Alibris

Alibris is a terrible company. On August 29th, 2005, I ordered a college textbook that my wife needed ASAP through Alibris (#12785163-1); I selected two day delivery (an extra $10). Within twenty four hours, Alibris sent an email saying "The item listed   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

Very low prices and fast service. I am a professor who buys very regularly from these guys (an order most weeks) and LOVE it. Responsive CS. Better selection and prices than Abebooks.

 I would shop here again

Book I paid expedited shipping for has yet to arrive. Post office says it is probably lost and they did not use tracking even though charging for "expedited" shipping. It was for a college class so I had to buy another book. Would never do business with them.

 I would not shop here again

I bought an expensive book, and it never arrived. They did answer my emails to tell me to wait for 30 days. When I wrote again to tell them that the book hasn't arrived and I wanted a refund, the emails went unanswered.
They have no telephone number so you cannot talk to anybody, so ignoring your complaints or requests is very easy for them. I'll never shop there again.

 I would not shop here again

I purchased two textbooks totalling $122.60 from Alibris. They charged my bank account four times for this one purchase totalling $490.40....It put me into overdraft state.

I could not get a human on the phone and had to do business with them by email that came too late to stop the overdrafts. They offered me a $5.00 coupon on my next purchase.

I will put out the word of what has happened to me and I will never purchase anything from Alibris again.

I am getting a lawyer and going after Alibris.

 I would not shop here again

I ordered a textbook and it was cancelled just hours after I had placed the order. I received an e-mail from Alibris telling me that it was cancelled, and that my refund would be received in a separate e-mail that has already been sent. Well, it is now a week later and I have yet not received my refund e-mail or my actual refund. I have contacted customer service three times and have not received a response whatsoever. I would not recommend this site to anyone.

 I would not shop here again

Alibris is awesome. I ordered a book printed 13 years ago in perfect condition (Sahara Clive Cussler Hardcover) worth $30 13 years ago. Now probably worth in that condition $50 for $10! no tracking number but still came over a week early. Great condition and selection A++++

 I would shop here again

A year ago, I was looking for six hard to find books. Alibris had five of them -- all at prices lower than Amazon. All five books were delivered as promised. When one seemed late, Alibris answered my email immediately. The site is very easy to use and the prices are terrific.

During the past year, I have done ALL of my bookshopping on Alibris. The one book I returned, I received a credit immediately (much easier than returning a used book on Amazon!).

CAUTION. Alibris, like eBay, is a collection of sellers. They do give you ratings for each seller, but if you get a bad seller, you may have a bad experience. Choose your seller carefully.



 I would shop here again

I have used them for over four years and always been pleased with the quality and promptness of books when received. I use standard shipping (USPS) and they arrive within 5-7 days of placing my order.

 I would shop here again

I shipped two orders from Alibris on a Sunday night. One was with an independant bookseller, the other with Alibris itself. I got an email saying the books were shipped on that Monday and as I paid expediated shipping, they would arrive by Friday. The shipment from the bookseller came three days later from Oregon (I live in California) I emailed Alibris to see when it was shipped and where they shipped from and they responded with a generic computer email. Then Friday came and no book. In emailed the company again, and they said the book was mailed on Monday. Funny thing was that when the book arrived on Saturday it was datemarked from Wednesday. This company is horrible, with bad service and on top of all that they lie.

 I would not shop here again

When I placed the order, they sent the books on time but one of the book was not arrived. When I placed the second order, the book which was pending came. The shipping confirmation date was 19 Jan. 2005, but I received it only by the second week of   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

I ordered two in-stock books March 2. They were sent the next day but did not arrive until 11 days after that. I would be very hesitant to use their standard shipping. Even their customer service noted: "Packages shipped via this method usually take 4-14   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

I have ordered two books from this site. In the first case, the seller shipped the wrong book. I returned it and received a prompt credit, although not for the shipping costs. In the second case, a "like new" book was filled with highlighting, margin notes, and had a torn cover. I'm still waiting for a refund. If you want a book promptly and you want what you ordered, go to Amazon.

 I would not shop here again

Alibris is a good resource for out-of-print books. I have bought 6 out-of-print books from Alibris within the past two weeks. One of the books was "not in stock", I guess the person who had posted it for sale had accidentally sold it before they put it into my order. I was refunded that money immediately, but when I went to see about purchasing a different copy, I saw that the price had gone up by about $30, so I was unable to purchase a replacement. Besides that one experience, the other five books were actually bought at a steal, I paid about $5 for a book that sells for about $50 on E-bay or Amazon. The key is shopping around- Alibris will have the same book listed at varying prices. The shipping was quick and convenient and cost about $3.50 per book. I would and do recommend this to people searching for out-of-print and rare books.

