I have been buying books through Half.Com for about three years now. Is it better than eBay? Yes and No. Yes because at Half.com you can buy an article outright at a fixed price. At the ebay, you will have to place your highest bids and wait, with no guarentee of winning. Most eBay dealers ship their wares worldwide. Only a few are afraid to trade outside the country they are based in. On the other hand, Half.com conducts its trade strictly in the United States only!

Due to the abundance of books and videos available through Half.Com, I found a way to buy them, even though I live in Canada. The items were bought and paid in advance and have them shipped to the address(es) of my American friends. When they receive enough items, they pack them up in a box and mail it to me to my Canadian address, resulting in my paying double postage.

The reason for Half.Com business being confined to the U.S. only is that they have a fixed postage on books and videos (and other items as well). These rates are based on US Postal rates, and they are not big enough to include international customers yet.

While many items are available at a reasonable price at Half.Com, please be aware of the fact that you may not receive the exact item you ordered for, and getting a refund is not easy. In all cases you would not know the details of the dealer at Half. Com with whom you are dealing with. Not all these dealers are honest in describing their wares. I have paid for ’hardcover edition in very good condition’ and received battered paperback editions. A ’signed by author’ copy became signed by owner.
Returning these to the dealers via half.com will result in the loss of the article and money.

In short, if you are not a US resident, forget half.com.
eBay is much better where you can deal directly with the vendor. Oh, by the way, Half. Com is owned by eBay.