Pakistan discussion

hey guys after my small business in Sunday book bazar i am planning to extend my book business online i need ideas and your suggestion what kind of service you like and what will you do if you would be in my shoe:)??

Book at door step anywhere in pakistan and cheap too

You might keep the profit margin slim and target mass sales in order to make the right profits too and give visibly cheaper service

Libertybooks and vanguard, both successful online pakistani book retailers, are out there doing a great job. Visit their website and follow their suit.

actually i need a innovative idea for book selling as i am going to sell slightly used books which are cheaper than liberty or vanguard!!! but the problem is you need to buy alot of books to start and alot of amount will be stuck in the books which are not sold i need an innovative idea for finding the out to start my online business
i sell books in a brick and mortar shop but its diffrent on online !!!

Abdul my friend, it's a terrible idea. You are investing in a dangerous commodity against people with much larger capitals. I would advise against this move, strongly! The profit margin is low as it is in books and you're looking to appeal to an elite class (internet shoppers in Pakistan) to offer a less than mediocre product (used books).

yes i respect ur opinion brother i already own a small book business how can i get it to the next level then??

I wish I could give you more expert advice. In my humble opinion, I think you should step towards franchising it. Opening up branches where there aren't any.

How small is your small business? There is a book shop near neela gunbad, in a very narrow street. That gentleman's shop is smaller than the average bathroom but somehow he makes great money because every single King Edwards student, as well as students from many many other colleges (including myself) come to him to buy their books. I could not even find his shop for two hours. Some people just have better luck than others I guess.

i think i should search a place too !!
i sell books only on sundays at frer hall !!

Abdul - why don't you start selling ebooks? There is no one in Pakistan that sells them and if you can work out a distributor deal with Amazon, Smashword, Kobo or Barnes and Noble, you could provide the same books to all the digital readers. Everyone has a smart phone or iPad nowadays.

Personally, I have been playing with this idea for a while now, but I don't want to get into the bookstore business.... just yet ;)

There already are quite a few online book distributors in Pakistan. Liberty, Kitabain, Readers corner, 786cart, and I think that book store in Lahore, Readings, also does home delivery. If you're serious about it, check them out, see how they work, talk to people who have used them.

Personally, I like the idea of the ebooks. Dunno how that'll work, but look into it.

Abdul - have done a lot of research on this, so if you are interested, get in touch outside the group.

Khalid-my number is 03008286967