Abebooks.com a Great Resource
Feb 15 '00
Books stay in print for such a short time any more, it is essential to find a good out-of-print source for books. Even books as young as five years old are already out of print. That's why I use www.abebooks.com.
This great resource links (now 5,700) independent booksellers from around North America and the U.K. These booksellers list their merchandise at www.abebooks.com. This site is an excellent resource for finding books that I need for doing some historical research. A recent improvement to the system made it possible to purchase some books directly from the web site via credit card purchase. I personally don't use this option as abebooks.com will charge an extra $3 handling fee. I would rather deal directly with the seller.
You send an query to the seller via e-mail. The seller responds back regarding the availability of the book and the total purchase price. You make arrangements for payment and a short time later, you have a wonderful old book showing up in your mailbox. (This is similar to how you would handle a transaction on eBay, only without bidding. See my epinion on eBay.)
Sure this site isn't as fancy and automatic as Amazon.com, etc., but you can't beat it for finding rare, out-of-print, and unusual books. And since multiple copies of the book you want are usually available, you can pick the one that's the cheapest (if condition doesn't matter, and it doesn't with me). There are also opportunities to purchase signed copies of books. I also use Abebooks.com to help me decide how to price the books I am selling on eBay, since these bookdealers are "in-the-know" about that sort of thing.
Abebooks.com is to used books what Amazon.com is to new books. It is the mother of all websites. Similar websites include Alibris.com, Bibliocity.com, and Bibliofind.com. I have used all three. Alibris.com is a direct credit card ordering site and is convenient in that regard. Bibliocity and Bibliofind I have only used once apiece; the transaction must have gone smooth enough since I don't remember anything specifically good or bad about them. But I have found that many of the sellers at Alibris, Bibliocity, and Bibliofind are the same as those in Abebooks.com, only minus the huge selection. So your first stop should be Abebooks.com.
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Epinions.com ID:
Rocketgirl
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 in Books |
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Reviews written: 398
Trusted by: 224 members
About Me:
So many books, so little time.
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