I recently did something I’ve never done before. I found a source for antique leather-bound books in France and bought about 130 books from them! It was an interesting process. First, I messaged them in English. I got a reply in French, which I threw into Google Translate. We went back and forth like this until we agreed on terms, and then I ordered the books.
When they arrived, I was excited to share the unboxing on Instagram and am now working on getting them all bundled and listed.
My hopes with this experiment are simple: to make my money back and then some. It cost a lot of money to source these books but they are very special and will hopefully be sold at a premium. I’d be very happy to continue to expand my offerings of more antique titles in this way, as these are much harder for me to find in my day-to-day sourcing locations. And everyone loves French books!
Based on this experiment, I decided it was time to have a category under Book Bundles for Antique Leather Bound sets. Here’s to more in the future!
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SHOP ALL BOOKS IN THIS VIDEO HERE.
]]>Hi friends!
If you are on my Secret Sale email list, you have probably seen the new project I started that allows me to share books I've found around the web while shopping for inventory. Many of these books are not a good fit for the shop because of budget, subject, etc. But they ARE perfect for someone, and I found myself wanting to share them with you even though they aren't from my shop.
After creating a few newsletters that featured just these types of books and getting great feedback, I decided to turn this into a separate newsletter called Book Hunt.
Each newsletter will feature old and new books that I've found from all over the web, from auction sites to discount book sellers to Facebook Marketplace and beyond. Join me as we travel all over the web finding great books at great prices for your home library!
You can join this list here or click the image above!
Jess
]]>Welcome! Today I’d like to walk you through the process of shopping a Pretty Old Books Secret Sale. These sales are where I sell all the individual vintage, out-of-print, and antique books I find that don’t belong in a decorative book set. I tend to sell a lot of children’s books (fiction and nonfiction), cookbooks, and nonfiction, but I also sell classic literature, field guides, and whatever else I can find that I think you will love.
Make sure to watch the preview videos. I assume that you understand the condition of all books in the sale and do not include any condition details in the Google Photos album.
Once you receive the email or text that a sale is open, click through the link to the album and comment on the books you want. You will need a Google account to comment on the photo album. Most people just say “me”, “mine”, “claimed”, or something like that. Things go fast, so make sure you set an alarm when the sale is set to start (or sign up for text alerts).
You can see in the album if someone has left a comment on a book, so it’s always clear what is available. You are welcome to comment “backup” if you want to be second in line in case the first buyer falls through. If there is a backup claim on a book and the first buyer does not pay for their books within 24 hours, I cancel the order and move on to the next buyer. Almost ALL my customers are very diligent about paying on time or contacting me when there is an issue.
Once a sale is over (they usually last 2-3 days), I will add up all your claims and create your order. Your order will show all the books you purchased and the shipping amount (free shipping over $35). I will send you a link to your order via email. Through that link, you can complete the checkout process on the website.
Earn and Use Loyalty Points
Pretty Old Books has a Loyalty Points program. You earn 1 point for every dollar spent and can use those points toward free shipping, free products, or to directly pay for your purchases! You can find the loyalty points program and check your balance on the lower right corner of the home page.
Here is a very short video walk-through on how to shop a sale:
I hope this post makes it clear how easy it is to shop with Pretty Old Books. This set-up is fast and easy for me, which allows me to sell these books to you at a very affordable price!
If you have any questions, I am happy to chat! Look for the Chat button on the bottom right of the home page or email me: jess@prettyoldbooks.com.
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