Second-hand books at Bengaluru metro stations

An online scrap collection service is organising small book fairs at metro stations across Bengaluru. The books are being sold under the ‘Buy what you want, and pay what you can’ model.

Scraplan, established in 2023 at ISRO Layout, is the company behind the book fair. They set up kiosks at metro stations to sell second-hand books, a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Most of them are in English while a few offerings are in Kannada.

They have set up stalls across Vijayanagar, Jayanagar, Rajajinagar, Sir M Visvesvaraya, M G Road, Cubbon Park, and Mantri Square metro stations. On February 16 and 17, their stall returns to M G Road metro station.

“We came up with this concept three months ago and started by setting up stalls at various events. We even set one up at the Avarebele Mela. It was only a month ago that we set up stalls inside metro stations. We thought the commuters would like the concept,” says Chethan K C, co-founder. They have sold about 10,000 books since, he tells Metrolife.

Buyers need to pay a minimum of Rs 40. “If they would like to pay more, it’s up to them. People can also exchange their old books for new ones,” he adds. They can also donate or sell books (based on weight).

“The public has taken a liking to the concept because it is convenient in many ways. After seeing our stall, many have returned to rid themselves of their school and college textbooks,” says Chethan.

At these book fairs, they educate the public about responsible recycling.

The company is also open to setting up such stalls at apartments.

For details, look up @scraplan_ on Instagram.