AbeBooks vs Amazon: Fees, ISBNs and Which Books Sell Where
AbeBooks sells out-of-print books by author and title. Amazon matches your copy to an ISBN product page and shows it beside other sellers' offers.
- Pre-ISBN stock suits AbeBooks. Amazon matches each offer to a product identifier such as an ISBN. A book printed before ISBNs existed can need an exemption there.
- Amazon.co.uk refuses some secondhand stock outright. Mouldy or unreadable copies, promotional copies and proofs of in-print titles are banned.
- Percentages are close; fixed charges differ. AbeBooks Premium takes 8% plus processing and a monthly subscription. Amazon UK takes 15% on Books, a selling plan, and a closing fee Amazon says is common on media.
- Amazon runs four Collectible grades for books. Signed, scarce or first-edition copies qualify, with a written reason. Ex-library and book club copies do not.
- On Amazon, each ISBN has one product page. Your copy competes there with rival offers, and Amazon picks a Featured Offer.
- With FLUF Connect, an AbeBooks sale ends your Amazon listing for you. After an Amazon sale, mark the book sold in FLUF, and FLUF ends the AbeBooks listing. 7 days for £1, then from £9/month.
Which books suit which site
If most of your shelves predate the ISBN, start on AbeBooks. Amazon lists books against an identifier, and a copy lacking one can need an exemption first. If you stock recent paperbacks and textbooks with barcodes, Amazon takes them with little effort, though you compete on price with everyone offering that ISBN.
Amazon.co.uk also turns some stock away. Its condition guidelines bar mouldy, heavily stained or dirty copies, copies with missing pages or obscured text, and promotional books such as advance reading copies. Uncorrected proofs of in-print titles are prohibited. If review copies and proofs make up much of your trade, Amazon is closed to them.
For everything else, sort copy by copy. A book whose price comes from its edition, signature or inscription goes to AbeBooks. A title shoppers type in and buy at the lowest decent price goes to Amazon. Some fit both.
AbeBooks and Amazon side by side
| AbeBooks | Amazon (UK) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Bought by Amazon, completed December 2008 | Parent company |
| ISBN | Out-of-print titles sell and turn up by author and title | ISBN or other identifier, or an approved exemption |
| Main percentage | Premium: 8% commission plus 5.5% processing | 15% referral fee on Books |
| Fixed charges | Premium subscription from US$25 monthly | Professional plan £25 monthly, plus a closing fee on media items |
| Postage counted in the fee | Yes | Yes |
| Rare copies | AbeBooks’ trade grading terms | Four Collectible grades with a stated reason |
What each sale costs
AbeBooks
AbeBooks’ fee schedule offers two plans. Premium takes an 8% commission, a 5.5% processing fee on the first US$500 of a UK or US order, and a monthly subscription from US$25 that rises with listing count. Basic drops the subscription and takes 15% plus US$1.00 per item. Both percentages apply to the book price plus postage.
Amazon
Amazon UK’s pricing page sets Books at a 15% referral fee with no per-item minimum, worked out on the full amount the buyer pays, delivery included. That page also defines a closing fee as a fixed charge “most commonly applied to media items such as books”, so confirm the current figure in Seller Central before pricing. Plans cost £25 monthly (Professional) or £0.75 per item sold (Individual), excluding VAT.
In the US, Amazon’s pricing page lists Books under Media at 15%, with a US$1.80 closing fee per media item. Plans there are US$39.99 monthly or US$0.99 per item. A flat closing fee hits cheap stock hardest. An US$8 paperback with US$4 shipping carries a US$1.80 referral fee and a US$1.80 closing fee, so Amazon retains US$3.60 of US$12, or 30%.
- AbeBooks Premium: 8% commission £3.44, plus 5.5% processing £2.37. You receive £37.19, less the subscription.
- AbeBooks Basic: 15% commission £6.45, plus US$1.00. No subscription.
- Amazon UK: 15% referral fee £6.45. You receive £36.55, less the closing fee and your plan.
Premium wins on percentages, yet its subscription, like Amazon’s Professional plan, is a fixed monthly outlay. With a few dozen books, that outlay lands on very few sales.
Listing with or without an ISBN
Amazon’s GTIN guide names the ISBN as the identifier for books. A product lacking any identifier can apply for an exemption, which requires a product name plus photos showing every side of the item and its packaging.
On AbeBooks, the ISBN is just one route to a copy. Its out-of-print books page explains that books published since 1970 have ISBNs, and recommends an author and title search because one work may appear under several ISBNs. Pre-1970 titles turn up through that same search.
Condition grades
AbeBooks has its own grading guide with trade terms Amazon does not use, so regrade each copy in Amazon’s wording.
