Antiqbook
Antiqbook is a Netherlands-based online marketplace founded in 1996 that connects book collectors with independent booksellers worldwide for rare, antiquarian, and out-of-print books, prints, and maps, earning revenue through transaction commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersKloosterburen, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Antiqbook does
Antiqbook is a privately held Netherlands-based online marketplace founded in 1996 that connects book collectors with independent booksellers worldwide for the purchase of rare, antiquarian, used, and out-of-print books, as well as prints and maps. The platform operates as a self-serve digital marketplace accessible via antiqbook.com, with search and browsing functionality across categories including Art, Literature, History, Religion & Theology, Science & Nature, and Philosophy, supporting individual bookseller catalogs and an inquiry-based ordering system. The site is available in Dutch, English, German, and French, and supports multiple currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, JPY).
The company's technology is a conventional web-based marketplace platform with catalog search, dealer directory, and inquiry forms; no AI/ML capabilities, mobile app, or API are disclosed. Individual booksellers set their own prices and list their own inventory, with some maintaining catalogs exceeding 27,000 titles and the philosophy category alone aggregating approximately 70,000 books.
Antiqbook generates revenue through marketplace transaction commissions on completed sales rather than upfront listing fees. Its customer base consists of a globally distributed long tail of SMB booksellers and individual collectors, with no enterprise customers, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors—indicating a bootstrapped, self-sustaining business that has operated continuously for 30 years. The company is headquartered in Nijverdal, Netherlands, and employs 51-100 people.
Antiqbook firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Antiqbook
- Legal name
- Antiqbook
- Website
- https://antiqbook.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Antiqbook is a Netherlands-based online marketplace founded in 1996 that connects book collectors with independent booksellers worldwide for rare, antiquarian, and out-of-print books, prints, and maps, earning revenue through transaction commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Antiqbook industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Antiquarian Book Marketplace
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (45951), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)
- SIC
- Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Books, Media, Collectibles & Hobby Marketplaces (CRAFABAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores (CRALAAAB)
Keywords
Where Antiqbook is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kloosterburen
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Antiqbook business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketplace Commission: Antiqbook operates as a commission-based marketplace, earning revenue by connecting book buyers with booksellers worldwide. The platform takes a transaction fee on sales facilitated through the site.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Marketplace transaction fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Antiqbook product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Antiqbook operates an online marketplace that connects independent antiquarian, rare, and secondhand booksellers with book collectors and dealers worldwide. The platform aggregates bookseller catalogs, supports category-based browsing and advanced search across millions of titles, and facilitates buyer inquiries and orders directly with the listed bookseller. The company earns revenue through transaction commissions on sales completed via the platform rather than through upfront listing fees.
Product overview
Antiqbook is a unified online marketplace platform for rare, antiquarian, and secondhand books, prints, and maps. The core Antiqbook Marketplace Platform connects global booksellers with buyers, supported by search and browsing features, individual bookseller catalogs, and an inquiry/order system. No modular add-ons or separate product tiers are identified—the platform operates as a single integrated service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Antiqbook Marketplace Platform Online marketplace that aggregates rare, antiquarian, and secondhand book, print, and map inventory from independent booksellers worldwide, providing search, browsing, and inquiry-based ordering for collectors and dealers.
Companies that use Antiqbook
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Antiqbook technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Antiqbook partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Antiqbook competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- ZVAB (Zentrales Verzeichnis Antiquarischer Bücher): ZVAB is a German-language online marketplace for antiquarian books, similar in scope and positioning to Antiqbook but primarily serving the German-speaking market. It is a direct functional peer with regional rather than global focus.
Emerging players
- Catawiki: Catawiki is an online auction platform for special objects, including rare books, prints, and manuscripts, with a strong European footprint. It competes with Antiqbook for high-value rare book transactions and brings a modern auction-based model to the same collector base.
Direct peers
- AbeBooks: AbeBooks is the leading global online marketplace for new, used, rare, and out-of-print books, connecting thousands of booksellers with millions of buyers. It is the most direct competitor to Antiqbook in rare and antiquarian books, with a much larger catalog and Amazon-owned fulfillment infrastructure.
- Biblio.com: Biblio is an online marketplace aggregating independent booksellers worldwide, with strong emphasis on rare, antiquarian, and out-of-print titles. It mirrors Antiqbook's model of curating specialized bookseller catalogs and offers a directly comparable technical and transactional experience for rare book buyers.
- BookFinder.com: BookFinder is a meta-search engine that aggregates listings from booksellers worldwide for new, used, rare, and out-of-print books. It competes with Antiqbook by helping collectors surface inventory across multiple bookseller marketplaces, including Antiqbook itself.
- Alibris: Alibris operates an online marketplace for new, used, and hard-to-find books, music, and movies, aggregating inventory from thousands of independent sellers. Its book marketplace is a directly comparable offering to Antiqbook, particularly in the rare and out-of-print segments.
Broad incumbents
- Powell's City of Books: Powell's is an iconic independent bookstore with a large used and rare book inventory sold online and in-store. It overlaps with Antiqbook's used and antiquarian book offering but operates its own inventory rather than a third-party marketplace.
- ThriftBooks: ThriftBooks is the largest online seller of used books in the US, operating its own inventory and fulfillment rather than a third-party marketplace. It competes with Antiqbook for used book buyers but at much lower price points and without the antiquarian specialty.
- Strand Bookstore: Strand is a long-running independent bookstore in New York specializing in new, used, and rare books, with an online storefront. It overlaps with Antiqbook in the rare and used book category but operates its own inventory rather than a marketplace.
- eBay (Books, Manuscripts & Antiquarian): eBay is a broad e-commerce marketplace with an active seller community for rare, antiquarian, and collectible books. While much larger and category-spanning, it captures auction and fixed-price transactions that overlap with Antiqbook's collector audience.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Antiqbook social profiles
Digital presenceAntiqbook financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Antiqbook leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Antiqbook funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Antiqbook M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Antiqbook
What does Antiqbook do?
Antiqbook operates an online marketplace that connects independent antiquarian, rare, and secondhand booksellers with book collectors and dealers worldwide. The platform aggregates bookseller catalogs, supports category-based browsing and advanced search across millions of titles, and facilitates buyer inquiries and orders directly with the listed bookseller. The company earns revenue through transaction commissions on sales completed via the platform rather than through upfront listing fees.
Is Antiqbook a public or private company?
Antiqbook is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Antiqbook founded?
Antiqbook was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Antiqbook based?
Antiqbook is headquartered in Kloosterburen, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Antiqbook make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketplace Commission.
Who are Antiqbook's main competitors?
ZVAB (Zentrales Verzeichnis Antiquarischer Bücher) is listed as a regional player. Catawiki is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are AbeBooks, Biblio.com, BookFinder.com and Alibris. Broad incumbents are Powell's City of Books, ThriftBooks, Strand Bookstore and eBay (Books, Manuscripts & Antiquarian).
Does Antiqbook have an API?
No public API is recorded for Antiqbook.
What industry is Antiqbook in?
Antiqbook's product category is Online Antiquarian Book Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFABAL, Books, Media, Collectibles & Hobby Marketplaces, with a secondary code of CRALAAAB, Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores. Its NAICS code is 45951 and its SIC code is 5961.