Preloved book industry flipping through market volatilities

Books were not directly impacted by the higher tariffs imposed by the US.

- JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

But the domino effects of US President Donald Trump's policy sent shockwaves across the global trade system, eventually hitting books.

The impact came in the form of higher shipping costs, weaker foreign exchange and shipment delays. And for Filipino businesses selling secondhand or preloved imported books, it meant a whole lot of coping.

Booksale Philippines, one of the country's largest sellers of bargain books, has embarked on multiple promotional tactics, including month-long sales, to get rid of its stocks faster.

A quicker turnaround of stocks would mean cash, and more cash would mean a better financial position instead of the books just piled up in their stores.

This October, Booksale held a month-long sale wherein at least 10,000 books were up for grabs for as low as P5 each.

Joshua Emmanuel Sison, president of Visual Mix Inc., which runs Booksale, said they could not raise retail prices right off the bat since it would dampen customer demand.

Visual Mix is in constant negotiation with its suppliers in the US and the UK to bargain for the prices of books that it buys. Booksale is also trying to move more stocks through various e-commerce platforms.

The company is also partnering with other brands to entice young consumers to read, especially printed materials.

Dealing with changes

Janijay Alonzo, COO of Bookchigo Trading Corp., admitted that the books they source from Europe have been indirectly affected by the current global trade dynamics. The impact mainly comes from higher costs of printing books and shipping fees.

For now, Bookchigo, which has become popular due to its books-by-weight (books per kilo) scheme, still absorbs whatever costs have been passed on to them by their foreign suppliers.