Help
How do I search for an item?
There are two ways to search
a. Quick Search – see top left
b. Advanced Search – click on “Search” button at top
Use quick search for a broad search. For example put Arlott in the Author field and you will get all the books written by an Arlott. If you just want John Arlott put in John Arlott or J Arlott or Arlott J. Similarly with title – if you put in War and Peace you will get all the books with “war” and “peace” in the title. If you know Tolstoy wrote it put Tolstoy in the author field.
Keywords are words used by sellers when cataloguing books and point to an aspect of the book which may not be obvious from the title. For example a book called “Quilt Winders and Pod Shavers” is about cricket bat and ball making. It may have the keywords “Cricket”, “Cricket bat” and “Cricket ball”.
Use the sellers field if you want to look at all the books of a particular seller. You can also find sellers via the “sellers” button at the top of the page.
Advanced search will help you to narrow down your search. Here you can search in exactly the same way as the qucksearch or you can use the fields to get to what you want quickly. If you are after a copy of War and Peace you can fill in Tolstoy in the author field, War and Peace in the title field, the date of publication if you want a particular edition, or tick the first edition box if a first edition is all that you want. If you just want a cheap reading copy fill in author and title and ask for results to be sorted by the cheapest first.
What is user log in?
This is for registered users. It is free and easy to register as a user.
Do I need to register?
No, it is not necessary. You can browse and buy without registering. However if you want to make a shopping list of possible purchases, or leave a “want” on the site you will need to register. Once you have registered on the site your shopping list will stay intact when you leave the site and can be found when you next log on. A word of warning – just because you have put something on a shopping list it does not mean it is reserve for you. If somebody else wants to buy it while you are off the site they can, in which case it will have disappeared from your list by the time you next log on.
The site keeps track of your “wants” and will email you if an item matching your want is put on to the site.
How do I register?
Use the button on the front page and fill in the form. You will be emailed with your password. Your password will let you in to your own page where you can find your shopping list and wants list.
What happens if I forget my password?
Press user login on the front page and follow instructions or email us. Click here.
How do I log in?
Press the user log in button at the top or side of the front page. Remember you have to be registered to be able to log in.
How do I buy an Item?
When you have found an item you want to buy either add it to your shopping list for buying later or click “buy now” This will take you to a form where you fill in your address and so on. After you have filled in the form press the button at the bottom – “proceed to next stage”. You will need to check in what forms the dealer will accept payment. If by credit card, you can fill in your cc details (which are securely stored and can only be accessed by the seller of the item you are buying). If the dealer does not take credit cards, or you wish to pay by cheque then the seller will contact you asap to arrange payment.
Once your order has been processed on the site you will receive an email confirming your order, and the seller is sent an email informing him that you wish to buy. It is his/her responsibility to contact you asap.
What do the icons mean?
They are explained at the right hand side of most pages or you can click on the “key to icons” on the left hand side of the page.
What is the shopping list?
The shopping list is where you can put items which you are interested in, but might not want to buy immediately. When browsing you can add as many items as you wish to this list. You can then look at the list and decide whether you want to buy all or some on that list. If you want to buy some select them and go through the buying process. If you want to leave items on the list for a few days you can, but be aware that they are not reserved for you and are available for others to purchase. If you are not registered the list will disappear when you leave the site.
When you add an item to your shopping list you will see the whole of your list. You can get back to the search facility by pressing the button “Continue shopping”. If you want to buy one or more items from your shopping list
What is the wants list?
You need to be a registered user to leave wants on the site.
You can enter any title or author or publisher as a want. It is sensible to search the site for your want first. Be as specific or as unspecific as you want, but be aware that if you just specify Arlott as a want you may get a great many emails. When items are loaded on to the site they are checked against the wants lists. If any match your wants you will be emailed. We cannot promise that other people will not have entered the same want as you, so you need to be quick when you get an email. Your wants list can have as many entries on it as you like.
What is a virtual book fair?
A virtual book fair takes place on the site. If you click on the link it will take you through pages of thumbnail illustrations of books on a particular subject. If you want more details on a particular item click on the image. A virtual book fair will last for a set period of time, and will sometimes coincide with a specialist book fair somewhere in the UK. Future virtual book fairs will be advertised on the front page.
How do I find out about “real” book fairs?
Either click on a particular book fair on the list at the right of most pages, or click on the “book fairs” button at the top of the page. If you click on a particular book fair you will find the details of that fair. If you press the “book fairs” button you will go to the Book fairs page, wher you can browse through the calendar or look at all book fairs in a region.
Can I see the prices of items in Euros?
Yes – if you want to change the prices from Sterling click the currency flag at the top right of the page. This will give you the option of seeing prices in four currencies: Sterling, Euros, American dollars and Australian dollars.
I tried to buy an item but am not sure if I completed the process successfully. How do I know?
If you received a confirmation email you completed the process successfully. If not please try again.
|
