IOBA Standard - Current Stats for Used Book Market

Current Stats for Used Book Market

By: Susan Siegel
bookhunterpress@earthlink.net

Publishing statistics on the used book market can be a dangerous job as the numbers keep changing and it's not always clear what is being "counted."

With these caveats, as of October 2003, the Book Hunter Press database of United States used book dealers showed the following breakdown of dealers by region and type. The footnotes offer a brief explanation of what is and is not included in the figures.

How are these numbers arrived at? By actual contacts with dealers -- not a sample survey. Book Hunter Press is continually updating its database with new listings, deletions and changes based on email, snail mail, phone and monitoring a variety of online and off line sources. We also get valuable leads from traveling book hunters that we follow up on; not every store closing means that the dealer is out of business. Sometimes, the store simply moved across town.

What do the numbers show? Depending on your outlook (is the glass half empty or half full?), it appears that the decrease in the number of open shops, the number most frequently looked at, has stabilized at 4,167 shops since reaching a peak of 4,328 shops in 2000. Yes, there have been lots of store closings -- but there have also been lots of new stores opening up. As the chart below shows, it's a very mixed picture.

Who are the new store owners? Again, it's a mixed picture. Young people as well as retirees fulfilling their dreams; owners of one successful shop opening another, people burned out from one career looking to start another, etc.

Also, contrary to some reports, not all closings are due to the Internet. Many have closed due to retirement (some dealers continue to sell online; others leave the business entirely), some when their rents skyrocketed, and many for a host of other personal reasons. And some, no doubt, because they just failed to make it financially -- again, for any number of reasons.

Given its diversity, generalizations about the used book business as a whole are extremely risky.

In addition to maintaining its dealer database, Book Hunter Press has recently undertaken a major survey of the used book market with the goal of gathering additional information about the used book market as it relates to sales. The findings of that survey should be available by the first quarter of 2004.

total dealers open shops (1) by appt mail/internet (2) antique mall

new england 893 409 239 198 48

mid-atlantic 1194 523 316 306 49

south atlantic 1050 645 146 179 80

midwest 1312 696 223 258 136

central/western 1312 878 147 222 65

pacific coast 1514 1016 227 247 25

total 7275 4167 1298 1410 403

1) Does not include 100% paperback exchanges
2) Does not include Internet dealers who have entered the business in the past few years

Copyright Book Hunter Press

Pub Date Count when published Added since publication (1) Deleted since publication (1) Current Count

New England/2nd Rev 2000 402 41 34 409

Mid-Atlantic/Rev 1997 504 121 102 523

South Atlantic/Rev 1998 594 154 103 645

Midwest/Rev 1999 728 58 90 696

Central/Western 1997 912 197 231 878

Pacifc Coast 2000 1028 93 105 1016

Total 4168 664 665 4167

1) Does not include changes in dealer status from open shop TO by appointment or mail order/Internet, or, from by appointment or mail order/Internet to open shop.

Copyright Book Hunter Press

REGION See Methodology for list of states in each region # of Dealers (1993-1996) # of Dealers (1997-2000) # of Dealers 2002 Net Change # of Dealers 1993-2002 ¹ # of Bookstores (Open Shops) (1993-1996) # of Bookstores (Open Shops) (1997-2000) # of Bookstores (Open Shops) 2002 % Change in Bookstores (Open Shops) 1993-2002 ¹

New England 774 881 892 15% 354 413 412 16%

Mid-Atlantic 915 1,160 1,182 29% 444 534 519 17%

South Atlantic 634 962 970 53% 458 622 577 26%

Midwest 1,052 1,339 1,339 27% 640 757 717 12%

Central/Western 1,270 1,270² 1336 5% 938 938 ² 907 -3%

Pacific Coast 1,361 1,500 1,479 9% 1,006 1,064 987 -2%

Total 6,006 7,112 7,198 20% 3,840 4,328 4,119 7%

1. The net difference between newly added dealers and dealers who have gone out of business.
2. Comparative data not available

Copyright Book Hunter Press

View Stats

	total dealers	open shops (1)	by appt	mail/internet (2)	antique mall
new england	893	409	239	198	48
mid-atlantic	1194	523	316	306	49
south atlantic	1050	645	146	179	80
midwest	1312	696	223	258	136
central/western	1312	878	147	222	65
pacific coast	1514	1016	227	247	25
total	7275	4167	1298	1410	403

	Pub Date	Count when published	Added since publication (1)	Deleted since publication (1)	Current Count
New England/2nd Rev	2000	402	41	34	409
Mid-Atlantic/Rev	1997	504	121	102	523
South Atlantic/Rev	1998	594	154	103	645
Midwest/Rev	1999	728	58	90	696
Central/Western	1997	912	197	231	878
Pacifc Coast	2000	1028	93	105	1016
Total		4168	664	665	4167

REGION See Methodology for list of states in each region	# of Dealers (1993-1996)	# of Dealers (1997-2000)	# of Dealers 2002	Net Change # of Dealers 1993-2002 ¹	# of Bookstores (Open Shops) (1993-1996)	# of Bookstores (Open Shops) (1997-2000)	# of Bookstores (Open Shops) 2002	% Change in Bookstores (Open Shops) 1993-2002 ¹
New England	774	881	892	15%	354	413	412	16%
Mid-Atlantic	915	1,160	1,182	29%	444	534	519	17%
South Atlantic	634	962	970	53%	458	622	577	26%
Midwest	1,052	1,339	1,339	27%	640	757	717	12%
Central/Western	1,270	1,270²	1336	5%	938	938 ²	907	-3%
Pacific Coast	1,361	1,500	1,479	9%	1,006	1,064	987	-2%
Total	6,006	7,112	7,198	20%	3,840	4,328	4,119	7%