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TOPICS The Future on Demand: The "Print on Demand" as the future of the Philippine Book Industry |
RECTO: The Bibliophile's Heaven in the City by Cora Ana Karenina B. Evangelista It was a book lover's dream. For the longest time, the Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila has become a haven for the buy-and-sell book business. From brand new text books to second-hand novels, Recto, as what the place in commonly called, has been the place-to-be for anyone who needs or wants to buy cheap books. Nestled among the city's major universities - among them the Far Eastern University and the University of the East - the second-hand book business has been flourishing with students flocking to Recto for their scholastic needs. Virtually every kind of book can be found in Recto - that is if you know where to find them.
Books are being sold everywhere. Be it in dinky little bookstores, hole-in-the-wall shops, push carts, and even in the sidewalks. These books range from grade school to collegiate text books, from old paperback novels to hardbound coffee books. And it's not only limited to that. Magazines, journals, and newspapers, from local to foreign ones, can also be found in Recto. Unquestionably, the best thing about Recto is you can buy these literary treasures for a small fraction of the original cost. The art of buy-and-sell Letisia Hizon, 55, has been in the buy-and-sell business all her life. She even remembered helping out her parents when she was in first grade. It was an aunt who started their family in this kind of business. The JAC Bookstore, which is part of a series of stalls inside a former G. Miranda and Sons Bookstore along Recto Ave., is owned by her sister and currently manned by her brother-in-law. The second-hand book business according to Hizon is seasonal. "The beginning and the end of semesters are the times where business is good," she said. These are the times wherein people would gather in Recto to buy books. Hizon is confident that even during the semesters, the second-hand book business will prosper. "Just as long people will need books, they will come to Recto," she said. Competition is also different in the second-hand book business. "If we don't have the book people are looking for, what can we do?" Hizon said. She just tells the customers to ask the other stalls for books. Sometimes, however, customers would give their contact details and request them to watch out or track certain books. Asked how they are able to buy all these books, "People bring their old books here to sell," Hizon said. Sometimes they sell them book for book and other times they are sold per kilo, she said. Another book stall owner who asked to be referred only as "Rose" said they also buy books and magazines from junk shops. "Even students themselves bring books here when they need money," Hizon added. After the semester ends, students will bring the books they will no longer use and sell them in the buy-and-sell book stalls. Hizon, however, is wary of these kinds of deals. It has been a practice in their book stall to ask for a certification from the student or the seller to avoid fencing issues. Anti-fencing and other issues Fencing, as defined by the Presidential Decree 1612, is a crime of knowingly buying or selling stolen property. Due to this issue, certain clearances or permits have to be requested from the police to be able to buy and sell second-hand materials. Although Hizon is clearly against fencing, not all second-hand book business owners feel the same way. Rose, however is more lenient in her business practices, "I don't ask for receipts (when buying books), because I might get problems from the police." Another issue in the Recto second-hand book businesses is the makeshift stalls or "bangketas" spreading around the vicinity. The local government has taken measures to remove these illegal stalls. They want book sellers pay taxes by getting legitimate stalls. This problem, however, is not easily solved. As of the time this article is written, numerous makeshift stalls are still around Recto. Sometimes, these "stalls" are just push carts or even cardboard placed on the sidewalks. Rose also revealed that bribery or "bigay" is still practiced in their business. "They (authorities) come here asking for 'donations'," she said. Who and what of second-hand books Both Rose and Hizon agreed that the students are their most frequent customers. They go to Recto to buy books that would normally cost hundreds or even thousands of pesos when bought in a major bookstore.
Most of the popular text books are those for Nursing and Commerce courses. The pricing of second-hand books is different from stall to stall. Sometimes the price is dependent on how much the book originally cost or the cost when stall owner bought it. Other times they are priced depending on their popularity or availability. The overall condition of the book is also taken into consideration. Still, the prices of these books are considerably cheaper than if bought in a major bookstore or even online. Novels which are in good condition and which some are even recent editions can go as low as 20 to 30 pesos. Hardbound colored books are being sold for 70 pesos. Even magazines are sold for 10 to 20 pesos. Tips on buying pre-owned books
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