Alibris - any experiences with this used media company?

Hi,

Has anyone bought any music from Alibris and care to comment? Do they scan their items in or list them only by artist/title as to not match the exact item you are looking for in some cases? They do business on their own site as well as marketplaces like half.com and B&N. Any comments as to how reliable they are in regard to the product matching the barcode? Thanks in advance.

Anthony

 

Never bought any music through Alibris, just the occasional book. Unless things have changed since I last used them, the company itself isn't selling the merchandise, they only provide a platform for a network of independent sellers, much like eBay or Amazon Marketplace does. So in terms of a given product matching the barcode, they are only as reliable as the seller who's listing the item.

 

I ordered a book which at the time was out of print, this may have been around 2004-5. I had no problem with the transaction, and the item arrived in good condition as described. I've not ordered anything since then, nor I haven't had the need as most of the books I want are offered through amazon, and in the case of out of print CDs or LPs I use discogs, eBay occasionally.

Recently I checked the prices of some out of print books but they were high, even in used condition, so that prevented me from ordering.

 

Thanks guys. If anyone whom has bought any CDs from Alibris that can comment about the CD product matching or not matching the barcode please do let me know. With their somewhat poor half.com feedback (91%) I'm kind of thinking they may be like the now defunct Hastings which did not use a scanner to enter their product, so you could get any edition of said album. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

They are just an advertising company like eBay or Discogs, they own no product. Your experience will be as good or bad as the individual seller who paid them to advertise there, and on whose behalf they bulk listed on Amazon or half. If you go to their own site, you may be able to figure out the individual seller who owns what you are looking at and contact them directly.

 

As above, Alibris is a listing service that pushes the inventory of sellers to online platforms, be it Half, Amazon or eBay. It originally specialized in books. Your experience will vary depending on the actual seller.

 

Thanks for the info.