With the advent of the internet, consumers are no longer restricted to shopping for merchandise in their own town. Suddenly the entire nation, if not the globe, is at anyone's fingertips, which is particularly useful when shopping for inexpensive previously enjoyed books or obscure and hard to find titles.

Alibris.com seamlessly connects book-lovers to thousands of worldwide independent vendors, offering over 60 million used, new and out of print books. When customers search by title, author, or subject, www.alibris.com responds with a synopsis, a list of available copies and corresponding prices, conditions and detailed descriptions. Customers can easily find hard cover, soft cover, signed copies, new books, first editions and used copies in a range of conditions from a variety of vendors. Each seller not only has a reliability rating, but the site guarantees every transaction. Shipping is free on select items.

Buyers can browse popular titles, top sellers, staff picks and tailored recommendations. University students can save on college textbooks. Commuters will enjoy deeply discounted audio books. Movie fans can choose from classic films, television shows, and new releases on VHS and DVD. Music enthusiasts will savor the seemingly endless CD, cassette and LP record selection.

In the rare instance where a customer can't find a particular title, the optional Book Fetch feature conveniently issues an e-mail when that title is added to inventory.