Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Worldcat VS Amazon

Compare Worldcat VS Amazon and see what are their differences

Worldcat logo Worldcat

WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services.

Amazon logo Amazon

Online shopping from the earth's biggest selection of books, magazines, music, DVDs, videos, electronics, computers, software, apparel & accessories, shoes, jewelry, tools & hardware, housewares, furniture, sporting goods, beauty & much more
  • Worldcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-18
  • Amazon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-20

Worldcat features and specs

  • Comprehensive Inventory
    WorldCat is one of the largest bibliographic databases, offering access to over 2 billion items from libraries worldwide, making it a comprehensive resource for finding books, media, and articles.
  • Library Availability
    It helps users identify which nearby libraries have the materials they need, often with links and directions, facilitating efficient resource discovery and access.
  • Interlibrary Loan Support
    WorldCat facilitates interlibrary loans by showing resources across numerous libraries, thus enabling users to borrow items from libraries other than their local one.
  • Multilingual Interface
    WorldCat supports multiple languages, enhancing usability for a global audience and providing a better user experience for non-English speakers.
  • Citation Tool
    Offers tools to generate citations in various formats, aiding researchers in managing and referencing their sources appropriately.

Possible disadvantages of Worldcat

  • Access Limitations
    While WorldCat helps locate items, actual access to materials may be restricted by library policies, requiring local membership or interlibrary loan permissions.
  • Inconsistent Quality
    The quality of bibliographic metadata can vary between libraries, potentially leading to incomplete or inaccurate records for certain materials.
  • User Interface
    Some users find the WorldCat interface to be outdated or not as user-friendly as modern, commercial search engines, which may hinder ease of use.
  • Lag in Updates
    Updates from individual libraries can be delayed, meaning inventory and availability might not be current at all times.
  • Subscription Barriers
    Access to full-text resources or detailed bibliographic records might be restricted to institutions that have subscriptions, limiting individual access.

Amazon features and specs

  • Wide Product Variety
    Amazon offers a vast range of products, from electronics and books to clothing and household items, making it a one-stop-shop for many consumers.
  • Convenience
    Users can shop from the comfort of their homes at any time of the day, avoiding the need to visit physical stores.
  • Customer Reviews
    Amazon features extensive customer reviews, providing valuable insights and helping buyers make informed purchasing decisions.
  • Fast Shipping
    With services like Amazon Prime, customers can enjoy expedited shipping options, often receiving their orders within one or two days.
  • Reliable Return Policy
    Amazon's straightforward return process allows customers to return products if they are unsatisfied, enhancing the overall shopping experience.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon

  • Market Dominance
    Amazon's significant market presence can stifle competition, potentially harming small retailers and leading to a less diverse market.
  • Labor Practices
    Amazon has faced criticism over working conditions in its warehouses, raising ethical concerns about labor practices.
  • Data Privacy
    The vast amount of customer data Amazon collects can raise privacy concerns, especially if the data is misused or inadequately protected.
  • Counterfeit Products
    Despite efforts to combat this issue, counterfeit products can sometimes be found on Amazon, leading to dissatisfaction and loss of trust among consumers.
  • Environmental Impact
    The packaging waste and carbon footprint associated with Amazon's extensive delivery network can have negative environmental effects.

Analysis of Worldcat

Overall verdict

  • Yes, WorldCat is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and anyone seeking access to a wide range of library resources. Its usefulness is particularly notable for those looking for rare or difficult-to-find materials.

Why this product is good

  • WorldCat is a comprehensive global catalog of library collections. It provides access to millions of library items, including books, music, videos, and articles. Its database is highly extensive, covering a diverse range of subjects and formats. It allows users to discover and locate library resources worldwide, often with options for interlibrary loans or finding nearby physical copies through participating libraries.

Recommended for

  • Librarians seeking to enhance their collections through interlibrary loans.
  • Researchers and academics conducting extensive literature reviews.
  • Students needing access to diverse educational resources.
  • Individuals looking for hard-to-find books or media.

Worldcat videos

2017 WorldCat 320 DC (Dual Console): Boat Review

Amazon videos

10 Best TOP-RATED Amazon Products YOU NEED!

More videos:

  • Review - I Bought 10 Products With The FUNNIEST Amazon Reviews!
  • Review - AMAZON REVIEWS
  • Review - The Disturbing Case of the Amazon Review Killer
  • Review - The Amazon Review Scandal
  • Review - The Wildest Amazon Reviews Ever Written

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Worldcat and Amazon)
eCommerce
3 3%
97% 97
eCommerce Platform
3 3%
97% 97
Online Marketplace
3 3%
97% 97
Ebooks
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Worldcat and Amazon. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Worldcat and Amazon

Worldcat Reviews

We have no reviews of Worldcat yet.
Be the first one to post

Amazon Reviews

  1. I will like it and I also recommend others to follow this platform. But there is no direct relationship with customers, high operating costs and no control over the refund policy

    🏁 Competitors: eBay
    πŸ‘ Pros:    Best customer support|best ui experience|easy to order and tracking
  2. Mohit Gupta
    Β· Small Business Owner at SmokeHub Β·
    Nice shopping experience with Amazon

    Amazon has best shopping experience with us. Everything in this platform is very nice. It provides best shopping experience in India, has provides biggest selections of products, books, software reach and shows best movies, latest podcasts music and everything is nice for us. I like Amazon and also refer others to follow that platform. But there is no direct customer relationship, has high operations cost and there is no control over return policies.

