Demand drives business

"A new picture book can cost more than 100 yuan ($15), while a secondhand one is usually 20 percent of that price," Zhang said.

In August, having tired of the difficulty of buying used children's books, she decided to make things easier for other moms by starting her own company to import and sell secondhand books.

She often looks online and in stores for used books to give to her son and his friends, but it is not easy to find high-quality items. She sometimes asks friends in the United States to help buy original picture books for children, even though it is inconvenient and usually expensive.

"When I studied in Philadelphia, I saw secondhand bookstores everywhere. I was a regular customer. They are now appearing in some cities in China, and people are more accepting of secondhand books," she said.

Having gained a master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania about 10 years ago, Zhang is a key opinion leader among the parents of her son's friends.

More and more parents ask her for advice on choosing used picture books, so she knows about their demands and tastes.

"English-language picture books are very popular among parents in China's cities as the content is more varied and helps children learn English," Zhang said.

After graduating, she worked as an English teacher for several years before becoming an assistant to an executive at a transnational e-commerce platform. Through that, she learned skills such as how to communicate with overseas companies and how to import goods.

"Under Chinese law, an individual can only buy a maximum 50 of books per year from overseas, but there is no limit for companies," Zhang said.

She started by buying used books overseas and selling them in China via online platforms such as Taobao and Weidian.

When she contacted secondhand bookstores in London, Chicago and California, World of Books in London, United Kingdom, replied quickly.

"The dealer has more than 2 million used books, and is interested in the Chinese market because of the large population and the second- and third-child policies that have been announced in recent years," Zhang said.

Three months after World of Books replied, the first batch of 20 metric tons of used books arrived at the port in Shanghai, despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The price of used items from World of Books varies, but they can even be less than 10 percent of the original price, plus the shipment fee of more than 4,000 yuan per ton. Zhang adds a 10 percent markup to the cost when she sells the books.

In August, she ordered 20 tons of children's books from the UK. When they arrived in Beijing near the end of last year, they sold out almost immediately.

Since then, her company has ordered 20 tons of books every month from the US or the UK, but demand is higher than she can cope with.

"Kindergartens and some children's book galleries buy secondhand books from us, too, because our used books are usually in a good condition, so they are easy to read," Zhang said.

About 40 percent of her customers are from first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.

"The other 60 percent come from places I didn't expect, such as cities in Yunnan province and Dalian in Liaoning province. Demand is growing fast," Zhang said.