Perhaps you do not know the sign, but Gibert Joseph is a store that allows you to buy and sell your products. Basically, it was a bookstore, but with the arrival of the internet, the brand turned to new technologies and brought itself up to date. Thus, you can resell your books via their site with moderate payment from them, which is to everyone’s convenience. Similarly, you can buy second-hand books through their site and take advantage of low prices while having certainty about the quality of the product. A quick overview of this atypical store.
Joseph Gibert is a person who gave his name to his store. It was a professor of Classics from Saint-Etienne. In 1886, he decided to go to Paris to open his own bookshop. From a bookstore, he will open one, but quite atypical…
If you have ever been to Paris, you surely know the booksellers who are located near Notre-Dame, on the parapets of the banks of the Seine. Well, Gibert Joseph started selling books there. When he started out, he had four boxes of this type.
After working for some time in this way, he evolved by buying a business and creating his own bookstore on the Quai Saint-Michel. Again, he was working in used books, not new . His bookstore specialized in second-hand textbooks. And his bookshop is a great success!
The reason ? Compulsory school decreed by Jules Ferry! Many children needed school books but could not afford them. In Paris, his bookseller Gibert made a name for himself.
On the death of the patriarch, the reins of the company are taken over by his two sons . He died in 1915. And that’s how two stores appeared over the years. On the one hand, Gibert Joseph , the store taken over by the son Joseph who operates in his own name. On the other hand, Gibert Jeune , the store which is taken over by the second son who opts for a new name.
Over the years, the two stores, Gibert Jeune and Gibert Joseph, grew. They become more and more important in size.
In 2001, in the store’s recent history, the brand took over the Univers du Livre bookstores, which are located throughout France.
Subsequently, the brand moved to different locations and bought prime retail space, such as the Virgin in the Barbès district.
Currently, Gibert Joseph has 30 stores located in 18 cities in France with its own logistics platform and its own distribution network.
By reading these few lines of history, we immediately understand that the second-hand book is the heart of Gibert’s activity. And this, since the beginnings on the quays of the Seine.
Even today, the operation is based on the purchase and resale of second-hand books for the greatest pleasure of reading enthusiasts.
Over the decades that have passed, the two Gibert brothers have developed their stores well beyond simple textbooks . They obviously offered a whole series of services that are found in traditional libraries.
And that is what makes them successful! It should also be noted that this is a model often taken up, especially by market leaders. Gibert Joseph stores sell both new and old to satisfy everyone.
This makes it possible to offer a range of books far superior to what can be found in a traditional bookstore and in a second-hand bookstore. Because the two catalogs are combined into one.
On the one hand, people with a low budget or looking for old books are satisfied thanks to the second-hand catalog and the attractive prices charged (while safeguarding the quality and good condition of the books). But on the other hand, people looking for recent or new books are not left out and can also acquire their book from the Gibert Joseph brand.
With Gibert Joseph, it is possible to resell his books directly from home, without having to go to a store. Easy and practical when you live in the provinces and it is not possible to move to town easily. Everything is done through the site and the ‘I sell’ tab.
In these paragraphs, we go back in detail to the sales process that will allow you to make good profits with books and works that you no longer need. But also to your cds that you no longer listen to and dvds that you no longer watch.
The first step in selling books, cds and dvds is to list them and share them with the store. For this, there is a tab “I sell” on the site which sends the user to a first page.
On this page, you must enter the barcode of the book. It is possible to simultaneously enter (up to 10) several ISBN or EAN codes . These codes are unique to each book and correspond to their registration. By entering this number, Gibert Joseph’s database will immediately and automatically recognize the book in question.
The only risk is that this book may not be included in their database due to lack of interest from readers.
There are, in fact, certain works which are too old, out of fashion, or which do not sufficiently mark the interest of the public. In this case, Gibert Joseph refuses the purchase, because these books have little or no interest for the brand.
Big positive point, with the simple introduction of the code of the book, the amount of the resale is displayed . So you have a direct estimate of your resale!
And for a sale to take place, the minimum amount to be reached is 15 euros. Below this amount, Gibert Joseph does not buy back, because the store does not cover its costs; you are therefore guaranteed to have at least 15 euros in your pocket at the end of the sale .
For a book to be included in the sale, it must comply with a quality charter. This helps ensure books in good condition that can be appreciated by other buyers. For the seller who has a doubt about the quality of his book or cd or blu-ray, Gibert Joseph provides an online guide which shows certain criteria to be respected. For example, and in a non-exhaustive way:
In addition, some products are not taken back and bought back by Gibert Joseph. This is the case for vinyls, minidiscs, audio cassettes, maxis, 2-track cds, VHS, UMDs, HD DVDs, promotional products.
Once you are certain of your products to sell, you can move on.
As this is a distance sale, your package containing the books must be sent, since you will not be going to the store.
To do this, you have several options… You can use the Colissimo service or use the Mondial Relay network. But if neither of these two options satisfies you, it is always possible to drop off your package directly in store.
You also have the option to choose your payment method depending on what you prefer. There are 3 possibilities . The first is the piggy bank account . This is an account that will allow you to make future purchases on the Gibert Joseph site. Your account is then credited for your future purchases. Then it is possible to receive the money by bank transfer . This is the most common option. Finally, for Internet users who have a Paypal account, it is possible to have the money transferred to the latter. The money can then be reused for online purchases or transferred to a bank account.
So that everything goes according to the rules and that everyone is satisfied, Gibert Joseph always proceeds in the same way.
You prepare your box with your books and DVDs and you send it after having validated your sale on the internet via the ‘I sell’ tab.
Within 5 working days after receipt, the brand’s logistics department will send you an email confirming receipt . It is then that logistics takes care of checking the condition of the books and whether they correspond to the quality charter. Then the payment is released and your account, depending on your preference, is credited.
Gibert Joseph is not only a resale site, it is also a purchase site. So you can buy CDs, books or other on their site, whether new or second hand.
The organization of sales is identical to what can be found on other sites. A large catalog ( 380,000 items are ready to be shipped ), a shipping service, customer service, a return policy and attractive prices. All fairly quickly since the books in stock are shipped the same day or the day after your order depending on the time you placed it.
The procedures are also relatively common…
To buy, as to sell, you must create a customer account and enter your details. It’s not rocket science and it’s general information like name, address, etc. Data that will allow the shipment of the goods.
On the payment side, it is secure thanks to efficient management of the payment area by Gibert Joseph’s banking partner. This means that at no time does Gibert Joseph or one of his employees have access to your bank details.
Then, any purchase entitles you to the company’s return policy . You have 14 days to request a refund. Obviously, for this to work, there are some rules to respect such as an article in its original packaging or a clean article. For example, a book that has fallen into a puddle of water will not be taken back. Upon receipt of the return package, Gibert Joseph refunds the amount to the debited account.
Please note that items purchased online must be returned to the depot and cannot be returned to the store.
For any questions, it is possible to call on the brand’s customer service department , which is at your disposal. It is possible to contact them by phone or via a contact form available on the site. The brand’s employees get back to you with a solution to your question or problem as soon as possible.