ISBNs - Why do Amazon not understand them
Amazon started life selling books.They still sell huge quantities of books. Why is it that they still know so little about them?
I am trying to list a 1998 edition of a book. There is a 2007 edition already listed but no 1998 edition (there are also 6 other editions variously dated between 1700 and 1900 which , considering the book is about the Morris Minor car ,seems unlikely!). I tried to make a new listing with a 1998 date but amazon came up with this comment:-
Publication date : The value ‘’ specified cannot be used as it conflicts with the value ‘’ for ASIN Z in the Amazon catalogue. If this is ASIN ‘0747801495’, update the value to match the ASIN data. If this is a different product, update identifying information (UPC/EAN/Part Number/etc).
In other words it will only let me list my book if I say its a different date to what it actually is!!!
Do Amazon not realise that different editions of the same book may have the same ISBN.
There is also the question of how other people got round Amazon rules by entering completely fictitious dates.
21 replies
Seller_mBENc0rmDmw5W
I have had this probem too. I just give up trying to list my edition and put it on another platform.
Amazon has become such a restrictive robot run site for books these days.
Seller_DROodOAYHftnc
I have this all the time - the book catalogue is a total mess, and even if you list something correctly, inevitably one of the rogue duplicates without an ISBN will appear at the top of search results.
Also, they do not know the difference between ‘editions’ and ‘printings’.
I usually list with the correct ISBN but if the other details do not match clearly describe in my product description what is different.
Seller_uy6XfqggidpUA
Dont try and understand how their software works, simply list it on another site. You’ll probably get better money for it too.
Seller_cJms0GbotqqtV
I would just list it on the page with the applicable ISBN, using the condition notes to put “This copy has the same ISBN, but is an earlier 1998 edition of this title”.
AFAIK, since Amazon tightened up on the requirement to list by ISBN, there is no way round this. One of the reasons they tightened up was to prevent the addition of spurious catalogue pages with absurdly false publication dates. IMO, this was a good thing. Although it does occasionally have a down-side.
Paul
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
Are you sure they are different editions and not just different printings?
The other edtions there appear to be bogus duplicates from the usual suspects.
It’s poor practice for a publisher to reuse the same ISBN for different editions.
The two ‘proper’ paperback editions on Amazon that I could have different ISBNs:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morris-Minor-Shire-Album-Library/dp/0747801495
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morris-Minor-Shire-Library/dp/0747807620
There is a 1998 edition listed under hardback but it seems to be a different title:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morris-Minor-Complete-Crowood-AutoClassic/dp/1861261330
Incidentally, the ‘Look Inside’ link for that title goes to a different book by the same author!
Seller_x1xMSBwZsJrTE
I wish I had a 1700’s Morris Minor… it would be worth an absolute fortune.
Perhaps you should ask Amazon where you might find one?
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
Merging won’t help the OP prove his book is a different edition with the same ISBN.
The cover alone also won’t help - you’d need to see the details on the copyright page.
Seller_CQKmPJNVEewry
Well I have just listed a NEW book with Neilsen using a new ISBN assigned to me. Other online booksellers have accepted it but Amazon can’t find it! I get the message when I try to load the book manually that the book, “…cannot be used as it conflicts with the value " for ASIN Z in the Amazon catalogue.” I would imagine what has happened is that Amazon have an ASIN for a different product that’s the same number as my ISBN although nothing appears when you search either!
