SOME NOTES ON SEARCHING FOR BOOKS

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 if the book is ordered through their site. 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!

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AddALL www.addall.com or BookFinder www.bookfinder.com

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 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:

• 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:

• Because it is searching so many databases, each search takes a little longer than with a single listing site.
• Lacks some 'advanced search' features that may make it difficult to zone in on a specific edition.

N.B. Once you have located the book you seek, ALWAYS contact the bookdealer directly (use Google if need be) if you wish to avoid paying the 13 - 15% commission that is built into many listing site prices.
Alternatively, use one of the independent sites listed below which charge no commission.

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IOBA (Independent Online Booksellers Association) www.ioba.org
PBFA (Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association) www.pbfa.org
IBookNet (The Independent Booksellers' Network) www.ibooknet.com
UKBookWorld www.ukbookworld.com
TomFolio www.tomfolio.com

Booklisting Site Rating:

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:

• No commission - no hidden extra charges.
• Able to arrange results in price order.
• Have a good range of advanced search features to help you reach exactly the book you are looking for.
• Have a highly developed browse feature allowing you to look through specific interest areas.
• Have highly developed Codes of Ethics that all participating bookdealers agree to, leading to accurate descriptions and 'no quibble' returns policies.

disadvantages:

• A smaller range of books than the major sites. Nevertheless, there is a large range of quality books accurately listed on this site.

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Advanced Book Exchange www.abebooks.com

Booklisting Site Rating:

This site has one of the largest ranges of secondhand and antiquarian books on the web, but charges 13.5% commission and fees.

ABE advantages:

• A very large range of books.
• Has a good range of advanced search features to help you reach exactly the book you are looking for.
• 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:

• Charges 13.5% commission/fees and has fixed shipping charges that are often more expensive than need be.
• Lists the books of many amateur and part-time bookdealers - not in itself bad, but beware of over enthusiastic descriptions and unprofessional service.
• Plus the clutter of mass-listers and Print-on-Demand photocopy merchants, which can make finding the actual book you seek more difficult.

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Amazon www.amazon.com

Booklisting Site Rating:

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:

• A large range of books.
• Dealer rating system - not perfect, but a guide.

Amazon disadvantages:

• Charges 15% commission.
• Their inappropriate ISBN catalogue system often leads to a mis-described book, or even a different book altogether.
• Many amateur and even dubious listers, plus the clutter of mass-listers.
• Very difficult to contact the dealer direct until you have bought the book (and paid the 15% commission).
• Condition grades different from book trade standard and therefore confusing.
• They charge you for the book before they have established it is still available.

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Alibris www.alibris.com

Booklisting Site Rating:

Although they get many of their books via independent bookdealers, the customer deals with Alibris, not the bookdealer. They charge 15% commission.

Alibris advantages:

• No quibble returns policy.
• 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.

Alibris disadvantages:

• Charges 15% commission.
• Limited direct dealer contact.

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Other booklisting sites:

• Antiqbooks www.antiqbook.com
  Booklisting Site Rating:
  
  
• Biblio www.biblio.com
  Booklisting Site Rating:
  
  
• Choosebooks / ZVAB www.zvab.com
  Booklisting Site Rating:
  
  
• eBay www.ebay.com
  Booklisting Site Rating:
  
  

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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 www.barterbooks.co.uk!

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Booklisting Site Ratings

• Booklisting site ratings are based on the quality of the listings (accuracy and honesty of listings etc.)
• The expertise, ethics and quality of service of participating booksellers
• Booklisting sites with higher ratings charge no commission fee over and above the bookseller's price and do not allow what are known as megalisters and relisters - booksellers who use 'boiler plate' descriptions because they either do not have the book in stock or have not bothered to catalogue it properly, leading to indifferent service for the customer.