Powell's Books, the huge Portland,
Ore., new and used bookstore, has long used the Internet to sell globally and become
one of the largest online book retailers. Now the company is taking the next step: it is beginning to buy used books online.
Under the program,
which has been quietly launched, powells.com offers credit, not cash,
on the titles. Sellers submit ISBNs for books that must be in good
condition, meaning that there is no underlining or highlighting,
hardcovers have the original dust jacket, no pages are torn, etc. The
site checks the ISBNs and will then either decline the book or make an
offer. If the seller agrees to the offer, powells.com pays for shipping
within the U.S. by providing a link to a prepaid "media mail" Postal
Service shipping label. (Sellers may also send the books other ways and
from around the world at their own cost.) Books must be shipped to
powells.com within a week for the price to remain valid. For now,
powells.com is buying
only used trade books online.
Powells.com will promote the program in a "heavier" way in the next
three weeks, according to Dave Weich, director of marketing and
development at powells.com. Eventually the company may also offer cash for purchases.
The key element of the project was developing the technology that
allows the site to respond immediately to the ISBN offering "looking at
what we have in stock and based on the book's sales history," Weich
said.
"We've been thinking about this for a long while," he continued. "This
is what we do so well in the stores, and to offer it online is kind of
a no-brainer. We're thrilled to extend it
into the online environment."--John Mutter