As a secondhand book shop, the thing that really drives our business isn’t selling books—it’s buying them. That’s why we venture out almost every day—to houses, libraries, and storage units throughout New England—searching for good books and the occasional treasure. In today’s episode, we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at our book buying process, from receiving phone calls and making appointments through appraisals, offers, and, if things go well, packing up the truck. These trips keep fresh books flowing into the shop, but they’re also a little adventure: we get to see new places, meet new people, and hopefully bring back a story or two for the podcast. Join us (and our 87 specifically-sized cardboard boxes) for a journey into book buying on this fully-stocked new #brattlecast.
Brattlecast # 146 - Prepping a Book Collection
On today’s episode we’re answering a question from a listener: If you want to sell a large library, what can you do to prepare before Ken, or someone like Ken, comes to take a look? The good news is, we don’t really care how tidy or organized your shelves are, within reason—in fact, we’ve almost certainly seen much worse. Our top tip is to decide in advance what you’re keeping, and, if there’s anyone else with sentimental feelings about the collection, to involve them in the process from the start. Listen to learn more about book buying, and email info@brattlebookshop.com if you have any questions for Ken.
Brattlecast # 135 - Big Book Hauls
When people think about the secondhand book business, they rarely think about all the literal heavy lifting that goes on behind the scenes. In this episode Ken breaks down the nitty-gritty logistics of getting 15,000 books from a three-story Victorian house outside of New Haven to the shop in downtown Boston. It takes eleven trips, employee overtime for days that start at 6am, thousands of cardboard boxes, tote bags of packing tape, a second set of clothes for when you sweat through your clothes, dust inhalation, and stairs, stairs, and yet more stairs. Learn more about how it all gets done on this laborious #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #92 - More Appraisals
Today we’re talking about one of the things that the Brattle does best: appraisals! They essentially tell you how much a book or books are worth but their formality can vary widely depending on the needs of the appraisee; from a casual verbal estimate to a rigorous written appraisal that can stand up to the scrutiny of the IRS. Learn how we do it and hear about some of Ken’s all-time favorites on this extremely valuable #brattlecast.
Are you curious about the value of your own books? Feel free to reach out to us at info@brattlebookshop.com.