AbeBooks Help Center

How do I Use Online Inventory Management?

If you do not have your own database or do not use inventory management software such as HomeBase, you can use our Online Inventory Management system to easily add, update and categorise your listings via your AbeBooks bookseller account.

Please note: When you manage your inventory online, you will have no backup of your inventory.

Searching for a Listing:

There are three ways to search for your books:

  1. Enter the author, title, or other details into the search box. Click the [View Items] button.
  2. Search for your recently added or deleted items by selecting that option in the middle of the page and then click the [View Items] button.
  3. Enter one or more of your BookIDs or AbeBooks BookIDs into the search box at the bottom of the page and then click the [View Items] button.

Adding a Listing:

  1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.com bookseller account.
  2. Click [Manage My Books & Images] in the ‘My Books’ section of the Menu.
  3. The “Inventory Management: Find Listing” opens. Click the [Add listing] link located on the upper right corner of the screen.
  4. Enter the ISBN into the ISBN field and click the [ISBN Lookup] button. When the ISBN Lookup has been successful, you will receive a confirmation message. Note: Please verify all information automatically entered when using the ISBN lookup feature.
  5. In the mandatory fields (those fields marked with an red asterisk *) that are not automatically filled in, enter the appropriate book details.
  6. Click the [Add] button to add the book to your inventory.

You will see a confirmation message when the book was been added. If you would like to see how the listing will appear in the search results, click the [Preview Listing] link.

Please Note: When adding listings via the Online Inventory Management System you should ensure that Javascript is enabled in your browser. If Javascript is not enabled, multiple clicks of the [Add] button will result in the creation of duplicate listings. If multiple orders result from such duplicate listings, AbeBooks will be unable to exclude these orders from your Completion Rating.

Editing a Listing:

Once you have clicked [List and maintain your books], you can search for the book you would like to edit. This can be done by using the criteria in one of the 3 blue boxes titled ‘Online inventory’, ‘Deleted or Recently Modified Items’ or ‘Inventory by book number’.

  1. Locate the listing you wish to edit.
  2. Click the [Edit Listing] link below the listing.
  3. Edit your listing using the fields and drop-down lists available. Ensure that all of the required fields (those marked with an asterisk) are filled in.
  4. Click the [Save Changes] button.

You will receive a confirmation message when the changes have been saved. If you would like to see how the listing will appear in the search results, click the [Preview Listing] link.

Deleting/Restoring a Listing:

Search for the listing you would like to delete or restore using the instructions above.

  1. Click [Delete/Restore].
  2. Review the screen that shows which books will be deleted.
  3. If the selections are correct, click the [Yes, Delete] or [Yes, Restore] button.

Note that listings ordered via AbeBooks are automatically deleted. If you receive an AbeBooks order for a book, you should not also manually delete the listing. Doing so can cause the listing to be restored, which can lead to an order for a previously sold book. If such an order has to be rejected, it will negatively impact your completion rate and AbeBooks cannot exclude the order on your behalf.

If you sell on other marketplaces or in a storefront, it is essential to keep your online data up-to-date. When inventory is kept up-to-date, duplicate orders are less likely to occur, meaning fewer rejected orders. Please delete listings sold though other channels as frequently as necessary to keep your inventory current.

Adding a Catalog:

You can add new catalogs to your inventory the same time that you add a new book into that catalog. Follow the instructions to add a new listing or edit an existing listing, above. On the right side of the screen, enter the new catalog name in the “Or New Catalog” field. When you save the listing, the catalog will be created at the same time.

Editing a Catalog Name:

  1. From any of the List and Maintain screens, click the [Manage Catalogs] link in the top-right corner.
  2. Click the [Edit] link for the catalog name you would like to update.
  3. Edit the name.
  4. Click the [OK] button.

Deleting a Catalog:

A catalog that is empty, i.e. has zero associated listings, will be automatically deleted within a few days.

To delete a catalog that is not currently empty:

  1. Click [Manage My Books & Images] in the Members Menu.
  2. In the Online Inventory section at the top of the screen, select the catalog you would like to delete from the ‘Catalog’ drop-down menu.
  3. Click [View Items].
  4. Selecting one listing at a time, click ‘Edit Listing.’
  5. Select ‘No Catalog’ OR select a different catalog to associate the listing with. You can also create a New catalog in the New Catalog field and add it to the listing.
  6. Click [Save Changes].

Note: the above process must be completed per listing, one at a time. Once all associations have been removed from all listings in the catalog, the catalog will be empty and will be automatically deleted in a few days. For this reason, a much faster and easier method of deleting a catalog is through your own inventory management software.

Viewing online inventory:

To view your complete online inventory:

  1. Without entering any details select “100” from the “Results/page” drop-down menu.
  2. Click on [View Items].

› Price Comparison in Online Inventory Management