    🏁 Competitors: Flipkart, Myntra, Alibaba, eBay
    πŸ‘ Pros:    Best online shopping app in india|Best customer support|Best ui experience|Easy to order and tracking
    πŸ‘Ž Cons:    No control over return policies|No direct customer relationship|High operation costs|No opportunity for branding

25 Best Sites Like eBay To Sell and Buy Stuff in 2022
If you choose FBA, you send your products to an Amazon fulfillment center, and they take care of the rest: picking, packing, shipping, and customer service.
Top 5 Trusted B2B Marketplaces of India in 2022
Amazon established Amazon Business in 2015; This marketplace is targeting to enterprises in education, healthcare, hospitality, and various other industries to fulfil their wholesale buying requirements. It offers purchasing solutions for any size of a registered business.
Best eBay Alternatives for You to Consider in 2022
Being known as one of the world’s most visited websites, Amazon has massively expanded its products, from selling books only to providing millions of items across a wide range of product categories. Similar to eBay, Amazon has accumulated a massive customer base as the wide product range has attracted millions of visitors to this site every day. However, remember that this...
15+ Best eBay Alternatives to Try in 2022
Amazon provides a massive customer base which can turn out to be a boon for your business. But remember that the unmatched customer base also warrants higher fees and fierce competition. Unlike eBay, Amazon is fully retail setup, which plays an essential role in expediting sales with fixed prices.
Running Out of Room in Dropbox? Here are 11 Dropbox Alternatives That Offer WAY More Free Cloud Storage
One nice feature of Amazon cloud is that pictures that are taken with a phone can be saved there and can still be accessed once the picture is deleted from the phone. Amazon Cloud also has an automatic back-up feature that saves pictures in the cloud so they are safe even if the phone is lost or damaged.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Amazon seems to be a lot more popular than Worldcat. While we know about 2900 links to Amazon, we've tracked only 64 mentions of Worldcat. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Worldcat mentions (64)

  • Happy Dewey Decimal System Day! πŸ₯‚πŸŽ‰πŸ—ƒοΈ
    Look up editions and search for books within a given subject https://worldcat.org/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Question regarding interlibrary loans
    If you're in the US, you can look up the book in Worldcat (https://search.worldcat.org/) to get a sense of what libraries actually hold the books you are looking for. When US libraries are doing ILL, they are often using a backend system that is working with the information in that catalog. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How to Find Children's Books in Foreign Languages?
    Also check out worldcat.org . Type in a title, look for 'View All Formats and Editions' in the lower right of a listing. You can see if the book is offered in your choice of language or format. Click to go deeper into a specific offering and reveal all the details. Now you can get a ISBN number and can search the internet with that number. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Controversial porn books in US middle schools
    I think worldcat.org has a database that can tell you some school libraries that have a book. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Recommendations for Books about Singapore w/Contrarian Views?
    Your future, my faith, our freedom: A democratic blueprint for Singapore by Chee Soon Juan. This book was published around 2000 and talks about the many issues with CPF, public housing, the overdependence on MNC in our economy, foreign talent, Singapore education, etc. It is hard to get hold of this book because it has been out of print for many years but you can find it in the NUS library. It is a brilliant and... Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Amazon mentions (2900)

  • Show HN: I built Bazaari.io to make launching online stores simple and fast
    > Your logo is almost a 1:1 replica of https://ao.com. If this is true, then I think it's also true to say that the logo is almost a 1:1 replica of https://amazon.com (I don't think either is true). - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • AI user interface patterns
    In the wild: "Have a question?" feature on Hotels, "QnaBot" on Amazon. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • How to Rank on Amazon (Amazon SEO)
    Organically ranking your product for several keywords on Amazon search results is a great way to increase your sales, as more customers will find your products when searching the site. Amazon is one of the largest online marketplaces globally, and you can get your products to appear higher in search by making a lot of sales to get an Amazon Best Sellers Rank and also by earning customer reviews. Below is a... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • How to setup Deep Links for Android applications
    Well, we could have added an intent filter for https://amazon.com/, but we obviously do not own this domain, and it would be really weird, and a major safety hazard, if the system would use our app to handle the link that points to the amazon.com domain. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Need a good decaf and regular tea in the US?
    The voltage of mains electricity in the USA is half that of the UK, which effectively caps the power of appliances (at least those not plugged into a separate high voltage circuit). Search for fast boil kettles on amazon.co.uk and you'll get a range of 3000W options to choose from, search for the same on amazon.com and you'll return 1500W results. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Worldcat and Amazon, you can also consider the following products

eBay - Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace

Aliexpress - AliExpress is the largest e-commerce site in the world!

Walmart - Find quality products at unbeatable prices at home, in our stores or on the go.

Etsy - Buy and sell handmade or vintage items, art and supplies on Etsy, the worlds most vibrant handmade...

Bookfinder - Find nearly any book: new, used, rare and textbooks.

Shopify - Shopify is a powerful ecommerce platform that includes everything you need to create an online store and sell online. Try it free for 14 days.