So Why Buy Second-Hand?

Well, it’s simple really!

It is estimated that there are around 170 MILLION books currently in circulation worldwide. New books are published in their thousands, and copies printed in their millions- And they don’t all end up being lovingly cared for on someone’s bookshelf for the rest of their lives. I will often find discarded copies of books that were released just weeks ago, as well as incredible old and rare copies of books that are sitting and rotting in someone’s unused garage. There are SO many books out there that are already in need of a new home, and the turnover is fast- Second-hand doesn’t always mean old, new books are discarded all the time! There’s nothing wrong with buying new, but there are also millions of books looking for a new shelf- Or else they usually end up being burnt, or dumped in landfill.

Here are a few stats too, just to give you an idea in clear numbers:

*“The total sales for the UK’s publishing industry reaching £6.9 billion- up 4% from 2021. 669 million physical books were also sold last year. This is the highest overall level ever recorded.”

**”While it's hard to get precise, up-to-the-minute figures, studies and reports consistently highlight the problem. A 2019 report by the environmental charity, Hubbub, revealed some shocking insights. They estimated that over 320 million books were destined for landfill each year in the UK alone.”

Sources:

*Publishers Association- www.publishers.org.uk

**www.BookBuddies.co.uk