Phantom books are only part of it
On line bookselling is subject to constant change. Gone are the heady days when, for those with an early internet presence, books seem to fly off the shelves faster than they could be replaced and readers and book collectors around the world discovered titles that previously had been tucked away in a dark corner of a tatty second hand book shop in a sleepy English market town, available only to those who by serendipity crossed the threshold and had the time and inclination to browse, often uncomfortably, through endless rows of random books.
These days the on line supply of books far outstrips demand. Large numbers of dealers all over the world have catalogued their stock and diligently upload those horrid data files each day. But the influx of mediocre stock is largely the result of the hobbyist, encouraged by the likes of Amazon and ABEbooks, to offer their paltry selection of tatty, valueless paperbacks to the Mammon god of international commerce. Do a couple of searches for commonplace books on any of the major listing services and, if the sheer weight of numbers doesn't put you off, the poor, often inaccurate descriptions, arcane shipping options and illegal returns policies will! Each day, it gets harder and more time consuming to sort the wheat from the chaff and, with over 60,000 dealers offering stock on the net, gone are the days when most booksellers, and buyers as well, knew most of the other booksellers operating in their area. Of course, the big guys still stand out: the incomparable Maggs Brothers, in central London; the estimable Peter Harrrington, with their opulent selection of antiquarian and illustrated books; the delightful Any Amount of Books, who always seem to manage to have the very book you must have, although until you saw it, you didn't know you wanted it. Yet for the most part, book buyers have no way of telling if they book they are looking at is being offered by a respectable antiquarian or second hand dealer, an inexperienced but well intentioned novice hobbyist, a fly-by-night rip-off outfit or a downright fraud. So, too many book buyers are disappointed with their on-line purchase: the order is cancelled because the dealer failed to update their stock; it doesn't arrive, or arrives late; it's not in the condition or it's not the edition promised. In its early days, ABEbooks (originally the advanced book exchange) was almost entirely the preserve of the respectable and professional bookseller, but those days have gone and now, more than any other service, the ABE website is flooded with penny sellers, poor sellers and phantom books.
So, what prompted such musings on the state of our industry? Well recently a group of UK second hand book sellers have been working hard to ensure that help is at hand for readers and book collectors alike. The Independent Booksellers Network (ibooknet), the only UK based co-operative of second hand booksellers, launches it's new book selling site next month. Ibooknet members actually own the site and determine policy, ensuring that their listing service is tailored to the needs of book buyers (which of course is the best way for book sellers to do well). No mark ups and no middlemen, book buyers can make direct contact with sellers who emphasis quality and professionalism with accurately described books and up-to-date listing.
We're members of Ibooknet (so we would think it's great). But don't take our word for it. Try it out. And tell me what you think.
