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MegaBookSearch
Jelle Samshuijzen of Rockingstone, the webmaster for both the ABAA and the ILAB bookselling sites, announced a new search site they developed. www.megabooksearch.com searches multiple book databases, libraries, and bookdealer websites.
"If you want to get a complete picture of all the books for sale on the Internet, this is the place to search!" Samshuijzen writes.
For the convenience of European book dealers: the website is in English, French, German and Dutch!
http://www.megabooksearch.com
German Company Acquires ChooseBooks
On November 16, 2004, ChooseBooks was acquired by Mediatins AG, an independent German multi-media corporation and a parent company of ZVAB.com, Antiquarian Book listing service in Central Europe.
According to Michael Tokman the merger blends the same selling philosophies and customer service so that the transition will be all but invisible to the current users. The merging of data appears to be easy for the two companies because the database structure is compatible.
This essentially doubles the number of books that will now be for sale in both the US and Europe. The domain name of Choosebooks.com will remain operable both online and in marketing promotions. Meanwhile, ZVAB will continue to expand on the other continent.
This came as a welcome relief to Tokman who sent out notices last October that Choosebooks would be closing at the end of the month. The site is a well-run selling venue that needed a boost in marketing and development dollars and Tokman first approached customers and then broadened the search for a partner to keep Choosebooks operational. The appearance of ZVAB seems to be the equivalent of the calvary appearing on the horizon in the nick of time.
Bookologist wishes both companies well as we have met those involved and know them to be congenial and competent individuals who want to make it easier for people to sell books online.
http://www.choosebooks.com
Book Router
Very recently we had an employee leave our employ abruptly, without warning. It was a poaching by a competitor (not another bookseller), and under the circumstances we were quick to change all passwords.
We use Book Router to upload to all selling sites at one time and the change in passwords caused a glitch to occur on some sites. Unlike other software programs who promise technical support, Book Router went over and above the call of duty to solve this problem.
Our listing person, Vicky, sent an email to alert them of the problem. They responded with a telephone call to the shop. This was a problem they would solve, they promised. It proved a bit more complicated than expected for some reason, but the Book Router staff worked diligently.
What surprised me most was that Charles Vilnis and the person working on our problem showed up at the ABAA fair in Boston to assure me the problem had been solved. It was, and Book Router has elevated the bar for the degree of customer service we should expect from ourselves and others.
Computer Troubles Amazon/Bibliodirect
One smaller site we recommended last year was BiblioDirect. It disappeared this past summer after a couple of weeks where books that had been sold began appearing in current databases. A call to the company resulted in a message that BiblioDirect was working on the problem.
Later, a chat line reported they'd been hacked by a former employee, and the site dissolved.
A few weeks ago this same problem began occurring on Amazon.com. It was our experience that nearly half the titles ordered were books formerly sold and purged from our database some months before. This resulted in an abnormal amount of refunds and a warning from Amazon that our fulfillment quota was in jeopardy.
It wasn't until their bulletin board began reporting that this problem was being worked on that the burden shifted. Amazon has yet to report the problem was solved and no word to customers who were affected whether their fulfillment rate will be in peril.
When a company withholds information from customers, customers worry. In my opinion, Amazon has a track record for not maintaining a focus on the used-book seller. The company wants the business their sales bring, but used booksellers are not Amazon's primary focus. The demise of Bibliofind in their hands proves that.
It is hoped that Amazon will correct the problem or at least suspend the fulfillment regulations.
Australian Bookselling Site
A new site our readers might explore is one in Australia called booksandcollectibles.com. We all know the Euro is stronger than the American Dollar, but our currency is presently stronger than the Australian. Consequently the charge for this site is considerably less than you may expect.
http://www.booksandcollectibles.com
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