A pleasant and, for me, financially satisfactory visit from bookseller friends yesterday which cleared my shelves of 100 or so books, a stack of framed plates and some shelf labels. I hope they feel they have some bargains and that their booty will bring them future profit.
Naturally we talked a lot about the secondhand book trade as it is today. They work all hours, the shop is open seven days a week 10 - 5.30. M restocks her shelves, prices her cards and gifts until late into the night. B cleans and repairs his secondhand books, restocks his shelves, keeps the accunts straight, does the VAT returns and so on and so on. They work 24/7. Yesterday was a day out for them and therefore a real busman's holiday. Though they haven't yet had to go down the internet selling route they're bracing themselves and have been looking into the best ways of so doing. Personally I think Amazon takes a lot of beating for cheapness and simplicity but I learnt about a new web-site which creates a web page for the seller that sounds promising. A route I may go down.
These contacts with other booksellers always sway me in my determination to be retired. My enthusiasm for the trade, frustrating as it can be these days, renews. I'm anyway considering re-opening the shop for a month or so across the summer to sell stock at reduced prices and pull in some pocket money... swithering because of the need to occupy Sandy once the holidays come, but then there's friend who might shop-sit ... .
Oh dear, decisions, decisions. Nothing is clear at the moment. For the moment I will bank my cheque and go have some fun looking for a birthday present for my ex-husband's wife (she must be a sort of sister-in-law, I think I'll call her that.)
6 comments:
I am so happy that I have met Paul Hughes and been able to sell stuff at the "book and map" sales at Tennants in Leyburn in North Yorkshire. Please google them and get on to him.
The Toad emailed him after the last sale to try to claim stolen property had been sold!!! I told Paul to email back and invite the Toad to get the police onto it straight away. They seem to be taking their time.
Cheers Gillian
Here's another bit of news from "down here". Bumped into Linda Vokes in the bank the other day in Darlo. She is hopeful that someone is looking into buying the place so that they can go to Harrogate. I must admit that it is a wonderful shop location for anything.
Well aren't I a gossip!
cheers Gillian
The cheekiness of Toad takes ones breath away. He really thinks he's a clever clogs doesn't he? Actually he was a bit of a twerp (I think that's an Essex word for idiot) to try it on. He should be trying to stay clear of the Law, being on probation and all.
P.S well done with the sales.
Are the Vokes your source of detective fiction? Will they still have a shop or will the stock be taken over too?
I didn't have time to check out the probable move of the stock too. I think that things are still very nebulous but Linda semed animated and hopeful.
Cheers Gillian
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