The Amazon.co.uk guidelines give used books four grades: Like New, Very Good, Good and Acceptable. Very Good means “a copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition”, free of notes or highlighting, with an undamaged spine. Good permits limited notes and “From the library of” labels. Acceptable permits considerable notes in pen or highlighter, provided they leave the text legible. Books with a “Bargain” or “Remainder” sticker can never be listed New, and a remainder mark on the page edge must be mentioned in your comments. Your chosen condition is locked once set.
Collectible books have separate rules in that document. A copy must be signed, a limited first edition, out of print, or otherwise more desirable to collectors, and you explain why. Uncorrected proofs of in-print books, former library books, remaindered books and book club editions are excluded. Collectible listings use four grades, each describing the dust jacket. Collectible Like New allows very tiny nicks to it and no spine creasing. Collectible Very Good allows some rubbing or chipping. Amazon says Collectible Good copies are generally not collectible grade, and Acceptable copies qualify only for the rarest items.
How shoppers find your copy
AbeBooks’ seller page pitches the site as linking professional booksellers with book lovers and collectors. Each listing is your individual copy, with your notes and photos, so a carefully catalogued first edition stands on its own details.
Amazon groups every offer for an ISBN on one product page. Its Featured Offer guide says selection weighs competitive pricing, shipping speed and cost, customer metrics such as order accuracy, and stock availability. Shoppers can open the “Other sellers on Amazon” panel, but the Featured Offer is what they see first. For a common title, low prices and quick dispatch win.
Picking a side
- Sell pre-1970 or small-press books lacking an ISBN
- Price copies by edition, signature or inscription
- Hold enough stock to spread a monthly subscription
- Deal in promotional copies or proofs of in-print titles, which Amazon.co.uk bars
- Sell ISBN books that already have a product page
- Can price keenly and dispatch quickly enough to win the Featured Offer
- Have collectible copies meeting Amazon’s definition and want a second outlet
Running both with FLUF Connect
Offering one copy on two sites means two catalogue entries and a risk of double selling. FLUF Connect holds one product record and lists it to AbeBooks, Amazon or any of the 51 marketplaces it supports. You review each listing before publishing.
| What FLUF Connect does | AbeBooks | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Notices a sale here and updates stock elsewhere | Yes | No. Mark the sale in FLUF yourself |
| Ends this listing when the book sold elsewhere | Yes | Yes |
| Relisting | No | No |
| Offer management | No | No |
So an AbeBooks sale ends the Amazon listing with no extra step. After an Amazon sale, open the product in FLUF and mark it sold, and FLUF ends the AbeBooks listing.
7 days for £1, then from £9/month, then plans from £9/month. Starter includes unlimited listings.
| Plan | Monthly | Crosslisted products |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £9/month | Unlimited |
| Seller | £29/month | Unlimited |
| Pro | £99/month | Unlimited |
| Super Seller | Custom pricing — tell us what you need | Unlimited |
Sources
- AbeBooks fee schedule (USD)
- AbeBooks seller plans
- AbeBooks: out-of-print books
- AbeBooks book condition guide
- Amazon UK selling fees
- Amazon US selling fees
- Amazon.co.uk condition guidelines (PDF)
- Amazon GTIN guide
- Amazon Featured Offer guide
- Amazon.com completes acquisition of AbeBooks
Sources checked September 2026.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
On percentages, AbeBooks Premium usually takes less: 8% commission plus 5.5% processing on the item price and postage, against Amazon UK’s 15% referral fee on Books. Both add fixed costs. AbeBooks Premium has a monthly subscription from US$25, and Amazon has a selling plan (Professional £25 a month or Individual £0.75 per item) plus a closing fee that Amazon says commonly applies to books.
Amazon uses the ISBN to match your copy to a product page. A book without one needs a product identifier exemption, which asks for a title and photos of every side of the item. AbeBooks sellers list out-of-print books that predate ISBNs, and buyers find them by author and title.
Amazon.co.uk’s condition guidelines allow Collectible listings for books that are signed, a limited first edition, out of print or otherwise more valuable to a collector, and you must explain why. Former library books, book club editions, remaindered books and proofs of in-print books are excluded.
Yes. Amazon completed its purchase of AbeBooks in December 2008. You still need a separate seller account and pay separate fees on each site.
Yes. Amazon UK calculates the referral fee on the total the buyer pays, including delivery. AbeBooks does the same: its commission is based on the item price plus shipping and any extra charges.
Yes. FLUF Connect lists one product to both. When the book sells on AbeBooks, FLUF ends the Amazon listing. When it sells on Amazon, you mark it sold in FLUF, and FLUF then ends the AbeBooks listing.
A 7-day trial for £1, then plans from £9/month. Starter includes unlimited listings. FLUF supports 50+ marketplaces, including AbeBooks and Amazon.