This online shop sells second-hand books on behalf of Casa Caritas (https://casacaritas.org.za/), a home for mentally and physically disabled children in Kempton Park.
Books were previously sold on Bid-or-Buy (BoB). At that time BoB allowed NPOs to sell on their site for free with no charges. They then introduced standard fees to be paid by NPOs, and the decision was taken to establish our website (sponsored by Passionate about Websites) so we no longer have to pay those fees.
The website is managed by Passionate about Websites, and one of the parents of Casa Caritas manages this project. Books donated are stored at a secure storage facility until they can be uploaded to the site, then packed and shipped via Pargo when sold. Books are loaded onto the website at a small fee by a third party, and profit is paid to Casa Caritas once the upload and storage facilities are covered. However, since the beginning of 2022 sales have dropped tremendously, and this project has been running at a loss.
We appeal to readers to assist with the following if possible:
1. Promotion of our site so sales can pick up again.
2. Please buy books!
3. Please share this article with as many people as possible.
4. Regular donations to help cover costs – we will give you an exclusive discount (membership discount) on any books you buy.
5. Sponsor permanent, secure storage for our books still to be loaded in a 10km-20km radius from Robertsham in the south of Johannesburg.
6. We are considering doing markets to allow the books to move faster, so if you know of any great markets where secondhand books are welcome, please let us know. Please keep in mind that books are heavy, and we need to get our car and trailer almost to the site where we will stand. We also need electricity for our scale (we sell books per kg when doing markets).
7. We will even consider a permanent shop if you know of a centre where the management will consider donating the space, we will pay for our water and electricity – we live on coffee, books, and the internet! Also, within a reasonable distance of Robertsham, and preferably somewhere with feet.
Please visit https://cccharityshop.org.za/, or email info@cccharityshop.org.za