How do I find books, music, movies, and other items?
What's the best way to search for books, music, movies, and other items?
Should I search for books by 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN?
Do you have autographs, letters, and ephemera?
You don't have the item I want. How can I be notified when it becomes available?
Do you offer custom or personal search services?
How can I get more information on a listed item?
How do I find books, music, movies, and other items?
If you know the item's title or other identifying characteristics (for example, the name of the author, artist, classical composer, director, an actor, etc.), you can do a quick search by using the Search box in the upper-right on our Web site. The default media type is Books, so just select one of the choices from the pull-down menu that describes what you want to find. Then, simply type in your search term and click the Go button.
If you don't know the title and/or the author/artist name, or if you are searching for something more specific, you can use our Advanced Search feature.
What's the best way to search for books, music, movies, and other items?
If you can't find the item you want by using the Search box in the upper-right of our Web site, try using the Advanced Search feature for other ways to search. Here are some search tips:
Less is more: A few general search criteria will yield the greatest number of matches. If you're not sure about the accuracy of any of the fields, such as the title, then it's best not to enter it.
More is less: The more search criteria you provide, the fewer and more precise matches you'll receive.
Use quotes for specificity: If you bracket your search term with double quotes, your search results will be restricted to items matching the term within the quotation marks. For example, searching for "John Irving" will return results for the name "John Irving" rather than broader results that include the names "John" and "Irving," which is what you'd get if you omitted the quote marks.
Use wildcard power: If you add an asterisk (*) to a partial word, you will get back listings with words that contain that root word. For instance, "rail*" will yield items with titles that contain the words "rail," "railroad," "railways," "railroading," and so on.
Search by Subject or Genre: If you'd like to search for an item by topic, enter all the relevant keywords in the Subject field for books, or the Genre field for movies and music.
Should I search for books by 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN?
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 10-digit or 13-digit number (e.g., 0-940016-64-8 or 978-0-940016-64-4 ) used to identify books. It is found on a book's back cover, near the bar code. On our Web site, you may search for a book by either its 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN. Merely enter the ISBN in the Title/ISBN field of our search box, and click the Go button.
Do you have autographs, letters, and ephemera?
You can find all sorts of book ephemera and other unique items on our Web site. We currently do not offer movie and music collectibles.
You don't have the item I want. How can I be notified when it becomes available?
We can let you know when the book you want is added to our inventory. Submit a request to Book Fetch, and we'll keep sniffing around for your book. Every time a book gets added to the Alibris inventory, Book Fetch will check to see if it matches your request. If Book Fetch finds a match, you will be notified immediately via e-mail. Please be sure to review Book Fetch's Tips & Tricks. Book Fetch is not currently available to search for Music and Movie items.
Do you offer custom or personal search services?
We can't do a personal or custom search for a book, but we do have the next best thing — Book Fetch. Submit a request to Book Fetch, and we'll keep sniffing around for your book. Every time a book gets added to the Alibris inventory, Book Fetch will check to see if it matches your request. If Book Fetch finds a match, you will be notified immediately via e-mail. Please be sure to review Book Fetch's Tips & Tricks. Match notifications are not currently available for Music and Movie items.
How can I get more information on a listed item?
On most of our items you can contact the seller for more information. Just click the Ask the Seller link on the listing to send an e-mail to the seller. Remember to let the seller know if you are inquiring about a hardcover or paperback book, CD, LP, DVD, or VHS, and be as specific as possible with your questions.
