ThriftBooks

Last updated
ThriftBooks LLC
Company type Private [1]
Industry Retail
Founded2003
FoundersDaryl Butcher, Jason Meyer
Headquarters Tukwila, Washington [1]
Key people
Kenneth F. Goldstein, CEO
Mike Ward, Chief Innovation Officer [1]
ProductsNew and used media: books, DVDs, etc.
OwnerMMF Capital Management LLC, KCB Management LLC [1]
Number of employees
900 (2020 [2] )
Website www.thriftbooks.com

ThriftBooks is a large web-based used bookseller headquartered near Seattle, Washington. [3] ThriftBooks sells used books, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, video games, and audio cassettes. ThriftBooks' business model "is based on achieving economies of scale through automation." [4]

Contents

History and platform structure

Selling over 165 million books since its inception in 2003, ThriftBooks is considered one of the largest sellers of used books in the United States and has seven warehouses across the United States. [5] ThriftBooks was founded in the summer of 2003 by Daryl Butcher and Jason Meyer. The two created software that organizes and lists thousands of book titles per day. [6] Since 2004, it has partnered with libraries, which provide unsorted books and get a share of the profits. The first library systems to join were King County, Pierce County, and North Central. [6]

Thriftbooks is popular among book collectors—particularly with those shoppers choosing to avoid Amazon—for being one of few North American online bookselling platforms that is independent rather than a subsidiary of retail giant Amazon. [7] [8] Thriftbooks offers a loyalty program caled Reading Rewards, where points earned from purchases can be redeemed for free books. [9]

ThriftBooks opened a 190,000-square-foot (18,000 m2) processing center in Phoenix in 2021. [10] Kenneth F. Goldstein currently serves as the Chairman and CEO and Mike Ward is the Chief Innovation Officer of ThriftBooks. [11]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Thrift Books LLC company profile". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  2. "About Thriftbooks".
  3. Skager, Shawn (April 10, 2009). "Auburn-based Thrift Book leading the pack online". Auburn Reporter . Sound Publishing. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  4. Sussman, Mick (September 12, 2008). "Attack of the Megalisters". The New York Times .
  5. Nosowitz, Dan (October 26, 2015). "A Penny for Your Books". The New York Times . Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Li, Caroline (July 2, 2006) [Originally written June 28, 2006 and published June 30, 2006]. "Thrift Books owners have bigger online plans". Puget Sound Business Journal . American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  7. Krasnoff, Barbara (July 16, 2019). "Where to shop online that isn't Amazon". The Verge . Vox Media . Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  8. Brittain, Rachel (December 2, 2020). "6 Places To Buy Books Online That Aren't Amazon". Book Riot. Riot New Media Group. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. ThriftBooks. "ReadingRewards | New & Used Books from ThriftBooks". ThriftBooks. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  10. "ThriftBooks Selects Phoenix for Expansion". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  11. "ThriftBooks Appoints Ken Goldstein as CEO". Globenewswire. ThriftBooks. Retrieved 17 January 2024.