
Show HN: Rent my library for $10/book with no due date - alenkovic
http://bibliotek.ca
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hondish
Interesting, I'm curious about the Netflix model for books, especially if it
involved a nice _space_ where you might connect with others, and where you
might also make your own library available. Many enjoy reading physical books,
but storage is a problem. What would a 'gym for your mind' with a subscription
model look like? If you put the best bits of a café, a library, and a gym into
a blender, what might come out? BTW, typo in your third slide, 'receive' not
'recieve'.

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alenkovic
Thanks for pointing that out!

I like where your thoughts are, there is a version of this combination where I
live, where most large bookstores will partner with Starbucks and have a cafe
in-house. I sometimes buy a coffee just to sit for a while and read.

If I can validate the demand-side, the next step could be to allow users to
rent their own libraries to increase the variety available.

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corvallis
Hmm. Why wouldn’t I go to the library and borrow them for free? The max fine
for overdue is $5.

Edit: Also, if they are available as e-books, they auto-return so there is no
fee at all. One can always re-borrow.

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alenkovic
Good point - None of the books I've uploaded so far are available at any of
the libraries in my city. They are either not offered or currently checked
out.

For e-books yes, for physical books no.

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pugio
A really quick used book search for the top 3 books resulted:

Sapiens: $12.87

Chaos Monkeys: $6.69

Creativity Inc: $7.50

Not sure why I'd ever pay $10 for a rental.

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bunderbunder
Looks like shipping is free, so there's that.

Also, prices are different if you look on Amazon.ca. (Sapiens: $15.21, Chaos
Monkeys: $12.86, Creativity Inc: $17.99) So, assuming that the .ca domain
means this is a service that's meant primarily for Canadian users, and the
rental fee is CAD$10, that makes it look a bit more attractive.

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alenkovic
You're right, it is primarily meant for Canadian users, where the average
price for the paperbacks listed is $20-30 including shipping. This is similar
to the retail price in-store.

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hoodwink
Clever way to sell used books for $10 each

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nztomas
Would be interesting to do peer 2 peer book exchange and just collect fees :)

BTW you can find some of the books very cheap in new condition...

[http://www.librarist.com/us/book/9781785041273](http://www.librarist.com/us/book/9781785041273)

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alenkovic
Would you participate in something like that? I have thought about that idea
but I wonder about the logistics of that sort of service.

Thanks for the link!

