Guides · Buying books
Which bookstores does Amazon own?
Several book businesses that look independent belong to Amazon. If you'd rather your money went elsewhere, here's who owns what, with a source for each, last checked October 2026.
Owned or part-owned by Amazon
| Business | What it is | Amazon since | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| AbeBooks | Marketplace for used, rare and out-of-print books | 2008 | Operating · source |
| BookFinder.com | Book price comparison site (owned through AbeBooks) | 2008 | Operating · source |
| IberLibro and ZVAB | AbeBooks' Spanish and German book marketplaces | 2008 and 2011 | Operating · source |
| Audible | Audiobooks | 2008 | Operating · source |
| Goodreads | Book reviews and reading lists | 2013 | Operating · source |
| Kindle | Ebook store and e-readers | Launched 2007 | Operating · source |
| Kindle Direct Publishing | Self-publishing (CreateSpace merged into it in 2018) | Launched 2007 | Operating · source |
| Amazon Publishing | Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, Montlake, Lake Union, 47North, Amazon Crossing and others | Launched 2009 | Operating · source |
| Brilliance Audio | Audiobook publisher | 2007 | Acquired · source |
| ComiXology | Digital comics | 2014 | Folded into Kindle in 2023 · source |
| Book Depository | Online bookstore with free worldwide delivery | 2011 | Closed in 2023 · source |
| Shelfari | Social reading site | 2008 | Closed in 2016, merged into Goodreads · source |
| LibraryThing (part) | Book cataloguing and reading community. A minority stake: its founder, Tim Spalding, owns the majority | 2008 (AbeBooks bought the stake in 2006) | Stake last confirmed in 2013 · source |
The sellers BookBuzz compares
None of them is owned by Amazon. We mark the independent ones on every book page, and you can show only those with the "Independent sellers only" box above the price list.
| Seller | Owned by | |
|---|---|---|
| Biblio | Family- and employee-owned, based in Asheville, North Carolina · source | Independent |
| Bookshop.org | Bookshop, Inc., a certified B Corporation that shares its profits with independent bookstores · source | Independent |
| ChrisLands | ChrisLands Inc., which hosts independent booksellers' websites. AbeBooks owned it from 2008 until 2013, when a co-founder bought it back · source | Independent |
| Alibris | Privately held; we couldn't confirm its current owner. Not known to be owned by Amazon · source | |
| BiggerBooks | A Book Company, LLC (privately held) · source | |
| Blackwell's | Waterstones, owned by funds advised by Elliott (since 2022) · source | |
| BooksRun | BooksRun, a private company led by its founder, Kiryl Zarubau · source | |
| Kobo | Rakuten Group (since 2012) · source | |
| eBay | eBay Inc., a public company · source |
"Independent" here means not owned by Amazon or by a large retail or investment group. Marketplaces like eBay and Alibris are storefronts for many small sellers: the shop you actually buy from is shown under each price.
Buying without Amazon
Search any book on BookBuzz and tick "Independent sellers only". Bookshop.org passes a share of every sale to independent bookstores, and used-book marketplaces list thousands of small shops. Something wrong or out of date on this page? Tell us at hello@bookbuzz.org.