I mean that’s not true? If buying new is crazy cheap and very convenient via Amazon(etc) doesn’t that necessarily undermine the size of the second hand market? It certainly has for me.
Amazon lists 2nd hand books, and if you pay for Prime, you can get free shipping, I believe. However, I recommend you take a look at Better World Books, thriftbooks, world of books, discover books, second sale; each of these will sometimes sell books, new or used, below the standard prices that Amazon sets and the other high-volume booksellers follow.
There's "crazy cheap" on Amazon, and there's "crazy cheap" second hand, but there's likely an order of magnitude between them.
Annecdotally here 2nd hand books cost around $2, for recent stuff, sometimes less than $1 for age or condition. New ones are $10 - $15.
So new and 2nd-hand are not really "competing" with each other, price wise.
Yes they compete, yes there are many other factors that affect the profitability of 2nd hand stores, but I don't think price-of-new is a major factor (in a decline sense.)
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I mean that’s not true? If buying new is crazy cheap and very convenient via Amazon(etc) doesn’t that necessarily undermine the size of the second hand market? It certainly has for me.
Amazon lists 2nd hand books, and if you pay for Prime, you can get free shipping, I believe. However, I recommend you take a look at Better World Books, thriftbooks, world of books, discover books, second sale; each of these will sometimes sell books, new or used, below the standard prices that Amazon sets and the other high-volume booksellers follow.
FWIW, used books (and other items) are also sold through Amazon.
Either way, Amazon pales in comparison to the used bookstore I used to live nearby: McKay's Used Books in Manassas, VA.
Amazon the company also owns AbeBooks, a very decent and large-ish online seller of SH (and even antique) books.
There's "crazy cheap" on Amazon, and there's "crazy cheap" second hand, but there's likely an order of magnitude between them.
Annecdotally here 2nd hand books cost around $2, for recent stuff, sometimes less than $1 for age or condition. New ones are $10 - $15.
So new and 2nd-hand are not really "competing" with each other, price wise.
Yes they compete, yes there are many other factors that affect the profitability of 2nd hand stores, but I don't think price-of-new is a major factor (in a decline sense.)
Maybe it's different in the US, but second-hand books here more implies antiquarian, rare, collector, special interest, niche, not available new.
People aren't going to a second-hand bookshop to buy everyday reading that they could get new from Amazon.