AbeBooks Help Center

How do I Use HomeBase® 2.3

HomeBase is AbeBooks’ free inventory management software. You can work with it offline to catalog and manage your inventory, as well as connect by FTPS to upload your listings to AbeBooks.

Click here for information on installing HomeBase.

Below is a basic guide to the most-used functions of HomeBase 2.3. Everything else you should need to know can be found on our HomeBase 2.3 User Guide, including how to add and edit book listings, how to manage catalogs, and much more.

Sending book data to AbeBooks:

HomeBase 2.3 has an FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) facility built-in, making uploading files directly from HomeBase to AbeBooks quick and easy. Once you have registered and your bookseller account has been activated, you will need to enter your User ID into HomeBase in order to upload inventory files to AbeBooks. If you are not sure what your User ID is, you can check by signing onto your AbeBooks account and selecting [Account Details] in the ‘My Personal Information’ section of your Members Menu. Your User ID will be displayed at the top of the screen. (Note that FTPS is only available in HomeBase version 2.3.30 or later.)

After installation, the first time you open HomeBase 2.3 a Setup Wizard will run, where you will be asked to enter your UserID. If you choose to skip the Setup Wizard, you can enter your UserID by following the steps below:

  1. Select [View] from the grey menu bar at the top of the HomeBase screen.
  2. Then select [Options].
  3. Enter your UserID.
  4. Click [Apply].
  5. Click [OK].

Sending a file of ‘All Books’ to AbeBooks:

The first file that you send to AbeBooks should include all the books you have added to HomeBase. To send a file that includes all your books:

    1. In the grey menu bar click [File], then [Import/Export], and then [Export/Send to AbeBooks].
    2. In the ‘Send Data to AbeBooks’ box, select [Upload Books].
    3. Clear the [Changes since last load date] option*.
    4. Select the [All Books] option**.
    5. In the ‘AbeBooks Information’ box at the bottom, ensure your Userid is correct and your password or API Key is entered within the password field. Please note that if generated, the API Key will be different than your AbeBooks account password. The password/API Key is only saved in HomeBase for the duration of your session. If you close HomeBase between uploads, you will need to re-enter your password/API Key the next time you upload. › Learn more about the unique API Key
    6. Click the [Send] button.
    7. Click the [Save] button. A summary of the number of books being sent to AbeBooks is displayed.
    8. Click [OK]. The data is exported to a saved file.
    9. Click [OK] in the Export Summary box.
    10. Click the [Connect] button.

A message is displayed stating that, “Connection to ftp.abebooks.com successful.”

  1. Click the [Send File] button.
  2. Click the [Exit] button when the message, “Transfer complete, closing connection,” is displayed.

* To send only your updates, ensure the [Changes since last load date] option is checked and skip Step 4 above.

** To purge your books, follow the steps above and during Step 4, also check the “Purge” box. This will ensure that the full file you send us replaces everything that you have online. This will correct any discrepancies and help keep your data up-to-date.

Once you have uploaded a file to AbeBooks, you will receive an email confirming the file has been received and additional details about the file.

Managing Sold Books in HomeBase 2.3:

It is important to ensure that your online inventory is up-to-date, especially after books have been sold. A book ordered via AbeBooks will automatically be removed from your online inventory, however it is extremely important to also update the book’s status in HomeBase. Marking that book as ‘Sold’ will ensure that the book is not erroneously re-listed with future uploads. It is also important that books sold through other channels are marked as ‘Sold’ in HomeBase so they are removed from your online inventory.

To remove books from the AbeBooks online system using HomeBase 2.3, you are required to change the status of your sold books to [Sold] and then send these changes to AbeBooks.

Important Note: It is very important that you do not delete book records from HomeBase 2.3. Your books will only be completely removed from your AbeBooks inventory if you have marked them as [Sold] and sent the changes to AbeBooks. It is imperative that you send your [Sold] book records to AbeBooks on a regular basis, in order to prevent orders for previously sold books.

To mark books as [Sold] in HomeBase:

  1. Click [Books] in the red bar. The [Find Books] screen is displayed.
  2. Select the book you wish to update.
  3. Double click to open the book record.
  4. Select [Sold] from the Status list.
  5. Click the [Save] button and then click [OK].

Note: There is a shortcut for marking books as [Sold]. On the [Find Books] screen, select the sold books. You can select multiple books by using Ctrl+click. Right-click and select [Mark Selected Books as Sold].

The best way to keep track of sold books in HomeBase is to create a “Sold” catalog and move all of your sold books into it.

To create a Sold catalog:

  1. Click [Catalogs] in the red bar. The [Catalogs] screen is displayed.
  2. Click the [Add] button, or select [Add] from the ‘Edit’ menu. The [Add Catalog] box is displayed.
  3. Enter the catalog name as “Sold” or “Sold Books” and enter a description (optional).
  4. Click the [Save] button.
  5. Click [Books] in the red bar.
  6. In the Tools menu, select [Move all sold books to].
  7. Select the “Sold” catalog you just created from the drop-down list. Click the [OK] button.

All books marked “Sold” will now be moved into your “Sold” catalog. You can now send your books to AbeBooks as you normally would.

Other HomeBase 2.3 FAQs: