AbeBooks
Ranked 4 of 6 online bookstores by recommenders
People use AbeBooks to find old, out-of-print and first editions from used booksellers, often cheaper than other storefronts. One caveat raised: searching for old books can be hard.
People use AbeBooks to find old, out-of-print and first editions from used booksellers, often cheaper than other storefronts. One caveat raised: searching for old books can be hard.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful for buying used books
“I often specifically look up old or first print editions of books (paperback or hardcover) and then buy them used from Abebooks etc.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books” “buying physical books off of Abe Books—not a bad thing at all”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks” “I now just buy second hand (Abe, WOB) and hope for the best.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books” - Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books”
Good for out-of-print vintage titles
“I often specifically look up old or first print editions of books (paperback or hardcover) and then buy them used from Abebooks etc.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books” “Abebooks and eBay. lots of out of print vintage niche books that way”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books”
Other online bookstores people recommend
The four most recommended other online bookstores, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'Reilly subscription | 24 | 16 | 60% | 4 | 11.75 yrs3 owners | — |
| Bookshop.org | 15 | 2 | 88% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Kobo Store | 11 | 3 | 79% | 5 | — | Approved |
| AbeBooksThis page | 8 | 1 | 89% | 4 | — | — |
| ebooks.com | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“good used book stores with a appreciable science fiction collection are few and far between”
“Searching for old books on abebooks is surprisingly hard”
“the sellers on eBay are almost always cheaper (sometimes significantly) than their Alibris/Abe/Amazon storefront counterparts.”
“Abebooks and eBay. lots of out of print vintage niche books that way”
“I often specifically look up old or first print editions of books (paperback or hardcover) and then buy them used from Abebooks etc.”
“Abebooks is still useful though they are owned by Amazon”
“I now just buy second hand (Abe, WOB) and hope for the best.”
“buying physical books off of Abe Books—not a bad thing at all”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.