book reselling; secondhand book arbitrage
Refers to the practice of buying valuable secondhand books at low prices and reselling them for a profit, often through online marketplaces. The term is strongly associated with book arbitrage, though it can sometimes extend to other secondhand goods.
He makes a living from book reselling.
Book arbitrage requires knowledge and experience.
The term 背取り (せどり) is said to derive from the practice of buying books from the back (背) of a bookstore or from the back of a shelf, where valuable items might be overlooked. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a specialized term in the used-book trade.