AbeBooks vs ThriftBooks
ThriftBooks holds the stronger position because it faces far less rival pressure and a sturdier moat than AbeBooks, which is losing ground even under Amazon's ownership.
AbeBooks
Online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books, owned by Amazon since 2008.
ThriftBooks
Online reseller of used books, buying, grading, and shipping millions of titles
Dimension by dimension
| Dimension | AbeBooks | ThriftBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure to AI | AbeBooks is partly exposed, with Amazon's own Rufus AI search already pulling shoppers away from the marketplace. | ThriftBooks' product is unlikely to be absorbed by AI tools, since physical book sourcing and resale are hard to replicate through a chat interface. |
| How easily a giant could copy them | A giant could also possibly replicate AbeBooks' marketplace approach. | A giant could possibly build a similar sourcing and resale operation for ThriftBooks. |
| Pressure from rivals | AbeBooks sits at a 7, squeezed by ThriftBooks itself and by Amazon's internal AI search steering buyers elsewhere. | ThriftBooks sits at a 3 on the pressure scale, facing competition from Better World Books, World of Books, Half Price Books, and Alibris. |
| Financial footing | AbeBooks' 2025 online store revenue sits near $232M, down 20 to 50 percent year over year, alongside a 4.4% drop in headcount. | ThriftBooks' revenue estimates range widely from $48.1M to $293M across sources, making the trend line unclear but not showing a stated decline. |
| Backing from a larger parent | AbeBooks is owned by Amazon since 2008, yet that ownership has not stopped its revenue and staff numbers from shrinking. | ThriftBooks operates independently without a corporate parent to lean on. |
Questions people ask
- Is AbeBooks losing ground to ThriftBooks?
- Yes, AbeBooks' own listed pressure includes competition directly from ThriftBooks, plus Amazon's Rufus AI search pulling commodity buyers away. AbeBooks' 2025 revenue was down sharply while ThriftBooks shows no such stated decline.
- Does Amazon owning AbeBooks give it an advantage over ThriftBooks?
- Not clearly. Despite Amazon's ownership since 2008, AbeBooks' headcount fell 4.4% year over year and revenue dropped 20 to 50 percent, while ThriftBooks operates independently without showing a similar decline.
- Which company has a stronger moat, ThriftBooks or AbeBooks?
- ThriftBooks has the stronger moat, scoring a 6 compared to AbeBooks' 4. ThriftBooks' direct sourcing from libraries, thrift stores, and consumers gives it more control than AbeBooks' marketplace model.
- Which used book company is more exposed to AI search tools?
- AbeBooks is more exposed, since its own pressure notes cite Amazon's Rufus AI search reducing conversion and average order value compared to rivals like Barnes & Noble.com and Bookshop.org. ThriftBooks is marked as unlikely to be absorbed by AI in the same way.
- Are ThriftBooks and AbeBooks direct competitors?
- Yes, both operate in the used, rare, and out of print book space, and AbeBooks' own pressure sources name ThriftBooks as one of the rivals pulling shoppers away.
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