Zen Arbitrage and eFlip are the leading online book arbitrage tools in the market. In this review, we will compare the two software and determine which one is the best.
Arbitrage — a.k.a flipping — has been around for quite some time, and it has proven to be a very lucrative pursuit.
Book arbitrage is nothing different.
Earning six figures a year through book flipping used to be a walk in the park.
It’s still possible today.
But truth be told, the online book arbitrage landscape is now very competitive more than ever.
With the advent of software programs like Zen Arbitrage and eFlip, it becomes much easier to go through the daunting yet ever so important scouting process.
Table of Contents
eFlip Vs Zen Arbitrage Comparison Overview
Zen Arbitrage and eFlip are web-based online book arbitrage tools designed to find inexpensive books and resell them for a profit through Amazon FBA. This process is also known as flipping.
Right now, there are not too many online book arbitrage tools available.
Both tools do share a lot of common features, and that makes them look the same at first glance.
However…
One is far superior over the other.
Which one?
That is what you will find out in the succeeding parts of this eFlip and Zen Arbitrage review.
How does Zen Arbitrage stack up against eFlip, and vice versa?
Before diving into the nuts and bolts of this comparison review…
Few grounds we are going to cover here:
- What is Zen Arbitrage?
- What is eFlip?
- Common and unique features of eFlip and Zen Arbitrage
- Pricing structure of eFlip and Zen Arbitrage
- What users think of eFlip and Zen Arbitrage
- Why choose Zen Arbitrage over eFlip
- Why choose eFlip over Zen Arbitrage
Let’s get started.
What Is Zen Arbitrage?
Zen Arbitrage was released first in 2015 to 100 users and thought to have pioneered the online book arbitrage business since.
Veteran Amazon seller Peter Valley developed this tool. He is also the driving force behind the FBAMastery.com blog.
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What Is eFlip?
Less than a year after the release of Zen Arbitrage, another Amazon FBA seller in the name of Caleb Roth started the competition with eFlip.
The first eFlip tool has the same exact functionalities and interface design of Zen Arbitrage — which is safe to say it was just a run-of-the-mill clone.
Four years later, eFlip is still alive and kicking. eFlip has gone through some changes, and it has become an online book arbitrage tool in its own right.
But…
What exactly has changed? How different are they now in terms of functionalities?
Let’s get down to the features of Zen Arbitrage and eFlip.
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eFlip Vs Zen Arbitrage: Features
As mentioned, eFlip and Zen Arbitrage share a lot of common features. However, they are different in so many ways.
Plus, find out which of these tools has so many features that you can use to further advance your flipping game.
But before that, let’s compare some significant common features.
1. Database
Starting off with the most important feature — database.
When looking at the database, two factors come first: size and freshness.
How many relevant books each tool can pull from Amazon? And how updated are they?
Zen Arbitrage claims it has staggering 21 million books in its database (out of 32.8 million on Amazon’s listings), including over 300,000 textbooks.
On the other hand, eFlip claims it has over 23 million unique ISBNs in its database.
Zen Arbitrage, however, returns 10 times more results than eFlip for some searches.
Meanwhile, Zen Arbitrage reloads its database at least twice a day to make sure they have up-to-date data.
eFlip returns unupdated results throughout the day. eFlip has never openly stated how often it refreshes its database in a day.
In terms of database, Zen Arbitrage wins over eFlip by a big margin.
2. Filters
Filters make flipping so much easier and potentially more profitable.
Both tools have trusty search results filters and show you sales rank history to see if the book is selling consistently.
Zen Arbitrage has basic filters like condition (new/used), category, price, trade-in value, FBA offers, title, publisher, and most importantly, sales rank and Amazon’s price.
eFlip, meanwhile, has advanced filters so heavily focused on prices, such as max/min price for used and new books and offers, max/min Amazon price, max/min rank, and max/min publish date.
It also has a unique filter called eScore, which shows the number of days a book has sold at least one copy in the past 6 months.
eFlip’s more granular filters for prices make it look easy to find books with low merchant fulfilled prices and high FBA prices.
Zen Arbitrage’s Average Sales Rank shows you the average sales rank in the past 6 months.
But in this regard, I would say it is a toss-up between eFlip and Zen Arbitrage.
3. Trade-In Value & Textbook Restrictions
Zen Arbitrage allows you to filter out results that don’t have Amazon trade-in value, and it’s pretty fantastic.
If you don’t know yet, Amazon has a textbook trade-in program that allows students to sell their used textbooks to Amazon. These used textbooks are sold by Amazon.
eFlip too shows you trade-in values, but Zen is much more sophisticated for allowing you to filter out books that lack trade-in value.
For eFlip users, that means a boatload of books with no trade-in value cluttering the search results.
Also, Zen Arbitrage allows you to pre-empt textbook restrictions.
Amazon is strict when it comes to new sellers, so not all textbooks are guaranteed to be approved for sale.
With Zen Arbitrage, you can filter out textbooks that Amazon prohibits using the Check Restriction button next to every listing.
eFlip does not have this functionality…yet.
Zen Arbitrage wins this one.
