Rows of stalls at the Palasari Book Center in Bandung are still lined with thousands of neatly stacked books. However, the once bustling market is now quiet. The shift goes beyond a mere drop in foot traffic; behind the market aisles, vendors are grappling with a fundamental shift in how people access books—a change that has steadily eaten away at their earnings year after year.

Teguh, the owner of Sahabat Buku, has witnessed this transition firsthand. Having run his stall since 1993, he remembers when Palasari was the go-to spot for book hunting in Bandung. Today, things look very different. Teguh notes that physical book sales have been on a steady decline, with in-person transactions at his shop dropping to just one to five books a day. “Nowadays, I am lucky to sell one to five books a day,” he shared last week.

In response to the shifting market, Teguh branched out into online sales back in 2014. This move initially saved his business during the e-commerce boom. However, market dynamics have shifted once again. E-commerce sales have now slowed down to just 10 to 15 books a day, losing the momentum they had a few years back. Teguh points out that this decline has become an annual trend, with shop revenues consistently dropping compared to the same periods in previous years.

Furthermore, selling on e-commerce platforms presents its own set of hurdles. High platform service fees are thinning vendors’ profit margins even further. Coupled with slumping sales, these deductions heavily cut into their take-home profits.

The shift in consumer behavior is the most tangible factor. People have grown accustomed to reading on smartphones and tablets, and the rise of e-books has led many to stop buying printed copies altogether.

Beyond consumer habits, vendors also point to a shift in distribution channels. Many books are now supplied directly to schools or distributed through exclusive networks, significantly narrowing the role of traditional bookstores as the bridge between publishers and readers.

Hafif, who sells both books and stationery at Palasari, shares a similar sentiment. He notes that textbooks, university books, and novels are no longer the primary drivers of his sales like they used to be. “These days, it is the stationery that keeps the business afloat. Book sales just keep dropping,” he said.