Where to Shop for Used Books Online: The Three Major Book Marketplaces You Should Know and Probably Don't

I've been selling used books online since 1996. When I mention what I do, 9 times out of 10 the person I'm with will say, "Oh, you sell on eBay, right?" A handful might mention buying a book on Amazon. One or two might know about Half.com, because of its association with eBay. Never, not once, have I heard a non-bookseller mention the other three major online book marketplaces where I list my book inventory. Considering two of the three book sites have been in business for over 10 years this is really, really distressing and depressing. These are the premier places to find out of print used books from booksellers from all over the world at some of the best prices and the average American has never even heard of them! Many times the prices at these sites will be the same or even dramatically lower to what you will find listed at Amazon or eBay. The range and depth of inventory among the three book marketplaces is definitely greater than at Amazon or eBay, there's no question. So in a desperate attempt to educate the average online book buyer I decided to write this article.

Major Online Book Marketplace #1: Abebooks
Abebooks is located in Canada and claims to have over 110 million new, rare, and used books listed from thousands of booksellers from all of the world. They have been in business since 1996 and were recently purchased by Amazon. Abebooks has one of the best search engines for books that I have worked with - easily blowing Amazon and eBay out of the water. You can search not only by author and title, but also publisher, hardback, first edition, date, price, dust jacket, etc. It is a collector's paradise; one of the most expensive books sold on Abebooks in October 2009 was a rare copy of the Hobbit that sold for $6500. Without a site like Abebooks, it would have been extremely difficult for the seller of this book to connect with the final buyer. (Amazon, for example, has a $2500 limit for their books, so this book could not even be listed for sale on Amazon.) With millions of books for sale, it is not just the rare book collector that would find Abebooks a useful site, your average bibliophile will revel in the surplus of reasonably priced reading copies available as well. Abebooks has six international websites in all, including sites in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and France.

Major Online Book Marketplace #2: Alibris
Alibris is located in the United States and claims to have over 100 million new, rare, and used books listed from independent book sellers. They have been in business since 1998. Their market niche has not only included the average consumer, but also the library market. (So even if you've never heard of Alibris, there's a good chance your university librarian has.) They have also partnered with other bookselling businesses to help fill their book search needs. So, if you purchased an out of print book from Barnes & Noble, Blackwells, or Half.com (to name a few) there is a good chance you actually purchased it from an independent bookseller listing on Alibris. I don't personally find their book search engine as easy to use as Abebooks', but it is adequate, and far superior to Amazon's or eBay's. You will find that a certain subset of booksellers that list on Abebooks also list on Alibris, but there are some that only list on Alibris because they prefer their marketing approach. Alibris does not have that large of an international presence (though I believe they are working on to improve this) so you will not find as many international booksellers listed on Alibris as on Abebooks. A strong selling point for shopping on Alibris is that they offer a fixed shipping charge (Abebooks allows each bookseller to set their own shipping charges) as well as regular coupons off future orders. Unlike Abebooks, which focuses primarily on books, Alibris also sells music and movies.

Major Online Book Marketplace #3: Biblio
Biblio is located in the United States and is the dark horse of the three. For reasons that I don't have time to go into here, there has been a move among some independent booksellers to abandon the large book marketplaces (sometimes called the "three A's" - Amazon, Abebooks, Alibris) and move toward supporting a website that is hopefully more bookseller friendly in terms of fees and flexibility. Biblio was born in 2003 and currently claims to have 50 million new, used, and rare books for sale through its independent booksellers. Biblio is like Abebooks in that it has a very strong and flexible search engine, as well as attracting booksellers from all over the world. Because Biblio provides a fee option for the bookseller of paying commission only on book sales, you will find independent booksellers on Biblio that you won't find on the larger book marketplaces. For that reason alone I would always recommend checking Biblio if you are looking for a hard to find book; if you can't find it on the other marketplaces, or you don't like their prices, there's still a good chance it will surface at Biblio. Two selling points for shopping at Biblio are that they offer not only coupons for future book purchases, but also give the option of buying gift certificates that can be used to purchase books from any Biblio bookseller. With the holiday shopping season on the horizon, a Biblio gift certificate may be the perfect gift for that book lover in your family.

Blessings!

Sources
Abebooks Web Site
Alibris Web Site
Biblio Web Site