 I would shop here again

this was my first time using alibris and it will be my last. 1. book ordered no problems. 2. receipt recieved. 3. email received stating order had been confirmed with seller and was being shipped. 4. email received saying order had been cancelled,   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

Being warned by all the negative reviews I saw, I was very suspicious about risking the order, but I did. And I am absolutely happy with the result: all 13 books came, they were in excellent condition (all were 2nd hand) and the delivery was on time. I have an idea why some people might have gotten disappointed: you must read AND UNDERSTAND their fine print well, before ordering! There are some hooks, like when you order a book from a vendor instead of them (because the vendor might offer the book cheaper), that amount will not count for your free shipping&handling amount. So in case somebody did not pay attention, they might have been surprised. Your own fault! Learn the conditions, then you'll be served well, like I was.

 I would shop here again

Of my many years of ordering items over the internet, this website is the ONLY one where I lost a very important book in the mail,a book my father had illustrated during World War II. I did receive my money back from the Mastercard. Still is just wasn't the same. The book I ordered was very rare. I will never order from Alibris again. Their employees must make $6/hour and just don't care.

 I would not shop here again

They have no customer service, as far as I can tell. I have sent somewhere between a dozen and two dozen emails regarding a lost shipment and have never heard anything back. Nothing. I repurchased the item(s) on Amazon and called it a learning experience.

 I would not shop here again

I ordered a new or like new book from Alibris on Dec 8 and paid extra for the Priority mailing to ensure I had it by Christmas. However, I did not receive it until Dec 30.

The packing slip indicates it was to be shipped within 2 business days of Dec 8. However, the mailing label on the package indicates it was not mailed until Dec 23! In
addition, it was mailed MEDIA MAIL RATE!

I wrote to Alibris describing my displeasure and requesting a refund of the shipping cost of
$5.79. They responded nearly 7 days later, but they apologized and promptly refunded the requested amount.

At least the condition of the book was as stated.

 I would not shop here again

HORRIBLE. Paid 11.00 for expedited shipping, for in-stock books. They shipped on time, but 3 weeks later, no books. They have no phone#.

UPDATE: Received an auto-response email, saying wait 30 days before contacting them further, saying "it's rare, but sometimes the USPS encounters delays." I'd read many reviews and knew this delay wasn't "rare." I didn't like that they're trained to pin the blame on USPS. Also, how "rare" could it be if it happened to both my books, which shipped separately?

I wrote back to ask what $11 shipping method was used, and they responded saying they can't control the seller's delays (What?). Anyway, that wasn't the problem since other sellers weren't involved, and I didn't appreciate them again dodging blame. They also wrote "I understand the additional expense to receive your order quicker." Again, what? Glad they understand. I don't.

I wrote back to say their emails are negligent, that they're dodging blame, and to again request a shipping refund. This isn't about money, but it irks me that their shipping estimate dates are faulty and misleading. Though I doubt I'll receive a refund from Alibris, I hope they'll address this common problem.

Stick with Amazon!

 I would not shop here again

Very unfortunate experience. When I tried to order a specific book, and then reviewed the order, it was a different book than I had clicked on. When I tried to undue the order, there was no way to do this. There is also no phone number to call: only an email address.

Alibris says that this is my fault and all that I can do to get my money back is to wait for the shipment, then return it, I pay the shipping.

The website SEEMS easy to use, but it clearly deceptive, and without a phone to call to correct any mistake, either theirs or mine, you are stuck with whatever they give you.

I will never use them again.

 I would not shop here again

Never shop at Alibris. They shipped me the wrong book and there is no way to contact them except through a very complex process.

No way to get my refund and I even sent them the book back.

Alibris is a scam, if you have a problem you are screwed. Stick to Amazon or Half.com or other reputable sites.

 I would not shop here again

I ordered a book 24th August and I got an email saying it was shipped 25th August. 23rd September came and no book, so I contacted them. I was told "it got lost in the mail" and they would issue a refund, to wait 7-14 days. 4th October I wrote another message acknowledging receipt of this one, and I was told again: we will issue a refund. What ? I thought it was issued a week ago. Today is 18th October, no book, no refund, no news. I am disputing the charges with my credit card company and I have filed a complaint with BBB Reno ( they have a nice record of complaints against Alibris already ) BEWARE, bad business practice.

 I would not shop here again

Had a great experience - great prices, really easy to use site. Got stuff faster than I expected.

Didn't have to interact with customer service, but things were pretty clear to me.

 I would shop here again

This company never has shipped my order and will not respond to my inquiries regarding it. They have no phone number.

