Since 1992 when we opened our first shop, Wessel & Lieberman have been ardent supporters of the Pacific Northwest book art scene.We consistently go out of our way to make sure local printers, binders, book artists and publishers have a forum and a space to show and sell their work. It is our duty as an independent bookseller to exude a strong sense of place. It is what separates us from the chain stores and the online aggregators whose only real concerns are the wrong kind of margins- profit not page.I got news a few days ago that C. Christopher...
Extra Shipping Charges – My 2 cents
Oh wait that should be 4 cents!The hot topic in the used book blogosphere is whether or not it is appropriate for a bookseller to contact a customer after a sale is completed to request additional monies for shipping.I would start with looking at the Bookseller & Payment Information link for the seller, (this is what it is called on ABE but each sales channel has it's own version)This is what we say:Shipping Terms: Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or...
Bookseller Resisters League: Book Stalls Demolished – Booksellers Resist!
Due to the changing landscape in the book world many booksellers have closed up shop recently but this story tops them all. Over 100 bookstalls were demolished in one fell swoop in the Koti area of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. The government has built new stalls for the booksellers elsewhere and when the November 4 deadline to move came and went the demolition team showed up with many book stall owners still entrenched in their stalls"The Koti book stalls besides being a landmark are popular among the students for availability of all kinds of secondhand booksPolice resorted to lathi-charge...
Good Night Zzzzzzzz Shops
It is official - Amazon has finally pulled the plug on zshops. After years of treating it like a bastard child who they wouldn't let out of the house or better yet let anyone visit the house they finally pulled the plugZ shops is where all the great books, ephemera and related material that was produced in the pre- ISBN era lived. Mind you, the ISBN system of identification was created in 1967 by David Whitaker and Emery Koltay so pretty much all original material published before 1967 was relegated to one's Z shop or better yet Book Siberia.It doesn't...
Amazon, Fulfillment and the Used Bookseller
The first chapter in Book Patrol's new biblio drama:"Are you really a bookseller?"In a new Business Week online article Jeff Bezos talk all about the advantages of their new fufillment program and then uses an unnamed marketplace bookseller as an example of the potential fruits of the service.I have no problem with Amazon offering their fulfillment services to businesses that sell their goods on Amazon and for many it is a wise and easy choice to make but for a legitimate used, rare and out of print bookseller it could be a potentially fatal mistake.First ask yourself these two questions:1....