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Secondhand bookshops have survived the rise of e-readers partly by offering something a digital file cannot: the physical history of a book. Marginalia, inscriptions, and even pressed flowers left between pages give used copies a sense of provenance that collectors and casual readers find appealing. Pricing tends to be less standardised than in new bookstores, since a book's condition, rarity, and the seller's own assessment of demand all factor in, sometimes resulting in identical editions priced quite differently between shops. Many shops rely on buying stock cheaply from house clearances or library sales, meaning their inventory shifts unpredictably rather than following a fixed catalogue. Independent shops that specialise narrowly, such as in rare first editions or a single genre, have generally fared better against online competition than shops stocking a broad, generic selection.