Posted by With slower sales I don’t need more inventory so I decided not to go to my local monthly flea market yesterday. A hard decision, but a good plan. Then I broke down and went to my library book sale instead, to the bargain rooms. Somehow I convinced myself that buying books didn’t count! It can be a bit of scrum in the bargain rooms (they are wildly popular), so I waited for this aisle to clear out before I took this pic. Fifteen seconds later it was crowded again!
I never buy much, but I perused some of my fav sections and picked up a few here and there. I don’t look stuff up while I’m there. I just don’t. Kills the fun. And it’s not like this is the main part of my biz or that I’m spending much money (just $15 this trip as it turns out). If a particular book is not worth reselling, I’ll find it a new home one way or another.
So many vintage sellers ignore books as a possible source of income and I get it. I choose not to sell video games and LPs. They just don’t interest me. But as a bibliophile, selling books is a perfect fit and I have plenty of nearby sources for picking up interesting stock cheaply. Surprisingly I rarely find good books at my local Goodwill. Typically they are all in the “bestseller genre” which I can tell you are darn worthless in the resale market. I have seen one too many “Twilight” and “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”
For this book shopping trip (and most!) I was looking for:
- vintage cookbooks
- vintage religious books with limited print runs
- 1950s/60s paperbacks with lurid covers
- vintage illustrated kid’s books
- cool old atlases
- vintage illustrated medical books
- anything quirky!
I didn’t find everything I was looking for but enough to make it worth my while.
I think my best find was a 1963 Turkish cookbook printed in the UK (second impression of a 1958 book) by the defunct London publishers Andre Deutsch. It’s in really nice condition other than age-toned pages. And honestly the dust jacket is kinda groovy.
The book was just too fabulous to live behind. It details various square dances, including the calls, footwork diagrams, photos and has music scores in the book.
Of course the real question is do physical books still sell? Does anyone want them?
And the answer is yes and yes!
Here are just a few that sold this year:
- “Reflections on the Psalms” (paid $1, sold for $30)
- “Miss Lonelyhearts” paperback (paid 50 cents, sold for $20)
- “Typing for everyone” (paid $2, sold for $24)
These 1950/60s UK illustrated medical guides were a snip at $8 for the set. Sold for $125.
So I’m excited to get my “new” books listed and available.
On a separate topic it has been a strange, atypical fourth quarter for many of us who sell vintage stuff online. Normally our busiest time of the year, it’s been crickets. While it will likely pick up once people get into present-buying mode, I’m not counting on it. Still I’ll keep working till December 18th when I’ll close my shop for Christmas. I am not dealing with last-minute shoppers and folks who want you to rush orders or guarantee that they’ll arrive in time for Christmas. Done with doing that!
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
Such a strange year. Crickets for me too (compared to previous years).
Yay for books! As a fellow bibliophile, this is a great addition to the shop (and inexpensive!)
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Heather, yes really strange. I was doing quite well till September. Then October was a huge disappointment, down 60% in revenue from the previous October. (Yikes.)
The books are such a fun little part of my biz. Do you sell any? Ta, Karen
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September was pretty fantastic for me too. October was decent, but not like previous years. And this November is nothing like other years. I know there’s a glut of us, but really? The sales are so different and I don’t want to be “on sale” all the time, so I feel quite divergent and uncertain what to do.
I like the idea of books. I’ve sold maybe a handful over the last ten years, but if I can get them cheaply, since clothing sales have tanked, I may have to add some! ♥ We can do this.
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My main branch library had a book clearance sale this past weekend for the first time in a few years. Well, obviously they held off from 2020 for a while! I regret that I skipped it, sort of. Once in a while the Goodwill Outlet has bins full of old books. From the looks of donations it seems quite a few people born in the 1940s are dying, and their heirs are unloading everything. They are all 25 cents, and I did sell a fashion one for $40. But, I buy for myself. The Diamond Smugglers sounds like a great Ian Fleming mystery, but I see it’s non-fiction. “Lurid covers!” My son looks for the pulp fiction ones, more ’40s sorts.
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Wow 25 cents! When I bought the Diamond Smugglers I didn’t realize it was nonfiction! Was hoping it was fiction. Lurid covers are a hoot!
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Maybe election sadness?
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I think that and now worry about the future.
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Vintage items are so valuable. Through those items, we can tell how everything has evolved over the years.
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LOVE old books!
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Books are actually being sold more and more. At least in our country. It seems people are actually starting to read again. Anyway there are so many vintage books I’d love to have. When I search for books I actually love the used goods store that still literally have them in boxes, so no one looked through them yet.
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Despite all the e-books, I find people still want physical books too and I do okay selling quirky vintage ones.
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