Hong Kong bookstores feeling the pinch as online sellers storm the market

The current plight of bookstores in Hong Kong is plain to see. To my dismay, but not utter shock, I find the prevalence of online sales has taken a heavy toll on physical bookstores like Page One.

The perks of online shopping are irresistible – a variety of titles offered at a bargain price and shipped to our front doors. Online stores like eBay offer a vast array of titles, ranging from philosophy and religion to comics and encyclopaedias.

Amazon.com even has a list of “very strange books”, featuring weird and witty titles like 15 Days Without a Head, A Book about Absolutely Nothing, and Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You’ll Never Meet.

It was obvious that Page One could only offer limited choices compared to online platforms. Moreover, its lack of Chinese books further exacerbated the effects of the retail downturn for the store, as it failed to satisfy avid teenage readers in Hong Kong who prefer material in their mother tongue.

Overpriced books also threaten the survival of physical stores, and that was true of Page One as well. It is perfectly understandable that prices inflate in keeping with skyrocketing rents, but the teenage market shrinks rapidly when a book costs them an arm and a leg. Books by popular authors like John Green or Rainbow Rowell cost around HK$100 in Page One, while magazines were also relatively pricey.