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Self-service bookstore opens in Taipei

Secondhand books sold for NT$50, NT$100

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(Pexels photo)

(Pexels photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A self-service bookstore has opened in Taipei and features 10,000 secondhand books with only two prices.

The bookstore, which is located on Taipei's Xinhai Road, has neither a name nor a clerk. Books are sold for only two prices -- NT$50 and NT$100 -- and customers pay by placing cash inside the specified box under the watchful lens of surveillance cameras, reported UDN.

Wu Ming-chien, the founder of the bookstore, has spent most of his life in the business of used books. A few years ago, he saw a self-service bookstore for the first time in Shanghai and decided to open one in Taiwan, said Wu.

The bookstore has been opened for less than a month, and many people are curious about its operation. Wu explained that the shop has already reached balance this month.

Wu told UDN that if the business model proves successful at this location, he will promote utilizing more of such spaces around Taiwan.