Abebooks.com launches Australian and New Zealand site to help "Down Under" folks buy and sell books online

VICTORIA, July 13 /CNW - AsiaNet/ --

Abebooks becomes the first international online bookseller to launch sites dedicated to the Australian and New Zealand markets

Abebooks.com, the world's largest online marketplace for books, today announced the launch of www.Abebooks.com.au and Abebooks.co.nz, a microsite to help Australian and New Zealand booksellers and publishers sell books online.

"There is vibrant book culture in Australia and New Zealand, yet no major online book retailer helping booksellers sell their books to the world," explained Hannes Blum, president and chief executive officer of Abebooks. "Abebooks has arrived to connect people with booksellers in this region, and to showcase these books to a wider international market."

Abebooks realized booksellers in Australia and New Zealand were ready for their own online marketplace when the 300 independent sellers already listing books on Abebooks.com asked for a local site that would feature their own books. Abebooks spoke to local booksellers, publishers, libraries and book collectors before creating www.Abebooks.com.au/.co.nz. The microsite was designed to provide quick access to the new, used, rare, and out of print books for sale by Australian and New Zealand sellers and publishers-in addition to providing access to the 55 million books offered by the other 12,000 booksellers in 40 other countries that list on Abebooks.com.

The microsite features books by local authors and showcases books on local history, biography, language, and culture. Book prices can be viewed in Australian dollars and books that are located in Australia and New Zealand can be searched for first, thus providing buyers with affordable shipping options and granting local booksellers a higher profile.

What Australian Booksellers Say Australian booksellers are seeing immediate benefits to selling books online. Guy Weller, general manager of Mr. Pickwick's Bookshop in Katoomba, New South Wales is one of the 300 Australian and New Zealand booksellers now selling via Abebooks. "Frankly, we are impressed. In a very short period, Internet sales via Abebooks have climbed to around 14% of our total sales, and we sell a lot of books in our store," Mr. Weller said.

"We expected the odd order from around Australia and the occasional one from overseas," Mr. Weller said. "Instead we have had a steady stream of daily orders from all points of the globe right from the day after we listed a small selection of our books on-line. The oddest things have sold - books we would never consider a likely seller in our own store. Our first order was for an obscure West Australian family history, and that came from Ireland. Then The Concrete Manufacturers' Year Book from 1935, which went to Slovenia, of all places."

Mr. Weller is glad to have a unique site to serve the local market: "Having our own Australian Abebooks microsite is potentially exciting news for both book buyers and booksellers in this country," Mr. Weller said. "It will make communication and book sales between Australians that much easier, and more seamless."

To launch the microsite, Abebooks is running ads in Australian and New Zealand print media with the tagline "Because You Read." Abebooks staff will visit nine cities in July and August to help sellers start selling online. Tour stops include Adelaide, SA; Auckland, New Zealand; Brisbane, QLD; Byron Bay, NSW; Canberra, NSW; Melbourne, VIC; Newcastle, NSW; Singleton, NSW; and Sydney, NSW. For tour details visit www.abebooks.com.au / www.abebooks.co.nz

About Abebooks

Abebooks is the world's largest online marketplace for books. Abebooks makes it simple and safe to find and buy-or list and sell-books online. Bookbuyers love the variety of over 55 million new, used, rare, and out-of-print books offered by more than 12,000 independent booksellers. Booksellers love Abebooks for providing tools to help them succeed online, including options for selling via strategic partners (Amazon, Barnes & Noble), and four global sites (Abebooks.com, Abebooks.co.uk, Abebooks.de, Abebooks.fr). Abebooks is a private company based in Victoria, BC Canada, with offices in Dusseldorf, Germany.

ENDS