Ah, the golden question! And one we get asked all the time. So, let’s spill the beans.
When we started ReadMatter—by accident, really—we were just trying to sell our personal collection of read fiction. It wasn’t meant to be a bookshop. It was just a way to clear some shelf space and make a little extra cash. But then, something incredible happened. People wanted more. They started asking for specific books, and then we started looking for those books for them, and before we knew it, we had a full-blown bookstore on our hands.
But we didn’t want to be just any used bookshop. No offense to the wonderful world of secondhand books, but we had a different vision. We wanted to be the go-to place for recent, top-quality fiction—the books you’d find at the front of Exclusive Books today but at a fraction of the price. We wanted books published in the last two to three years, and we wanted them in as-new condition.
Of course, there aren’t enough books published each year to fully stock a secondhand bookshop (trust me, we did the math), so yes, we also carry older books. But here’s what makes us different: we cherry-pick every single book. If it doesn’t meet our quality standards, it doesn’t make it onto our shelves. Simple as that.
Most used bookshops source their stock mainly from charity shops, where the quality is... well, let’s just say hit or miss. The books are often well-loved (read: battered), and finding newer releases is rare. We took a different approach. We wanted the latest books, so we went straight to the source: readers.
We reached out to book clubs and individual book lovers, offering to buy their books as soon as they finished reading them. At one point, we even stood in the parking lot of an Exclusive Books warehouse sale, handing out our card to every person walking to their car, saying, “Hey, when you’re done with those books, give us a shout—we’ll buy them for cash!” Some people looked at us like we were crazy. But you know what? It worked.
And now, we’ve taken it a step further. For all books published from 2020 onwards, we offer our customers the option to return them back to us for store credit once they’re done reading. That way, they get value out of their books, and we keep the cycle going—bringing in fresh, high-quality stock for other readers to enjoy.
Recently, a new company has emerged that specializes in buying used books in bulk from people who are moving, downsizing, or emigrating. Instead of selling directly to customers, they auction off the books to different book dealers and used bookshops. It’s a bit like those secondhand car websites where dealers bid for your car, except in this case, they make booksellers bid for the books. And here’s the thing—we routinely outbid all other bookshops to ensure we get the latest reads. Because for us, quality and recency are everything.
We don’t like to rest on our laurels, but every now and then, a little recognition reminds us that we’re on the right path. ReadMatter is currently the top-rated online used bookshop in South Africa, and we were honored to be a finalist in 702 Gauteng’s Greatest Competition for Best Bookshop. It’s an affirmation that our commitment to quality and service is paying off—but we’ll always keep pushing to be even better.
So, that’s the story of where our books come from. A mix of strategy, persistence, and a little bit of hustling in parking lots. And it’s what makes ReadMatter different from the rest.
Got another burning question? Send it in, and I’ll be happy to answer it in the next Ask Claire!
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