Elizabeth's Bookshops

What Elizabeth's Bookshops does

Elizabeth's Bookshops is a family-owned Australian second-hand and antiquarian book retailer established in 1973. The business operates four physical locations across Western Australia (Perth CBD on Hay Street and two sites in Fremantle) and New South Wales (Newtown on King Street), with the Fremantle Queen Victoria Street site functioning as the main warehouse and dispatch center. Aggregate stock exceeds 400,000 books, of which 12,000+ titles are catalogued on its e-commerce site (elizabethsbookshop.com.au) for direct purchase. The Fremantle warehouse fulfils online orders within 24 hours and supports both Click & Collect at all branches and international shipping to global customers.

The core product is second-hand, out-of-print, rare, and discounted new books, with unit prices ranging from approximately A$15 for common titles to A$500+ for collectable and antiquarian items. Specialised Australiana categories — including West Australiana, Aboriginal studies, Australian military history (ANZAC), flora and fauna, art and craft, and true crime — are a clear differentiator, addressing collector and academic demand not well served by mainstream retailers. Adjacent offerings include 'Blind Date with a Book' (a curated mystery-wrapped gift product at A$19.95), gift vouchers, branded calico book bags, and a curated Staff Picks collection. Customer segments span book collectors, Australiana researchers, gift shoppers, and academic researchers, all served via a horizontal segmentation approach through physical browsing and online channels.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time retail transactions (book sales, gift vouchers, and accessories) under a pay-as-you-go unit-pricing model. Distribution combines physical retail, e-commerce, Click & Collect, and international shipping. Marketing is organic, relying on the website's search presence, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and a strong Google review profile (335 reviews, Excellent rating). The company has no external investors, no parent company, no disclosed leadership team, no patents, and no disclosed partnerships or alliances, consistent with its position as a long-standing independent family enterprise with only six employees.

Name

Elizabeth's Bookshops

Legal name

Elizabeth's Bookshop

Website

https://elizabethsbookshop.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elizabeth's Bookshops is a family-owned Australian second-hand and antiquarian bookseller established in 1973, operating four retail locations across Western Australia and New South Wales with 400,000+ books in stock and 12,000+ titles listed online for international and Click & Collect delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used and Antiquarian Book Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (4595), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALAAAB

Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Books, News & Magazines Retail

SECONDARYCRALAGAH

Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Collectibles, Trading Cards & Memorabilia Retail

Keywords

• Second-hand books
• Rare book retail
• Antiquarian bookselling
• Out-of-print books
• First edition books

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: One-time sales of second-hand, out-of-print, rare, and discounted new books through online store and physical retail locations. Transactions are individual purchases with varying price points based on book rarity, condition, and demand.
2. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers and Elizabeth's Calico Book Bags as complementary products to book purchases.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Elizabeth's Bookshops sells second-hand, out-of-print, rare, first edition, antiquarian, and discounted new books through four physical retail stores and an online e-commerce platform listing 12,000+ titles. The company also offers complementary products including 'Blind Date with a Book' mystery-wrapped gift books, gift vouchers, and branded Calico Book Bags, supported by Click & Collect and international shipping services. Its inventory includes a specialized Australiana collection covering West Australiana, Aboriginal studies, Australian military history, fauna and flora, art, and local history.

Product overview

Elizabeth's Bookshops operates as a multi-location second-hand and antiquarian book retail business, established in 1973. The company offers an online platform alongside four physical stores across Australia (Perth CBD, two locations in Fremantle WA, and King Street Newtown NSW). The core offering centers on online second-hand book sales featuring over 12,000 titles listed online with access to 400,000+ books in physical stock. A standout specialty product is 'Blind Date with a Book' - a mystery wrapped book gift service. Additional services include Click & Collect, international shipping, gift vouchers, and curated staff picks. The inventory spans extensive category coverage including Australiana, military history, art, flora/fauna, true crime, and collectable antiquarian titles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Second-Hand Book Sales Online retail platform selling second-hand, out-of-print, rare, antiquarian, first edition, and discounted new books. Customers can browse or search 12,000+ titles online by title, author, keyword, or ISBN, with access to 400,000+ books across physical stores. Orders are dispatched within 24 hours from the Fremantle warehouse.
• Blind Date with a Book A specialty book gifting product where customers purchase a hand-wrapped new book tagged with genre hints, keeping the title a mystery until unwrapped. Priced at $19.95 each and targeted at gift shoppers seeking novelty presentations for book-loving recipients.
• Click & Collect Free in-store pickup service available at all branch locations (Perth Hay Street, Fremantle Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle South Terrace, Newtown NSW King Street) for online orders. Customers avoid postage costs by collecting at their preferred branch.
• International Shipping Shipping service delivering online orders internationally to customers outside Australia, enabling global access to the 12,000+ title online catalog.
• Gift Vouchers & Calico Book Bags Gift vouchers and branded reusable Elizabeth's Calico Book Bags available for purchase as complementary products alongside book sales, targeted at gift shoppers seeking book-themed presents.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AbeBooks: Global online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books, owned by Amazon. Most direct competitor to Elizabeth's online catalog of 12,000+ second-hand and antiquarian titles, with much larger scale and international reach.
• Better World Books: Online used book retailer with global catalog and social mission. Comparable as an online used book retailer, though Better World focuses on mass-market secondhand rather than rare/antiquarian collector items.
• The Strand Bookstore: Legendary independent bookstore in NYC with 18 miles of books including rare and antiquarian titles. Comparable as a long-established (since 1927) used/rare bookstore with iconic brand status and a strong collector following.
• ThriftBooks: Large online used book retailer in North America offering discounted second-hand books with global shipping. Direct competitor to Elizabeth's online second-hand book sales, though Elizabeth's differentiates via rare/antiquarian and Australiana specialization.
• Readings: Australian independent bookshop chain with multiple physical locations and a strong online presence. Comparable to Elizabeth's as a multi-store Australian bookseller, though Readings focuses on new releases rather than second-hand and rare books.
• Powell's Books: Iconic independent used and new bookstore in Portland, Oregon, with massive physical inventory and online catalog. Direct comparable in terms of scale of used book inventory, multi-location operation, and rare/collectible focus.
• Biblio.com: Online marketplace connecting independent used and rare bookshops with buyers globally. Elizabeth's operates as a competing independent rare book seller; Biblio provides aggregated catalog exposure that could either threaten or complement Elizabeth's reach.

Broad incumbents

• Dymocks: One of Australia's largest bookstore chains with national footprint. Comparable as a large Australian multi-location bookseller, but Dymocks focuses on new book sales rather than the second-hand/rare/antiquarian specialization of Elizabeth's.
• Angus & Robertson: Historic Australian bookstore chain (founded 1886), now owned by Booktopia. Comparable as a long-established Australian bookstore brand, though Angus & Robertson focuses on new book retail rather than second-hand/rare.
• Booktopia: Australia's largest online bookstore, now publicly listed. Comparable as an Australian book retailer with national reach, though Booktopia focuses on new book sales and competes primarily in online retail rather than physical second-hand/rare book markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElizabethsBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElizabethsBookshop
• Instagraminstagram.com/elizabethsbookshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elizabeth's-bookshops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elizabeth's Bookshops