Inflation damaging old books business

Already agitated by soaring prices of new books, books’ buyers feel fatigued by higher rates of second hand books at Sunday Bazaar of old books near New Anarkali, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Book sellers blame high prices of books from bulk sellers and increase in transportation costs from godowns to market for forcing them to increase rates of the books they sold. The Sunday Bazaar of second hand books, set along the service lane of Mall Road in front of the abandoned Pak Tea House, has been an attractive place for book lovers for over three decades. Citizens, searching for books there, expressed annoyance over new prices of old books.
They said that rising costs have made it impossible for a common man to buy books. Talking to Pakistan Today, middle aged Hammad, a businessman and regular visitor of the Sunday Bazaar said, “I have been coming here since my university days. The books are really getting out of reach since the last few years.” Book sellers offered several reasons for increasing prices of old books. Terming it as a result of inflation, they said that knackers who provide books in bulk have increased prices.
Nazir Ahmed, a book vendor since 1996, commenting on complaints of customers said, “Due to more people coming into the business of old books the book providers, who sell books to us, have increased the prices.” An old man, seeking anonymity, was looking for National Geographic magazines. Speaking to Pakistan Today, he said, “These book sellers are very clever. When they found you interested in a book, they will tell a higher rate of it.”
Sana, a Ravian, was searching for the poetry collection of Faraq Gorakhpuri. She said, “I often visit this bazaar and no doubt prices have risen up but another change that has come here is shift in the topics of books. Now there are more sciences’ and IT books.” Nisar Ahmed, a new book seller, said that he had started this as a side business. “I work in a shopping bags’ factory in Dharampura where I earn only Rs 5,000 per month. A friend of mine related with a godown of books advised me to start this business at the weekend. It has added Rs 2,000 to my monthly income,” he said.
Selling books for more than 20 years at the Sunday Bazaar and also a employee of WAPDA, Sheikh Abdul Haq, 61, told Pakistan Today, “Each Sunday I come here at 6am and close the stall after evening prayers”. He said that weekly income has lowered from an average of Rs 1,200 to 500. Haq considered the advent of new technology of cellular phones and the Internet as the main reason for the falling trend of book reading.
Book sellers at the Sunday Bazaar demanded a book street to save their business from weather and traffic problems. Nazir, a book seller, claimed that many bureaucrats and officers had been coming to his stall. “We have raised our demands before them, even some of them promised of taking some practical action. But they forget when they return to their offices.” Nazir complained. Adding to his comment, Haq said that he had advised his fellow stall holders many times to make a union to get their demands heard but they do not listen to him.