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A bookstore.

A bookstore or bookshop is a retailer that primarily sells books.

Bookstores can range in size from local independent bookstores offering several hundred titles to large brick-and-mortar chains offering upwards of 200,000 titles; online bookstores may offer many times more titles.

Bookstores often sell items related to books such as newspapers and maps; additional product lines may vary enormously, particularly among independents. Colleges and universities often have their own student bookstore on campus that focuses on providing course textbooks, although some on-campus bookstores are owned by large chains such as Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, which is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble.

Another common type of bookstore is the used bookstore or second-hand bookshop which buys and sells used copies of books, often for prices much cheaper than new copies. However, sometimes rare books, especially certain first editions (usually literary and illustrated), command much higher prices. 90% of all available titles, in print and out of print, are to be found in used bookstores. Book collectors tend to frequent used book stores. Large online bookstores offer used books for sale, too. Individuals wishing to sell their used books using online bookstores agree to terms outlined by the bookstore(s): for example, paying the online bookstore(s) a predetermined commission once the books have sold. If you sell your books to a used book dealer you may expect anywhere from 10% to 50% of retail value depending on how long the dealer thinks it take to re-sell the book. At any given bookstore, there are some books (or many, depending on their emphasis) which the store will not wish to buy at any price. Do not expect top dollar (or perhaps any dollar) for ex-library and book club books.

Books in a Tokyo Bookstore

• List of bookstore chains
• Bookselling
• Independent bookstores
• Bookstore Tourism

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