BookFinder.com Journal

I've used your service many times. It's excellent. I hope this continues.

Irena

So what is in it for ABE, to index millions of books that their competitors are selling?

My prediction is that a few months down the line they will find some excuse for shutting it down, just like Amazon did with Bibliofind (though that was a different kind of service).

Peter

We've been booksellers with Abe since its inception and we've used Bibliofind every day for years as well. We wish you great success!!
Kelly

How much did you get?

Welcome on to the abebooks circuit. I hope you prosper and that I sell many books to your clients.good luck.

Thanks for providing the service. This is truely bad news, I am sure I will miss the old Bookfinder. A long time dealer on Abebooks.

congrats!
biella

What's the point of Abe acquiring BookFinder if BookFinder is going to remain independent?

We really want to know - what is in it for ABE? You guys are great but ABE, well, Biblio is better.

Really wish I could feel good about this, but I've seen too many examples where a small, excellent company (such as Bookfinder) has been acquired by a large corporate entity (such as ABE), and the small company loses the spark that made it great. Really hope it doesn't happen here!! However, looking at the ABE track record over the last two+ years, I am not optimistic.

Longtime ABE bookseller

Very mixed feelings about ABE's takeover. Bookfinder is excellent, but only because it is totally independent. I can't believe ABE won't start to mess with the site - and DON'T let them offer you an upgrade!!

Kindly let me know the price of book entitled " Biochemical methods by Pingoud, A . " to be delivered at karnal ( India) prefarbly used copy with discount since this is to be used in libraryfor M.Sc. students. I shall be thankful to you if you can intimate me the price along with the postage charges if any.

Many,many thanks for the fantastic job you've done up to now. However, I too am very sceptical. To echo the other comments - what's in it for ABE?

The worst possible news for me!
***
Still, it was your creation, and you have every right to sell it.

I have grown to despise ABE over the last several years, having used them formerly since the mid 90s. The final straw was their change from notificatoin of 'want matches' to the self-congratulatory and *always incorrect* "We're pleased to tell you that Abebooks.com has successfully found the following book(s) you want"

Best of luck and best wishes. You've been invaluable over the years.

Bookfinder is a fine resource and although I am happy for you and hope you have been financially rewarded, I feel you have aligned yourself with the wrong entity by being acquired by ABE.

Perhaps you really aren't quite as aware of the enormity and impact of the tech issues that they have faced over the last twelve months, how it has adversely affected buyers and sellers, and their complete lack of customer service during those several long term outages. ABE's arrogance, short sightedness, and mismanagement has precipitated a migration to other sites such as Biblio, et. al. which is not likely to stop any time soon.

Obviously ABE sees a benefit in procuring Bookfinder, and I'm sure it's not yet clear to you or us what the arrangement is or whether you will be able to prevent ABE's ultimate manipulation of the Bookfinder site to their distinct advantage. Off we all go to addall I suppose.

I've used Bookfinder literally thousands of times since 1999. I use nothing but... I hope that you stay online and independent -- what would I do without you?

I agree with all those who've expressed concern about ABE's ultimate destruction of Bookfinder.com as we know, and love, it. During my 10 years in the book selling business I have sadly watched ABE deteriorate into the arrogant, greedy, dealer-exploiting entity it is now; not only do I NOT recommend ABE to customers--I actively steer them away. I, too, am sorry that you've decided to align yourself with them. Let's just hope they already have more of our money than they can possibly spend, so they won't feel a need to destroy Bookfinder.com to grab more.

Oh my heart and wallet just cried. If it were not for Bookfinder, I would not been able to locate and buy my imagination books. ABE failed often times. Nor would I have gotten all the Ich und Du editions over the may years. As a bright disabled guy living on very limited funds, Bookfinder allows me to keep my mind sharp. Well, I will wait and see what comes of this change.

Well, i love you folks and have been around since the MX daze... Whats the old saying, "talk is cheap at times". I just looked up a common book, Freedom's Daughters by Olson and the ONLY listing you showed was from ABE and, surprise, surprise, it was the most expensive copy on ABE?!! ON the ABE site, there are 45, and over $30. cheaper!! I ho ho hope this isnt a sign of things to come...neocons invading yet another chunk of cyberspace...

Thanks for the comments, and concerns. We're going to remain a separately managed and operated, with no skew toward Abebooks, or against anyone else. I've spent nine years of my life developing a useful and unbiased search resource, and neither we nor Abebooks have any intention of undoing that.

