"...we are in the best position to be the premier source of used-books for college and university librarians" --Ken Dzugan, Chairman and Founder  21NorthMain

"After working closely with librarians at leading institutions to develop the tools, we're confident that we are in the best position to be the premier source of used-books for college and university librarians," said Chairman and Founder, Ken Dzugan, of 21 North Main.  "As the only online used-book marketplace focused exclusively on the institutional market, we have library science knowledge, superb customer service and an unmatched book inventory drawn from the world’s largest network of independent dealers." 

According to Karen Schmidt, Ph.D., associate university librarian for collections at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "The 21 North Main's system brings together book stores and librarians in a way that hasn't happened in the past.  It’s like a used-book marketplace, getting everybody's wares out there in a much more visible and efficient way.  We can get our 'want list' out there and continue to develop relationships with book dealers who have specializations." 

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., 21 North Main has developed a comprehensive, end-to-end e-commerce solution designed to meet the specific needs of these institutional buyers.  It goes beyond the early book matching Internet sites and represents the next wave in business-to-business (B2B) Internet sites, or "metamediaries," according to company President and CEO Joe Mooney.  "We're an example of a B2B enterprise that augments an established but inefficient distribution system with the efficiencies of Internet-based e-commerce and value-added services and expertise," he said. 

The 21 North Main e-commerce site has been developed over the past 12 months.  The company is led by a team of top professionals and board members with extensive business and library backgrounds, as well as experts in bookselling, computers and marketing, and has been funded with $4 million in private investment. 

How the site works
Unlike other used-book Internet sites, 21 North Main has a zero-inventory approach.  When institutional buyers find and purchase books, orders are forwarded to dealers, who then ship directly to buyers. 
This approach is highly efficient and cost-effective for both buyer and seller.  21 North Main receives a percentage of each sale for facilitating the transaction and handling bill payment. 

For the institutional book buyer, the 21 North Main model provides a single point of access into the inventories of some of the nation's top book dealers, expediting what is often a slow, costly and frustratingly inefficient process.  Buyers also have access to a team of on-staff library experts who understand the needs and challenges of finding very specialized titles.  21 North Main offers easy online ordering and payment via credit card or purchase order. 

"Each library is assigned to a pair of customer service specialists who get to know that library intimately," said Jeff Strandberg, director of business development.  "Customer ‘want lists’ remain on our database and are posted on our Web site until we find a match.  We’re also very proactive about calling dealers until we find the specific book a customer wants.  No one else will be able to match the fill rates we'll deliver." 

A large, highly fragmented market
Today's $1.8 billion used-book market is highly fragmented, with up to 16,000 used, rare, out-of-print and antiquarian book dealers in the United States.  While institutions generate approximately a third of the market volume -- as much as $600 million in the U.S. alone -- librarians report that as much as 70 percent of their needs go unmet annually. 

In addition to meeting the needs of institutional book buyers, 21 North Main also opens up new markets for used-book dealers.  "We like to say that we are using the Internet in the service of Main Street -- those countless small used-book dealers who run terrific businesses coast to coast who will benefit from being a part of this online marketplace," said Brian Baxter, vice president customer service and former Minneapolis book store owner. 

For book dealers, the 21 North Main business model provides access to leading libraries at colleges and universities and it allows dealers to obtain the full list price while still keeping the cost to the end user competitive with the industry.  The dealers also receive prompt payment through 21 North Main. 

Based in Minneapolis, Minn., 21 North Main provides the largest online inventory of used, rare, collector, out-of-print and antiquarian books for college and university librarians.  As an online business to business (B2B) marketplace, it caters exclusively to the needs of the institutional market, blending an extensive inventory with strong sales support and the efficiencies of online purchasing to help librarians and used-book dealers meet their business objectives.  For more information, visit 21northmain.com. 

URLwire Stock Quote Links Provided By

Web publishers:
if you think your site has the right stuff, I might feature it here and send it to my contacts. Request URLwire fees via Email