Bookshop.org launches new second-hand book scheme with Zeercle

Bookshop.org has launched a second-hand book scheme that allows customers to exchange their pre-owned copies for store credit which can be used on the platform. The buy-back service is called "Bookloop" and is run in partnership with Zeercle. W H Smith partnered with Zeercle to launch a similar service last year.

Customers are able to scan their books and are offered a price for them. They then arrange for the books to be collected from their home, or dropped off at a DPD pick-up point, and receive store credit to use on new books within a few days.

Bookshop.org will not be selling the second-hand books on its platform as part of the scheme and will continue to offer only new books. Instead, Zeercle will sell the pre-owned copies through online marketplaces, excluding Amazon-owned and operated websites.

The aim is that authors will also benefit from this new service, as Zeercle will offer them a percentage of the pre-owned book sales through an arrangement with the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) called “Bookloop by Bookshop.org for Authors”. Accumulated royalties will initially be distributed through a shared author fund that will be reviewed from March 2025.

Mark Thornton, UK bookshop partnership manager at Bookshop.org, said that “the pre-owned economy is really booming at the moment” and second-hand books are particularly popular with younger readers. This presented a new opportunity for the bookselling platform to launch a scheme that could help support independent bookshops and authors in new ways, while also offering something new to customers.

Responding to online book trends has been central to Bookshop.org’s model from the beginning. The platform was launched during the pandemic, but it was not started specifically to address the closure of physical bookshops. It was being developed for years before Covid-19 struck in response to changing online book-buying habits. “So, our whole mission, our whole raison d’être, is to look at trends and behaviour, how the online book world is evolving and how we can best support independent bookshops,” Thornton explained.

There is scope for indie bookshops to get involved with the scheme in the future, but it will be solely run online by Bookshop.org and Zeercle to start with. “We wanted to walk before we could run, to see whether the market is there [before involving booksellers],” Thornton said.

“By giving books a second life, we are not only reducing waste but also fostering a community of readers who value sustainability and support independent bookshops,” commented Eric Gagnaire, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Zeercle. “This initiative is a win-win for both the environment and the local economy.”

The SoA’s chief executive Anna Ganley added: “At a time when authors, like independent bookshops, are under so much pressure through technology and changes in the way books are bought and sold, we’re excited to see how authors will benefit and hope it will strengthen the connection between authors and bookshops.”