Czech company Knihobot sells millions of used books onlineCEFR B1
19 Oct 2025
Adapted from Filip Noubel, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Anni Karppinen, Unsplash
Knihobot is a Czech company that turned interest in used books into a scalable online service. Its founder, Dominik Gazdoš, started in a secondhand bookshop in Zlín and developed a system to remove the work of selling from private owners. The firm picks up books for free, photographs and prices them, lists them online and finds buyers.
The company says it sold three million books so far this year, one million more than the same period last year. In 2022 Deloitte ranked Knihobot the 15th fastest growing firm in Central Europe and fifth in the Czech Republic. Knihobot now processes thousands of books daily using automated steps and sells many each day.
Marketing manager Žaneta Kratochvílová credits digital convenience, fast delivery and fair shares for sellers. She also responds to criticism about labour and handling, saying most accusations are not true or are out of context. Books that cannot return to circulation are sent for ecological reuse, for example to make recycled paper products like egg cartons.
Difficult words
- bookstore — A shop that sells books.
- sustainable — Causing little or no damage to the environment.
- customers — People who buy goods or services.
- environment — The natural world around us.
- growth — Increase in size or number.
- allegations — Claims that something is true without proof.
- expanding — Making something larger or growing.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What do you think makes a bookstore successful?
- How can technology improve customer experiences?
- Why is environmental awareness important?
- What are the challenges faced by secondhand bookstores?
