World of Books is a small business based in West Sussex, England. Their business entails purchasing unsold inventory of used books from UK charity shops and reselling them on various online sites such as Amazon.com.[1] The company purchases books in bulk, paying by tonnage rather than paying for individual titles. Then, using custom-designed software, they evaluate each title for saleability and set selling prices accordingly.[1] According to Stephen Boobyer, managing director, "It’s a constantly moving matrix and even once listed, a book’s selling price is constantly adjusted so it matches the lowest offered by World of Books’ many competitors. “We decided not to offer the books at a cheaper price as we think we will win the sale because we donate some of the proceeds to charity,” Boobyer says. “It’s a good USP". In 2010 alone the business recycled 26 million books.[2]
The origins of the business began "when Simon and two friends (co founders Ben Maxfield and Michael Laundon) auctioned on eBay some second-hand books they had picked up at car boot sales".[3]
As of October 2009, the company had an annualized income project of ₤5 million.[1]
In 2009, World of Books won the Worthing Business Award for New Business of the Year.[4]