Used Books

[Peter Johnson]

Hello all--

I've been trying to find a book for some time with little luck at Amazon (zshops), half, Powells...

Seems to me I've seen a site listed here that consolidates a number of used book sellers; can anyone give me any tips as to what the site is?

Thanks in advance.

PJ

[Michael Fitzgerald]

http://www.addall.com/Used/

http://www.abebooks.com/

Mike

[BruceH]

I used to use abebooks quite a lot. They came through with a lot of good used books (mainly having to do with nostalgia in my case.)

[connoisseur series500]

abebooks is the one!

Hard to beat!

[Peter Johnson]

Thanks everyone! Found the book and bookmarked the links!

I appreciate it!

[BbM7]

Una mas: http://www.alibris.com

(This site frequently offers coupon discounts.)

[Larry Kart]

As a hardcore used book addict, I've had my best luck here:

http://www.bookfinder.com/

[Brownian Motion]

As a hardcore used book addict, I've had my best luck here:

http://www.bookfinder.com/

I list books on http://www.bookavenue.com/ , which is one of the smaller book databases, but Bookfinder searches Bookavenue, ABE, Alibris, and at least half a dozen others.

[ejp626]

I think Bookfinder is definitely the best, since it does index Abebooks, alibris and even the half and amazon used listings (usually -- sometimes when half is overcrowded those prices won't show). This is always where I start.

[Dr. Rat]

My big complaint with abebooks is that the sellers are all lowballing the actual prices of books ($1, say) and then padding their shipping costs to make up the difference. I think abebooks should institute some standard shipping costs so the listed prices for books are all working from the same baseline.

--eric

[Brownian Motion]

My big complaint with abebooks is that the sellers are all lowballing the actual prices of books ($1, say) and then padding their shipping costs to make up the difference. I think abebooks should institute some standard shipping costs so the listed prices for books are all working from the same baseline.

--eric

Very few professions have been more dramatically altered by the WWW than the used book trade. In the not-so-distant past it was slow, inefficient, and required dedication, a broad if not necessarily deep knowledge of history and culture, and a real love of books; dealer wannabes normally served apprenticeships at established bookstores, or were collectors who became dealers to feed an insatiable book habit.

Today it is fast, efficient, and requires very little of its practitioners other than an urge to turn thrift store finds into cash. There are plenty of real book dealers on ABE and related sites, but there are plenty of imposters as well. They're the ones selling dollar books and gouging on shipping.

[Dr. Rat]

My big complaint with abebooks is that the sellers are all lowballing the actual prices of books ($1, say) and then padding their shipping costs to make up the difference. I think abebooks should institute some standard shipping costs so the listed prices for books are all working from the same baseline.

--eric

Very few professions have been more dramatically altered by the WWW than the used book trade. In the not-so-distant past it was slow, inefficient, and required dedication, a broad if not necessarily deep knowledge of history and culture, and a real love of books; dealer wannabes normally served apprenticeships at established bookstores, or were collectors who became dealers to feed an insatiable book habit.

Today it is fast, efficient, and requires very little of its practitioners other than an urge to turn thrift store finds into cash. There are plenty of real book dealers on ABE and related sites, but there are plenty of imposters as well. They're the ones selling dollar books and gouging on shipping.

Yeah, I actually know someone in the business slightly. It's depressing when I talk to her about the books she actually makes money on.

She actually sold a Reader's Digest condensed book for some increadibly high price a few weeks back.

--eric