Alibris has made a deal to sell used books on Temu.
As Sam Spratford reports in Publisher’s Weekly, Alibris has inked a deal to make over a million books available on Temu’s massive digital marketplace. It’s not too shocking, as Alibris seems to be chasing a model of breadth and speed;
Alibris has reached an agreement to offer over a million used books for sale on Temu's expansive digital marketplace, as disclosed in Publisher's Weekly by Sam Spratford. This move aligns with Alibris' strategy of offering a wide range of products quickly, a strategy recently seen in their partnership with fast fashion brand Shein.
Temu already sells books, although they primarily focus on craft and hobby items, many of which originate from overseas. The collaboration with Alibris falls under Temu's Local Seller program, ensuring that all listings remain within the US, sourced, stored, and shipped locally. The digital retailer Temu, known for its "Team Up, Price Down" slogan, has faced criticism for concerns over product quality, potential data privacy breaches, intellectual property violations, and allegations of forced labor in their supply chain.
Despite these issues, Temu has been expanding its online presence through partnerships and consolidation, a common strategy among digital retailers in the face of competition from giants like Amazon. While this trend may seem logical, it raises concerns about the concentration of products, including used books, into a limited number of platforms.
Written by urgent.news from Literary Hub's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
