Readers, authors and independent booksellers are set to benefit from a secondhand buy-back book scheme, billed as a ‘sustainable alternative to Amazon’
A buy-back scheme for used books has launched, via which readers can trade their unwanted copies for online credit or more pre-loved novels.
Bookloop is being pitched as a sustainable alternative to Amazon, which Bookloop organisers say can be pricey for both buyers and sellers. It comes from Bookshop.org, an online platform for indie booksellers that first launched in 2020 and has since raised £3m for UK independent literary stores.
Customers can scan and upload their books to an online valuation system, then drop them off at a DPD collection point or have them picked up from their own home, in exchange for site credit to be used on new Bookshop-stocked titles.
Bookloop is being run in partnership with existing buy-back book platform Zeercle, which already operates across France, the UK, Germany, Austria and Sweden, and processes more than 10,000 books per day.
Through Bookloop, Zeercle sells customers’ traded-in titles through online marketplaces that explicitly exclude Amazon-owned and operated websites. Readers must sell at least £5 worth of books to take part. Eric Gagnaire, co-founder and CEO of Zeercle, said: “By giving books a second life, we are not only reducing waste but also fostering a community of readers who value sustainability and support independent bookshops. This initiative is a win-win for both the environment and the local economy.”
One independent UK bookseller that’s joined the scheme is Bookbag, based in Exeter. Founded by Charlie and Malcolm Richards in December 2020, they describe it as “a social space” that stocks a global range of fiction and non-fiction writing.
“We’re glad to see Bookshop.org set up this scheme, which feels well-thought-through and a great way of repurposing books, and helping sustain bookshops and new book purchases,” Charlie told Positive News.
“At Bookbag, we’re mindful of the book life cycle and like to see books being widely shared and re-read. We encourage our customers locally to donate their pre-read books for our secondhand bookshelf, and we use these funds to support our event programme, including our open mic poetry night,” she added.
Though Bookshop will continue to only sell exclusively new books, Nicole Vanderbilt, its managing director, said: “This will still bring a benefit to independent booksellers, boosting sales that will help them gain extra commissions, while ensuring the secondhand books don’t end up on Amazon.”
Closing the loop on getting pre-owned books to new readers while benefiting both bookshops and authors feels extremely positive
Authors are also set to benefit from the scheme, as an agreement with the Society of Authors and ALCS means royalties accumulated from these secondhand book sales will be redistributed via a shared author fund.
Reception to the news of the launch hasn’t been universally positive however. Some secondhand booksellers have raised concerns about how many books will actually be sold on to readers through Bookloop. Patrick Kelly, owner of Bookmongers in Brixton, told the Guardian that most secondhand books should be recycled. “They are either no longer relevant, overly produced or are left in bad condition,” he said.
In response, Bookshop.org said that only 2% of books sold to Zeercle end up not being resold. Most of the excess books are donated to local charities, with less than 0.5% recycled, they said.
Another independent bookshop co-founder, Amber Harrison of FOLDE in Dorset who welcomed the launch of Bookloop, made the point that independent bookshops have led the way in retail when it comes to sustainability, “from being more environmentally responsible to reducing waste.
“Closing the loop on getting pre-owned books to new readers while benefiting both bookshops and authors feels extremely positive,” she added. “It’s a really sustainable way of getting books into the hands of more people, without cost being a barrier.”
Main image: Charlie and Malcolm Richards, owners of Bookbag independent bookshop in Exeter. Supplied by Bookbag
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