Kevin, I just ran a search for title "Freedom's Daughters" by author "Olson" and got back 88 results from a wide array of vendors. The cheapest copy was $1.62 from Half.com, and the most expensive was $48.05 at Alibris. I'd guess that you made a typo, and got back the one entry at Abebooks listed for sale under the same incorrect spelling. You're welcome to try running more BookFinder.com searches to see if we skew results (we don't).

It will take a hero of booklovers like Anirvan to protect his creation from the corporate control-freaking of ABE... The responses here should be a good indicator of what real used book buyers are thinking about ABE, where they have gone wrong and lost our respect, and how BF may avoid that undignified demise.

Put on more ads (no pops!), require (fair) payment, whatever it takes -- just *please* don't let it turn into a corporate sham, directing us to where ABE can make the most money! We'll run, not walk, to the next best possibility. And don't ever, ever offer 'direct' listings! Remain an unbiased metasearch, please. One can make honest money at that, I think, while retaining honor.

It's not, for me, about the cheapest book. It's about finding the obscure titles I'm always looking for by searching the wide databases assembled in a clear manner by BF, and being able to communicate freely with those bookseller to discuss and buy the book (this of course is out of BFs hands, as I hope it will remain), without being forced to use some 'built in' payment system assuring maximum profit skimming by the information overlords (Alibris is an even more obnoxious example - allowing no free contact whatsoever with the booksellers).

Anirvan, I hope you are kind of rich from this deal (because it's surely something you should get paid very well for), and that you remain in control of your baby - for your sake and ours!

-r

I know almost nothing about ABE, but had gotten used to an independent, serious, reliable, fast BF. Please, please, please do not change that. A Spanish user & lover.

I have always been proud to call you a friend, Anirvan, and your continued success make my little heart swell with pride all the more. I look forward to seeing where you and my beloved bookfinder are headed next. Congratulations.

WOO HOO! Good for you guys. I've used this service for years, and it's my first stop for older published books and it's rare you don't find a copy I'm looking for.

I hope you guys finally made some money after years of free services.

Good luck with it.

NC

Google has a lot to answer for in the next world - http://books.google.com : just the same as those corporate merchandisers Amazon who now only take books on consignment or offer on commission from third party sellers. Amazon sold 1.6 million of the latest Harry Potter and made no profit (according to their latest quarter's figures) : Abe, had the world at their feet and made golden idols of the profit line instead of looking after the core independent booktrade. Who seriously wants to be involved with every person who offers the current list from a wholesaler and yet has no stock. Principles died some time in the 1960's.

Congratulations, to Anirvan and Charlie, in getting some form of repayment for all the midnight hours.

Was it all worth it ? No, you probably should have sold 2 years ago - then you would have got more gold than Abe towers could ever provide.

Hidden message for the good developer - be prepared to sell the baby before the bath water goes cold.

Good luck with your new corporate chums who wouldn't know a book, other than the balance sheet.

Clive Keeble
Keeble Antiques
Cheapside
Langport
Somerset TA10 9PW
United Kingdom

Good luck guys! You're cool!

Congrats guys for all of your hard work and effort over the years. I am happy to see that it finally paid off for you.

The only word of advice I have for you is to remember that you sold your company and that you are no longer the owners, otherwise you are setting yourself up for a disappointment.

Utlimately it will be Abe thats makes the final decision. You may have am opinion but they have the final word. I only mention this because I read a few comments that sounded a little altruistic to me!

It's starting...

Now searching a book title on google brings something like this:

http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Mystery_People_of_the_Cove-A_History_of_the_Lake_Superior_Ouinipegou/0967689201/

Which tries to take to to the ABE site to buy the book. Though it offers to search the bookfinder search also (albeit with a huge red arrow pointing at the ABE option), it's exactly in the direction of what I'd expected with the ABE takover, and what I've been fearing. What corporate entity can resist trying to beg, force, trick, or fool into buying their product? None, apparently. This is bad.

Looks like some competitors have stopped sending data to Bookfinder as well. I search frequently for .Net titles and I have noticed that Biblio titles have disappeared and the number of different vendors offering products has dropped.

Addressing some concerns...Harry, we're working with Biblio.com as we always have. You can read http://tinyurl.com/amqst for a public statement from Brendan. And Robert, that page doesn't always link to Abebooks titles; there's been no changes since before we were acquired.

... it's easy to get scared; everybody's hoping for the best (and looking for the worst!). in the meantime, i'm still using BF with success... thanks. and!! - don't ever give search records to any government agencies (cf the current google vs. DOJ battle)!

In reference to comments like:

"...I can't believe ABE won't start to mess with the site..."

and

"... ABE's ultimate manipulation of the Bookfinder site to their distinct advantage..."

Above, well, here we are! ABE books now listed first...