4. Calculator
A built-in calculator is requisite to make your flipping experience more manageable and convenient.
While both eFlip and Zen Arbitrage have a built-in calculator, eFlip seems more intuitive and helpful.
eFlip’s calculator automatically adds in the book’s weight to estimate Amazon’s FBA fee.
On top of that, eFlip can also show you a price list if you want to know how your desired ROI can be achieved.
I would say eFlip wins this part.
5. More Features
Now, this is where it gets tricky for eFlip…
It leaves out so many great features that Zen Arbitrage has.
Prep Center
Zen Arbitrage is connected to a third-party prep service to automate the packing and shipping to FBA warehouses.
eFlip does not have it, but you can ask for assistance through its customer service to connect you to a prep service provider.
That’s a bit of a hassle, though.
Price Drop Alert
Zen Arbitrage allows you to set a price you would want to buy a book at. And when the book drops to that number, you will receive an alert.
Now that’s smart book flipping right there.
Textbook-Only Search
Textbooks are seasonal. You can buy them cheap in the off-seasons and sell them at a high price in January and September.
Zen Arbitrage has a Textbook-only option to simplify your searches. eFlip, unfortunately, does not have this functionality.
ISBN Marketplace
ISBN Marketplace allows you to buy or sell potentially profitable ISBNs that others or you scouted on Zen Arbitrage’s database but do not want to flip them.
eFlip Vs Zen Arbitrage: Pricing
Zen Arbitrage ad eFlip used to have the same price tag at $79 per month.
But just recently, Zen Arbitrage increased to $99 per month.
Both tools have free trials — eFlip for 21 days and Zen Arbitrage for 14 days. However, neither of the two has a money-back guarantee.
At first glance, this might look like eFlip is giving you a run for your money.
It is not exactly the case given the number of functionalities Zen Arbitrage offers.
eFlip Pricing
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Zen Arbitrage Pricing
SIGN UP FOR ZEN ARBITRAGE’S 14-DAY FREE TRIAL.
If the price is not an issue, I would highly recommend going all-in with Zen Arbitrage.
Not only will it give you a reliable database but also tons of great features to help you streamline your online book arbitrage experience.
Otherwise, eFlip is also a great alternative.
eFlip Vs Zen Arbitrage: Testimonials
It is important to know what users think of a product or service.
Here’s how eFlip and Zen Arbitrage have helped its users:
eFlip Testimonials
More of eFlip’s testimonials here.
Zen Arbitrage Testimonials
More of Zen Arbitrage’s testimonials here.
Why Choose Zen Arbitrage
Tons of Zen Arbitrage reviews favor this tool.
Not only is Zen Arbitrage the pioneer of online book arbitrage, but this tool also gives a leg up in your book flipping business.
Here are some functionalities you can only find in Zen Arbitrage:
- Filter out ISBNs with no trade-in values
- Know the lowest FBA price in book search results
- Easily identify Amazon restrictions for certain textbooks
- Buy/sell scouted ISBNs in its marketplace
- Color-code viewed or purchased books
- Set up email price alerts
- Prep center for easier packing and shipping
- View average sales rank
On top of these, Zen Arbitrage also has a 24/7 multi-channel customer support to help you anytime, anywhere around the world.
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Why Choose eFlip
eFlip pretty much is just a copy of Zen Arbitrage. A lot of eFlip reviews said that, but it’s actually a fact it cannot deny.
However, it does have a couple of unique features under its belt, so you cannot rule it out altogether.
Here’s why eFlip is the better choice:
- Know the number of days a book has sold at least one copy in the past 6 months
- Granular filters for prices
- More affordable cost at $79 per month
- Offers 21 days free trial
Zen Arbitrage Vs eFlip Review Verdict
Finally, we are down to the final lap to this eFlip vs Zen Arbitrage review.
To recap, both online book arbitrage tools share a ton of features. For one, eFlip started out to be a mere clone of Zen Arbitrage.
Nevertheless, eFlip has slowly carved its own niche and somehow be different, and so it deserves its place.
Zen Arbitrage is packed with bells and whistles, but not for nothing. These extra features are too good to ignore, unloading a shit-ton of burdens for book flippers.
If you are someone who does not want to touch the books anymore, Zen Arbitrage’s partner prep service provider comes in handy.
The ISBN Marketplace is also a great addition to make a profit off the books you are not keen on selling.
But above all, Zen Arbitrage has a massive database with 22 million books that are updated twice a day.
eFlip, on the other hand, may have been riding Zen Arbitrage’s coattails, it managed to bring in new features to differentiate itself and break from the mold.
The eScore feature is something a savvy book flipper would need to find profitable books, fast.
So the million-dollar question is:
Which is the best online book arbitrage tool?
Here’s our Performance Funnels rating for Zen Arbitrage and eFlip:
Zen Arbitrage | eFlip | |
Features | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Value for money | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Ease of use | 4/5 | 4/5 |
Customer support | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Overall rating | 4.75/5 | 4.25/5 |
The clear winner is Zen Arbitrage.
Since both tools offer free trials, why not try them for yourself?