Alibris is an online store that sells new books, used books, out-of-print books, rare books, and other media through an online network of independent booksellers.

Alibris was founded in 1997 by Martin Manley and incorporated in 1998. It grew out of Interloc, an online company founded by antiquarian bookseller Richard Weatherford in 1994. Interloc was one of the earliest successful efforts to centralize used book data online. It remained a private network until 1996, when the company launched its website. The company was backed by venture capital until 2006, when it was purchased by Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm.

Booksellers list their inventories on Alibris which in turn offers the books on its retail website, a separate library services site, and business to business partners such as Barnes and Noble, Borders Books, Books-A-Million, and Chapters Indigo. It offers more than 70 million books from a network of over 10,000 booksellers in 65 countries.

Most sales made through Alibris are fulfilled by the bookseller directly to the end customer. Sales to libraries or other institutions or books needing transoceanic shipping are consolidated in a distribution center in Sparks, Nevada. Alibris also has a similar network for music (albums, cassette tapes, and CDs) and movies (VHS or DVD).

The domain alibris.com attracted at least 15 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey.

Based on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) files, this company has an unsatisfactory record due to unanswered complaints. The company has resolved some complaints presented by the BBB. However, the BBB did not receive a response to others.

References

• SEC filings

External links

• Alibris' homepage
• "Putting A Face on Faceless Venues: An Interview with Alibris' A.J. Kohn" by Catherine Petruccione