Cataloged Items not being found in listings

[king_collect]

Same book searched by ISBN 3 different ways.  2 work, but 1 does not.

- If I scan the barcode with my phone app, it finds the cataloged book.

- If I create a listing from scratch and type in the ISBN in the search bar, it finds the cataloged book.

- If I type in the ISBN into a draft listing (the way I list 99% of my items), it will not find the item in the catalog.

What gives?

[1786davycrockett]

@king_collect 

Is the ISBN actually a current number, or has it been recently deleted by the publisher and re-assigned for a new (and unassociated) title?

Since the quantity of  ISBN numbers assigned to each publisher is quite limited, most major publishers regularly delete low-selling or non-selling book ISBNs from their inventories, and re-assign the same ISBN title several months later to new book titles.

(For nearly 13 years, I was employed by one of the largest bookseller chains in the United States;  and, on a biweekly basis, we would receive "pull lists" from all the publishers that were deleting ISBNs.  We would fill dozens of cartons with inventory to be shipped back either to the distributors, or directly to the publishers.  Many of those same books would be shipped BACK to us several months later, with NEW ISBN numbers affixed over the OLD ISBN numbers, to be sold in our "bargain" areas.  Additionally, we would  eventually receive NEW titles, many of which contained the old, re-assigned ISBN numbers.)

So you may be dealing with a deleted ISBN number, or a re-assigned ISBN number.

The eBay ISBN catalogue is largely useless -- so be VERY careful when relying upon it!