The Bookshop

The Bookshop is a second-hand bookshop in Wigtown, a small town in the Machars peninsula of Galloway in south-west Scotland that is officially designated Scotland's National Book Town. According to the shop's own materials, it is the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, with roughly 100,000 titles in stock and nearly a mile of shelving. It is also described as the oldest bookshop in Wigtown, having been established around fifty years ago according to its About page. The shop trades both physically and online. Its physical premises in Wigtown serve visitors to the book town, while its own e-commerce site allows customers around the world to browse and buy from its stock. The shop's online presence was built partly as a reaction to years of selling through large online marketplaces; the owners state they decided they had "had enough of being told what to do by algorithms" and built their own independent online shop instead. The Bookshop's stock is broad and generalist, covering "all subjects of all ages for all ages," rather than specialising in a single category. It also has a resident cat, a well-known local character that the shop highlights on its website. The business is closely associated with bookseller Shaun Bythell, whose published books about the bookselling trade are promoted through the shop's site. Internationally, the shop ships to the Rest of the World and to the USA, where a customs charge is added at checkout. Due to EU EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) regulations, the shop states it is currently unable to send books to European Union countries, though it hopes to find an affordable solution. For EU customers, European VAT is paid at checkout on orders under 150 euros, avoiding costly import taxes or postal charges. The Bookshop is a private, independent retail business rather than part of a chain or listed company. Its identity is tied strongly to Wigtown's status as a book town and to the wider culture of second-hand and antiquarian bookselling in Scotland.

The Bookshop is located in Wigtown, a town in the Machars peninsula of Galloway in south-west Scotland. Wigtown is designated Scotland's National Book Town, a status that has made it a destination for book lovers and a cluster of book-related businesses. According to the shop's own About page, The Bookshop was established around fifty years ago and is the oldest bookshop in Wigtown. It describes itself as Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop, with an extensive and varied stock covering nearly a mile of shelving and roughly 100,000 titles. For many years the business sold through large online marketplaces. The shop states that after years of selling through "huge online monopolies," it decided it had "had enough of being told what to do by algorithms" and built its own online shop so that customers anywhere in the world could buy directly from The Bookshop. This independent e-commerce platform now complements the physical shop in Wigtown. The shop is associated with bookseller Shaun Bythell, whose books about the bookselling trade are promoted on the website under the heading "The Bookseller's Books." The shop also has a resident cat, described on the site as having been with the shop for about ten years and as possibly the biggest cat in Wigtown. In recent years the shop's international shipping has been affected by regulatory changes. The website carries a notice that, due to EU EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) regulations, the shop cannot currently send books to European Union countries, although it hopes to find an affordable solution and notes that orders for the Rest of the World are unaffected. For EU customers, European VAT is paid at checkout on orders under 150 euros, so no costly import taxes or postal charges apply. For USA customers, the shop continues to ship, with a new 10% customs tax added to orders at checkout. The Bookshop remains an independent, privately owned retail business. Its identity is closely tied to Wigtown's book-town status and to the wider second-hand and antiquarian book trade in Scotland.

• The Bookshop is established in Wigtown, according to its About page roughly fifty years ago.

• Wigtown is designated Scotland's National Book Town, providing the context for the shop's identity.

• After years of selling through large online marketplaces, the shop launches its own independent online store.

• The shop announces it cannot currently ship to EU countries due to EPR regulations, while continuing to ship to the Rest of the World and the USA.

Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop and the oldest bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town; an independent, algorithm-free alternative to large online marketplaces.

• Second-hand books across all subjects

• Antiquarian and out-of-print titles

• Books by Shaun Bythell about bookselling

1. 1The Bookshop, Wigtown - The Bookshopthe-bookshop.com
2. 2About - The Bookshopthe-bookshop.com
3. 3The Bookshop - Wikidatawikidata.org