Start An Online Book Store - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
Bookselling is the commercial trading of out-of-print books or collectibles. If you are an avid reader or just love selling online, opening an online book store in the age of Amazon and massive retail stores can be a rewarding and fun business. You can sell books on sites like eBay, Abebooks and other high-traffic bookstores.
You can write and self-publish your own books, and sell to fans directly, or resell books by different publishers. Alternatively, you can venture into the vintage, rare or out-of-print books.
To start a bookselling business follow these basic steps:
- Find a niche and create an inventory
- Develop a book brand
- Source the books you plan to sell
- Launch and market your online store
To compete effectively, differentiate your bookselling brand and be hyper-focused. Focus on delivering a curated experience so you build a community of book lovers.
Starting an online book store requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell book selling, or selling book selling online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Key Stats
Startup Costs
Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
---|---|---|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
Inventory Expenses |
$350 |
$14,750 |
Software Expenses |
$150 |
$2,794 |
Website Costs |
$13 |
$215 |
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$0 |
$2,450 |
Total Startup Costs |
$513 |
$27,209 |
Case Studies
Successful Businesses
Business | URL | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|
Sell Textbooks For Cash |
mybookcart.com |
1,931,085 |
|
bookselleracademy |
bookselleracademy.com |
1,992,772 |
|
Zapper |
zapper.co.uk |
2,727,384 |
|
CKY Books – Sell Used Books |
ckybooks.com |
3,360,611 |
|
John K. King Used & Rare Books |
rarebooklink.com |
3,442,073 |
|
Donate Your Books |
bookdriver.net |
3,447,895 |
|
Sell textbooks online in Canada |
secondbind.com |
3,583,022 |
|
Sell the Feeling |
sellthefeeling.com |
3,678,131 |
|
Mouse Book Club |
mousebookclub.com |
3,849,150 |
|
Conundrum Publishing |
conundrumpub.com |
4,209,084 |
|
The Book House |
bookhousestl.com |
5,101,600 |
Pros & Cons
Pros | Description |
---|---|
Flexibility |
You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own. |
Ability to start your business from home |
It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning! |
Little startup costs required |
The cost to start a online book store costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 12 to 27,209. |
Rewarding work |
Starting a online book store can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about. |
Scalable |
With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers. |
Traffic to your website |
A online book store gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you! |
Cons | Description |
---|---|
Crowded Space |
Competition is high when it comes to your online book store, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies. |
Finding The Right Supplier |
Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section. |
Security Issues |
With any Saas business, data loss and security issues may arise throughout your process of building your product. It's critical that you understand exactly what you're responsible for and how to avoid potential issues down the road. |
Lack of benefits |
With a online book store, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming. |
Isolation |
Often times, as a online book store, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members. |
Taxes |
As a online book store, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it. |
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings