book seller moved to a new location they did not want to cart all their books in stock. One month before they moved they marked every book in the store down by 90%. It was more expensive for them to move and inventory the books then to just get rid of them.
- Take Advantage of Distressed Businesses: When our Joann Fabric store went out of business I waited until the last day (a risky business ploy) to approach the manager of the firm hired to liquidate the business. I offered her $100 to take more than $10,000 in merchandise off her hands and she said immediately said yes.
Much of the merchandise (like 500 zippers and hundreds of items no one else wanted) will be a stretch for me to figure out what to do with. But I also gleaned a gold mine in patterns, books, fabric, and other highly marketable items – and they were all new.
Besides, what business woman could resist buying so much for so little?
- Go to Estate Sales: Chances are you can pick up books and entertainment media in bulk for pennies on the dollar.
- Go to Yard Sales: Yard sellers are often eager to get rid of unsold items towards the end of a yard sale. Do not feel guilty about offering pennies on the dollar for yard sale items – this is business.
- Better World: If you need a few higher end books to sell, but do not have a retail license to get them wholesale, try Better World. This organization raises money for global literacy and offers free shipping for any order in the U.S. They offer “Brain Bin” rates (5 titles for $15) on many popular hard and soft cover books. You will not make a lot of money reselling them, but it is an economical means to build your stock because there are no minimum quantities to purchase.
Related Articles:
- 7 Steps to Start an Online Used Bookstore for Less Than $100
- Start a Used Book Store for Less Than $100
- Business Startup Ideas During a Recession - Why Start a Used Book Store
- How to Get Used (and new) Books for Free!
- How to Get Books (and anything else) Far Below Retail Cost
- Why You Should Start a Business Now - Even in a Recession
