# Good Non-Ebay Alternative To Amazon **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626 "2021-04-08T21:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/1 "2021-04-08T21:33:01Z")
**Amazon is becoming a hemorrhoid.** I spend more time jousting with these idiots & their bureaucracy than I do filling orders. I’ve **never** been successful on Ebay. Are there other good alternatives for selling used books online? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/2 "2021-04-08T22:01:21Z")
I dropped in here, assuming you meant buying stuff on Amazon, Since their union-busting efforts, we’ve been buying directly from the manufacturers of the items we need. But selling books? I’ve had great luck, during the pandemic, selling to local used bookstores. Some of them are selling so well, they need product. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/3 "2021-04-08T22:20:37Z")
> **[AbeBooks | Shop for Books, Art & Collectibles](https://www.abebooks.com/)** > > Discover a wonderful selection of rare and collectible books, used copies, signed and first editions and more, from booksellers located around the world. [https://www.alibris.com/](https://www.alibris.com/) > **[Used Books and Rare Books from Antiquarian Booksellers](https://www.biblio.com/)** > > Biblio offers nearly 100 million used books and rare books for sale from professional antiquarian booksellers around the world. Uncommonly good books found here. What you can do it get software which can list on multiple sites (these as well as Amazon and eBay) such as: > **[Book Inventory Management Software](https://www.booktrakker.com/)** > > Booktrakker inventory management software for online booksellers, book collectors and used bookstores. Free Trial, Freeware version. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/4 "2021-04-09T09:32:11Z")
Do those accommodate very small sellers? Just a few hundred volumes total? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/5 "2021-04-09T15:11:17Z")
AbeBooks is an Amazon subsidiary. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/6 "2021-04-09T17:04:29Z")
Yes, all three sites accommodate very small sellers. But look at the fees: [https://www.abebooks.com/docs/Sell/fees.shtml](https://www.abebooks.com/docs/Sell/fees.shtml) [https://www.alibris.com/sellers/program-fees](https://www.alibris.com/sellers/program-fees) > **[Biblio Bookseller Commissions and Fees](https://www.biblio.com/pages/billing_options.html)** > > Biblio offers nearly 100 million used books and rare books for sale from professional antiquarian booksellers around the world. Uncommonly good books found here. So all three sites charge commissions. Besides this Alibris has a $19.99 annual fee and Abebooks has a $25 minimum monthly listing fee for up to 500 books and $37 minimum monthly listing fee for 501 to $4000 books. Overall Amazon and eBay are probably the best selling venues (eBay more for collectible books), then Abebooks then Biblio and Alibris. If you sell on multiple sites then you really should use a database to multi-list. Besides the subscription Booktrakker I mentioned Abebooks has free Homebase: [https://www.abebooks.com/homebase/software-inventory-management-system-catalog/](https://www.abebooks.com/homebase/software-inventory-management-system-catalog/) Or do a Google search for other options: [https://www.google.com/search?q=bookselling+software](https://www.google.com/search?q=bookselling+software) But overall there is a vast over-supply of common books available for sale and you can only sell these at prices so low it’s not worth doing. PS, Dewey: while it is true Abebooks is an Amazon subsidiary it operates independently (and is headquartered in Canada). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/7 "2021-04-09T17:20:00Z")
> **[viaLibri - The world’s largest search engine for old, rare & second-hand...](https://www.vialibri.net/)** > > viaLibri is the world's largest search engine for old, rare & second-hand books. I am not a registered member, so I don’t know about their fees. I would assume they are comparable to the other options already mentioned, but… one way to find out for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/8 "2021-04-09T17:26:04Z")
> [@digs](#): > > But selling books? I’ve had great luck, during the pandemic, selling to local used bookstores. Some of them are selling so well, they need product. Seconding looking for used bookstores in your area, they’ll be geared toward buying small amounts at a time. For example, [this store in Manassas](http://mckayusedbooks.com/) has plastic bins [similar to what the Postal Service uses](https://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2011/05/0corrplasmb01.jpg); anyone with books to sell goes up to the counter and is allowed to fill up to four of these bins. The customer then receives a printed four-letter code word and there’s a monitor on the wall above the selling counter which keeps track of when all the bins belonging to each code word have been processed. The customer then returns to the counter for their store credit and/or cash, depending on what the customer opts for. Credit is always higher than cash payment. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/9 "2021-04-10T02:29:29Z")
ViaLibri searches viaLibri searches for old and rare books offered on 36 different multi-dealer websites [like Abebooks, Biblio…] and over 100 individual dealer websites. 100 individual websites is a trivial number; the OP would not find it useful to list there. PS. If someone here just wants to sell already-read books so they can buy additional books they might consider swapping them instead, for example at: > **[Trade Used Books with PaperBack Swap (the world's largest Book Club)](https://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php)** > > Trade in your books via the largest online book swapping community in the world. Then choose from over 5 million available hardbacks, audiobooks, textbooks, romance novels and more. List your books today! > **We help avid readers share their books online.** > > - It’s easy: List books you’d like to swap with other club members. > - Once a book is requested, mail it to the club member. > - In return, you may choose from **1,149,060** available books! > > - You pay postage for the books you send out; the books you receive come to you postage-paid. > - Books you request are yours to keep, or swap again! > > _We’re **NOT just Paperback Books**! Enjoy trading Hardbacks, Audio Books, Textbooks and more._ ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/10 "2021-04-19T20:28:53Z")
Biblio looks good. Which rate package seems best? I’m looking art the “no fee” option. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-non-ebay-alternative-to-amazon/939626/11 "2021-04-19T20:30:45Z")
BTW–a new hassle today. Amazon thing that a biography of a doctor from the 1920s is somehow connected to the NFL ditching the Native American stuff, and has banned the book. Are they **all** crazy?