 I would not shop here again

These people CAN get you a book that you think is unobtainable! I ordered a book that all the "popular" book sites could not seem to find, and they got it to me in record time! It had ceased to be published many years ago. The price wasn't as high as I expected, either, even though it was a little pricey, I had hunted throughout the entire world, it seemed, for this book and they got me a good copy, so I expected to have to pay more.

 I would shop here again

Alibris.com is a smaller scale online bookstore that sells new and used books. Certain users (predominately small bookstores) list books on the alibris websites and receive ratings from previous customers. Alibris also has some books in its own   Read full review...

 I would shop here again

I love Alibris, but it does have its shortcomings. If you want a book fast, head to Amazon or B&N. If you want a book you can't find anywhere, Alibris is the place. Part of the fun of shopping at Alibis is the thrill you get when you finally find   Read full review...

 I would shop here again

I have had a terrible time with their support. I ordered a book shipped standard 7/26 now 8/12 and no book. Website says 4-14 days standard shipping. When I received an e-mail back after telling them my class starts on the 23rd and need reimbursement if it doesn't show, they told me I will have to wait a full 30 days till the 26th of Aug. I won't wait for them to reimburse, I will just tell my credit card company to reverse the charge. I asked them to contact the seller but they just blew me off. Frustrating!

 I would not shop here again

Very fast service. I ordered my book on a Thursday received on Monday. Exactly what was promised was in fact delivered.
Great overall experience.

 I would shop here again

The Alibris site does little to help you determine the total cost of an order before placing it and it is difficult to tell exactly when you order has actually been placed. I left the site after determining that my order would cost far more than ordering from Amazon. Later, I discovered an E-mail from Alibris stating that I had placed an order. When contacted, they stated the order couldn't be canceled. I had to contact my credit card company to get things straightened out.

There are too many reputable companies out there for me to ever bother with Alibris again.

 I would not shop here again

This store frustrates me so much! Everytime i click on one of their $3 links the cheapest book on the site is more than $10! They should prohibit that site from listing on shoppping.com

 I would not shop here again

I ordered a book which was allegedly dispatched on April 26 although Alibris could not provide proof of shipment. By May 27 it was still undelivered and deemed to be "lost in transit". I am galled to discover I must wait another 14 days for a refund. In my view, Alibris has had the use of my money for 6 weeks in what amounts to sharp, if not fraudulent, practice. Moreover, their customer service seems incapable of generating anything but formulaic replies to e-mails.I will never use Alibris again and will warn all my friends of the disappointment in dealing with this company.

 I would not shop here again

I was misdirected into ordering the wrong item, and then was unable to contact anyone to correct the error. What a joke. I am so disgusted at having fallen for their trap.

 I would not shop here again

on feb 18 i ordered books from alibris and i was surprised by the books i found in a month later that it was not i want to buy. i paid about 90 dlrs. for books but they sent me the wrong items that cost only about 15-20 dlrs.

i returned the wrong items on march 18 while was writing more than 10 emails to their customer service.

it is almost a month and a half and I have not received my refund. I feel I am cheated by the poor online bookstore that sent wrong books but charged me bloody high.

i am writing this message on april 23 and it is more than 7 days that alibris replied my mail. they suddenly disappeared.

i am thinking about dispute the payment and informing my bank that i was charged for unfair business. It's ridiculous and idiotic to make a wrong decision with bad/ crab/ online bookstore.

Shopping with Alibirs and you will realize dark side of online business. Enjoy yourself for being cheated your bucks without any return

 I would not shop here again

Albris is an online bookseller which is teamed up with many smaller booksellers to offer a fairly good range of new and used books (for a single seller). This arrangement means two things for the average customer: (1) You could end up paying a lot   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

God, after having the worst experience in the world with eCampus, I figured anything would be a vast improvement. I discovered Alibris while searching for book titles with Google. When   Read full review...

 I would shop here again

In the past Alibris.com was my choice for buying out of print books online. They had a great selection; the books were shipped on time and packaged well. I had no real complaints.

In February I ordered a Jonathan Carroll book from one of   Read full review...

 I would not shop here again

This is absolutely the best place to buy used books on the internet. There are several great locations out there for inexpensive used books, but this one is the best. I always check alibris.com, addall.com, abebooks.com, and amazon.com for used books,   Read full review...

 I would shop here again

For used (and new), and out-of-print books, Alibris does everything right that Amazon does wrong:

1.) Unlike the chaotic flea market that Amazon's Marketplace (used book market) has become, Alibris's merchants are actual professionals who sell   Read full review...

 I would shop here again