SOME NOTES ON SEARCHING FOR BOOKS
Copyright © 2006 Stuart Manley, Barter Books, who adds, "Please feel free to copy or modify any part of it - I renounce all copyright!"
The web has become a wonderful resource for finding secondhand and
antiquarian books.
But beware! Many of the search sites are charging a commission on each sale. This
is why the same book from the same bookdealer can be listed at two prices - uplifted for the commission-charging
sites, and base price for the other sites.
These notes are designed to help you to (a) find the book you are looking for, and (b) then buy the book at the
best possible price. There are many booksearching sites, but the ones listed below are the ones we feel are the
most useful.
Become book savvy! Read these notes carefully!
ADDALL or BOOKFINDER - These sites search all the other sites. Simply fill in the author and/or the title (or
as much as you can remember) and see how many matches come up.
Mostly you will find the book you are looking for and you can follow the links through to the dealer who has the
book. Try to get into direct contact with the bookdealer rather than through the intermediate listing site if you
wish to avoid paying extra commission.
If your search on AddAll or BookFinder fails, (which means that the book is almost certainly not currently on offer
anywhere in the world at the time of your search) you now know that the book you are looking for is VERY hard-to-find! You can try again at a later date,
or you can lodge the
title(s) you are looking for with certain other sites - see below.
ADDALL and BOOKFINDER ADVANTAGES:
1. The most comprehensive search of all - searches the databases of all other major
search sites - if a book is not listed here, the chances are it is not listed anywhere.
ADDALL and BOOKFINDER DISADVANTAGES:
1. Because it is searching so many databases, each search takes a little longer
than with a single listing site.
2. Lacks some 'advanced search' features and may give more choice than needed.
N.B. Once you have located the book
you seek, ALWAYS contact the bookdealer directly (use Google if need be) or use one of the independent sites below,
otherwise you will be charged 13 - 15% commission, over and above the book price.
These sites are run as a co-operatives by the actual bookdealers and therefore charge no commission and put you
in direct contact with the bookdealer.
ADVANTAGES:
1. No commission - no hidden extra charges.
2. Able to arrange results in price order.
3. Have a good range of advanced search features to help you reach exactly the book you are looking for.
4. Have a highly developed browse feature allowing you to look through specific interest areas.
5. Have a highly developed Code of Ethics that all participating bookdealers agree to, leading to accurate descriptions
and 'no quibble' returns policies.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. A smaller range of books than the major sites. Nevertheless, there is a large
range of quality books accurately listed on these sites.
ADVANCED BOOK EXCHANGE (ABEbooks)
This site has one of the largest ranges of secondhand and antiquarian books on the web, but charges 13.5% commission
and also charges monthly fees.
ABE ADVANTAGES:
1. A very large range of books.
2. Has a good range of advanced search features to help you reach exactly the book you are looking for.
3. Has a facility to lodge wanted books, so that if a title is currently unavailable, they will notify you by email
as soon as that title becomes listed.
ABE DISADVANTAGES:
1. Charges 13.5% commission/fees and has fixed shipping charges that are often more
expensive than need be.
2. Lists the books of many amateur and part-time bookdealers - not in itself bad, but beware of over enthusiastic
descriptions and unprofessional service.
3. Plus the clutter of mass-listers (companies which list thousands or tens of thousands of books, many or most
of which they don't have and won't be able to get) and Print-on-Demand merchants, which can make finding the actual
book you seek more difficult.
The best known of all book sites. Excellent for new books, but less so for secondhand
books, where their matching system is poor. They charge 15% commission.
AMAZON ADVANTAGES:
1. A large range of books.
2. Dealer rating system - not perfect, but a guide.
AMAZON DISADVANTAGES:
1. Charges 15% commission.
2. Their own unique ASIN catalogue system often leads to a mis-described book, or even a different book altogether.
3. Many amateur and even dubious listers, plus the clutter of mass-listers.
4. Very difficult to contact the dealer direct until you have bought the book (and paid the 15% commission).
5. Condition grades different from book trade standard and therefore confusing.
6. They charge you for the book before they have established it is still available.
Although they get many of their books via independent bookdealers, the customer deals with Alibris, not the bookdealer.
They charge 15% commission.
ALIBRIS ADVANTAGES:
1. No quibble returns policy.
2. Has a facility to list wanted books, so that if a title is currently unavailable, they will notify you by email
as soon as that title becomes listed.
ALIBRIS DISADVANTAGES:
1. Charges 15% commission.
2. Limited direct dealer contact.
SUMMARY:
In our opinion, the two most useful sites are AddAll and BookFinder, which allow
you to search all the major sites in one go. The best of the sites that do not charge commission are IOBA, TomFolio,
and IBookNet.
And, of course, then there is our own web catalogue Barter Books (and if I might be so bold as to add
to Mr Manley's recommendation Books
at Star Dot Star)!
 Back to Features Index
|
