ISBN batch with Scanlist
This page opens with Excel export and Condition and Price columns suggested, the usual layout for a box of books going to resale. Scan the barcode on the back cover of each book; the 13-digit ISBN arrives in the file as text, never as 9.78E+12.
- Tap Start scanning and hold the back cover about a hand width from the camera.
- Scan the barcode that starts with 978 or 979; that is the ISBN. A small second barcode beside it is a price add-on and is not needed.
- Write the condition or a note on each row, or set a default condition for the list (Pro).
- Export to Excel or CSV and paste the ISBNs into your listing tool or price lookup.
What to know
The barcode on a book is an EAN-13 that starts with 978 or 979; its 13 digits are the ISBN-13 without the hyphens. Older books may show only an ISBN-10 in text, but the barcode is still the 13-digit form, so a scan always gives ISBN-13. Scanlist does not look up titles: there is no licensed book database behind it, and the list holds the ISBNs you scanned.
A smaller five-digit barcode to the right of the main one carries a suggested price. The reader ignores it, so the row holds just the ISBN. If a cover is glossy, tilt the book slightly to move the glare off the bars; if the barcode is curved on a thin spine, lay the book flat.
Spreadsheets mangle ISBNs in two ways: Excel turns 9780000000019 into 9.78E+12, and some tools strip it to a number and lose the format. The XLSX export writes ISBNs as text cells. With Pro, Price is a number cell you can total and Condition is filled from the list default, so a box of fifty books needs one tap per book.
Updated · Cosmovex
Questions
Does it show the book title?
No. There is no licensed book database behind it. The list holds the ISBN, quantity, time and your notes; most listing and pricing tools accept a column of ISBNs.
Can it read ISBN-10?
The barcode on a book encodes the ISBN-13 (978 or 979 prefix). Scanning it gives the 13-digit number, which is what listing sites and catalogues use.
Why is there a second small barcode next to the ISBN?
It is a 5-digit add-on with a suggested price. It is not part of the ISBN and is not read into the list.
How do I keep a condition for every book?
Add the Condition column (Pro) and set a default for the list, for example Good. Change it on any row that differs.
The free plan covers everything on this page. Scanlist Pro ($5/mo, billed monthly) is described on the Scanlist page.
