World Book Day is upon us and eBay has just revealed some interesting research including the fact that Brits still love physical books. Today is the day that parents show just how much they don’t know by dressing their little ones up as film characters who never stepped foot in a book, it’s no surprise that Brits therefor admit to only having read 30% of the books in their home and are probably not aware that the average Great British bookshelf is worth a huge £577. What’s more, last year one lucky seller on eBay UK cashed in on a whopping £9.3K for a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. But are physical books still worth selling?
Parents prefer physical books
eBay’s research has found that 30% of Brits display their books in a bid to inspire their children to read, 71% of parents choose to read their own favourite childhood books to their kids to encourage a love of reading and prefer to read a physical book to their child as opposed to using an electronic device. It seems that there is something magical about a physical book that parents don’t want their children to miss out on. it could also be the perfect opportunity to take children away from distracting digital devices and ground themselves in the physical world.
The sites’ sales figures support this showing there has been 3000% more sales of physical books than e-books in the last four years. The data also demonstrates a 36% year on year increase in sales of books on the site with sales in the children’s book category growing by over 28% during this time frame and one of the site’s main booksellers World of Books estimating they will sell over 50,000 books this World Book Day.
“It’s no secret that people in Britain are bookworms so it’s fascinating to get a glimpse into the titles we are stacking our shelves with. Reading a physical book is a great way to promote wellness and a digital detox which may appeal to a younger audience and parents trying to entice their kids away from the screens.”
– Tilda Molho, Director of media and entertainment, eBay UK
World book day deals
To celebrate World Book Day, for the next two weeks, eBay UK will be offering up to 50% off kids and young adults books through selected sellers on the site. Some of the books included in the deals are listed below:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown (Book 13) by Jeff Kinney
£4.75 RRP £6.99
The Tiger Who Came to Tea Pop-Up Book
£12.14 RRP £19.99
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
£5.07 RRP £6.99
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition
£9.70 RRP £14.99
His Dark Materials Gift Edition including all three novels
£13.03 RRP £20.00
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
£4.29 RRP £5.99
Winnie-the-Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems
£12.46 RRP £40.00
Harry Potter – Spells & Charms: A Movie Scrapbook by Warner Bros
£8.76 RRP £14.99
One Response
“The sites’ sales figures support this showing there has been 3000% more sales of physical books than e-books in the last four years”
Wow. I mean eBay is famous for selling eBooks… To test my own biases here I just searched for Harry Potter eBook. Nothing from the UK. Some listings from France that I believe to be in violation of eBay’s terms for selling eBooks.
Basically, what I expected. I’m just surprised they couldn’t add a few more 0s to their percentage.