The demise of the second-hand bookshop

Re:The demise of the second-hand bookshop by billfruit on Monday August 24, 2020 @12:17PM (#24262111)

Perhaps that is somewhat of a romanticised view or may have been different in your country. I usually found that 2nd hand bookstore staff are usually the cheapest labour they could find, and hardly knew the real worth of most of the stuff they were selling.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The demise of the second-hand bookshop by smoe on Monday August 24, 2020 @02:48PM (#24264009)

I romanticised by implying that all the stores are like that.

My experience is mostly from Switzerland where I grew up and Colombia where I have been living the last 5 years.

In Switzerland pure 2nd hand, non antique shops in general are somewhat rare. It is usually sold directly online or in places run by charities. I think 2nd hand had a bit of a resurgence with the raise of the hipster subculture, but don't know the current state. The ones I went to had a mix between used and new or only new.

In Colombia you get a bigger range from the big, cheap labor second hand book stores as you describe, to the small super personal ones. Here is also where for the first time I have seen coffee service and a few tables/sofas within a bookstore. Never back home.

So yes, true, not every small bookshop you walk into will be like that, but so far in every city I have stayed a couple weeks in in Europe and LatAm, I found at least one.

[ Parent | on HN ]