About the Bibliophile Bookbase web site and database

How the Bibliophile Bookbase works

Booksellers register on our system and upload books-for-sale descriptions, including images if they wish, in a consistent format. These records are stored in our database and indexed. Buyers search the database via our web sites and enquire about books listed there or order them using our shopping cart. Bibliophile Bookbase does not intervene in closing the sale: we do not charge a commission on your sale, we do not collect money nor calculate postage. Order and enquire e-mails go directly to the individual bookseller(s) who arrange postage and payment directly with the buyer. Copies of order and enquire e-mails are sent to the buyer. 
Buyers may register and leave "wants" requests that are matched with newly entered book records. Buyers are informed by e-mail of matches. Booksellers who wish to leave wants requests may do so from their own admin zone.

What Bibliophile Bookbase costs

Basic listing is currently a free service. Please refer to the bottom of this page for the current fee structure for our additional services. Any paid service is strictly opt-in.

Data display, data maintenance

IMPORTANT: Each of your book records must have a unique identifier (SKU, stock number). Contact us if this presents a problem for you.
The best display and search results and hence the best sales are obtained from well-formatted data. In general, the greater the number of fields you have per record, the better the display. For example, if you specialise in first editions, a first edition field is very helpful so that we can index and flag your records appropriately. Good search criteria allow your books to be found. Accurate and comprehensive descriptions sell them.
To keep our listing current:
1) To maintain your books on metasearches such as Bookfinder, you must upload a data file every 16 days or less. If the interval is longer, your books will be reappear on the metasearch as soon as your next upload takes place.
2) To maintain your records on the Bibliophile Bookbase displays, you must upload a file every 35 days or less. If the interval is longer, your books will continue to be displayed on your custom search page, if you have one, and will reappear on the Bibliophile Bookbase display as soon as your next upload takes place.
3) Accounts showing no upload activity during 95 days will close.
4) Books priced at $0.94 or below do not enter our database.

Data upload

You may upload zip files - .zip. These will be automatically unzipped by our system.
Standard upload: use the browse box to locate your data file locally and then click "Open". When you wish to delete and replace ("purge") your stock in the database, please select the appropriate box.
Direct FTP upload users: please make yourself known to us and we will set up a path for you.
Booktrakker users: please contact us for the upload path. When you are about to upload a delete and replace ("purge") file, please login to your admin zone and delete your current stock. Alternatively, adjust the upload path to point to the purge directory. We recommend that you purge your data from time to time.
Bookrouter users: please contact us for the upload details.
Fillz users: please contact us for the upload details.
Bookhound users: use the standard upload from your admin zone.
ammonet Secure users: your card data upload page will be linked to your shopping cart by default. If you prefer not to have that link, please let us know.

Images

The Bibliophile Bookbase allows single or multiple images to be linked to a single book record. There are two main methods to link images to your books.
1) You may use a data format that contains an image URL field. UIEE allows multiple image URL fields. If you use your own delimited format, please put multiple image URLs in a single field separated by a semi-colon, or in multiple fields where the number of image URL fields, populated or empty, is the same for all records. It is not important whether http:// is included in the URL. The URL may point to image files stored on a server elsewhere or on our server under your Imageserv account.
2) Use our ImageServ image manager to store your images and link them to your books. To use the many books/single click capacity of ImageServ the name of your image file, excluding the extension, must be identical to the corresponding record identifier (book stock number). For example, EX1345.jpg would be the name of the image file linked to the book with stock number EX1345. Case is important. ex1345.jpg is NOT the same as EX1345.jpg. ex1345.jpg is NOT the same as ex1345.JPG.
3) You may also enter image URLs by hand via the book record edit facility in your admin zone. These entries will be retained when you upload a purge file as long as the stock numbers have not changed.

Paid options

- ammonet Secure credit card data system now accepts bank cheque data for those who process cheques electronically. Use this system to pick up card and cheque details for all remote sales, not just Bibliophile sales. Click here for a description of ammonet Secure.

- ImageServ image management for both large image inventories and new-comers. Optimise, re-size and crop your images. Link entire directories of image files to your book records with a single click. Click here for a description of ammonet ImageServ.

- Custom search pages. There is a once only setup fee of $35 for use on your own web site, or $35 per year under our domain name. The custom search is free when your web site is hosted by ammonet.

There are no Bibliophile logos or links on our custom search pages, and buyers are returned to your designated web site "thankyou page" after placing an order. Customisation includes background and font colours, and hiding search fields that are inappropriate to your data. In addition, you may enable a browse feature plus a catalogue or subject search when your book records include the appropriate data field. The following examples of custom search pages are live (don't order a book unintentionally!):

- Bibliophile "Club" multi-dealer custom search page
Bibliophile "Club" system for bookseller cooperatives and multi-dealer associations, societies and companies. We now offer complete, independent central admin and bookseller zones with our multi-dealer search interface. Use our database to support your independent, multi-dealer web site. To see some multi-dealer displays in action, visit:

The International Antique Mapsellers Association at www.antiquemapdealers.com

The Independent Booksellers' Network at www.ibooknet.com  

Arundel Bookstores at www.arundelbookstores.com.

SABDA South African Book Dealers' Association at www.sabda.co.za

Paid options price structure summary
(note that some setup fees apply)

Service

for ammonet
Hosting customers

for Bibliophile Bookbase
active listers

for "blue sky"
customers

ammonet Economy Account
web site hosting