Is Alibris now Toast.com?

Just six months after its bookseller listings were banned from Amazon, Alibris, the former bookselling hub, was sold off to Oak Hill Capital Partners of Silicon Valley.

Alibris members have complained of poor sales, particularly since member listings were deleted by Amazon in November. It's possible that many booksellers have abandoned Alibris for Amazon, so they can avoid paying monthly fees. However, Alibris' management says the company is doing fine.

An e-mail sent to Alibris sellers this afternoon said:

This is terrific news for our sellers because it enables us to invest more in marketing, accelerate our international expansion and rejuvenate our music and movie business. We will continue to grow our distribution channels, improve our Web site and deliver tools and innovations that benefit our premiere network of sellers.

Our partnership with Oak Hill will help us fulfill our commitment to making Alibris sellers the most successful in the online world.

Sincerely,
Martin Manley
CEO
Alibris

But its sellers complain Alibris hasn't followed through on recent promises. For example, when it was dropped from Amazon Marketplace, the company promised to offer bulk listing tools and an upload system for Half.com. Now, the Half.com plans are on hold while eBay introduces its Express fixed-price platform.

Bill Pade, an Oak Hill partner, said Alibris' current management would stay on the job. "We are impressed with the position that Alibris has built in this market and with the quality of its management, technology, and business partnerships," he said. "We are excited about helping this company grow and prosper."

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