AbeBooksReviews 716

Books advertised as hardcovers turn out to be paperbacks 15-20 percent of the time. Address labels are routinely bungled, resulting in packages being mis-delivered or returned to sender. Wrong editions or sometimes even the wrong books altogether are often sent. And, as a final nail in the coffin, the carrier used is the utterly wretched USPS, which creates a second set of problems with regard to handling, timely delivery, etc. One gets the impression, overall, that Abe Books and its various sellers view books as nothing more than widgets, just another product, and that no one involved knows or cares much about books. To channel an old anti-drug PSA: Abe Books. I stopped. You shouldn't start.

I've purchased books online for 25+ years and AbeBooks is the worst. There is no recourse if a seller sends you the wrong book or a damaged book. Either accept it and pay for something you didn't order or take the hit in return shipping. Despite what their return policy says, they won't honor it. Expect stonewalling and ad nauseam rationalizations from their "customer service" bots to deny you your money. Save yourself the grief and find a reputable online book seller. Don't believe me? Google reviews on them. I regret not doing this in the first place.

Do not buy from them! Do not buy from them! Poor/unexisting costumer service!
I bought a $150.00 book.
They sent me a $17.00 with a similar Title.
I paid for shipping to received the book. I had to pay for shipping again to send back the book due to their mistake.
I initiated a refund few day ago.
I still haven't received my money back on my credit card after few days.
I will probably have to open a dispute with my credit card company to fight for the amount of money spent on the book.
Moreover, the customer service doesn't exist.
They do not have a phone number where to call.
They only have an email address where you can write and they usually answer after 1 or 2 days. However, their answer are always the same. Big lies.
So, please do not run in my same mistake.
Do not buy from them!
Do not buy from them!
Poor/unexisting costumer service!

Claim they are a local online book store in Houston Texas. But they shipped our order from Houston to their central process facility in Illinois to be scanned and then it shipped from Illinois back to us in Houston. We ordered from them because they were local and we needed the book quickly. It took 9 days to get here and by then we had already had to purchase it elsewhere. When we asked to return the book they argued with us via email for another week before finally sending us an RMA number and said we had to pay to ship it back to them.

This is a review for Irish Booksellers (Maine) who sell through Abebooks, not Abebooks itself (which is generally excellent). Beware! Do not buy from these crooks! Fraudulently sell old books as new - among many scams. Purchased book through Abebooks sold as 'new', but received filthy battered copy. Seller kept promising partial refund that never materialised - as a way to spin-out process until Abe closes case. Clear from multiple online reviews this is a standard practise from merchant (in addition to even worse tricks). If you have already bought before reading this, persist in reporting to Abe & keep demanding refund... hopefully Abebooks will eventually take decisive action & close down these thieving con-merchants.

I ordered a new hardback book from Abe Books a couple of weeks ago. I paid $40.29 for this book, including shipping.
It was NOT new - there was a previous owner's book label inside the front cover. I just don't call that new.
It is also a book that came from a Book Club, meaning that the book is a smaller size than a regular book, the paper is of inferior quality and the binding is cheap, therefore the book does not wear well. Book Club publishers charge much less money for books than Regular publishers. There was absolutely no indication of this at the order site, just as they claimed that this book was new. I would never have paid the amount for this book that I did had I known. I will never recommend them, and certainly will never order from them ever again.

I ordered a hardcover book (which comes with a much higher price tag) and received a paperback. I initiated contact to remedy the situation, they did get back to me timely but I missed the email, and by the time it rolled back around on my to do list, I was outside of the 30 day window and they wouldn't even consider exchanging my book for what I ordered and paid for (not even asking for a refund). I just think that's poor customer service. I understand I was outside the window, but I'm surprised a business wouldn't want to make exceptions to the rules to do right by their consumers on an error they made.

What a waste of time and money - ordered two books but only received one. After asking for the second one, I was offered a discount on the single book or a refund. I opted for the refund - no response to any of my emails regarding the amount of refund or when it will be issued. I had to put out *more* money after having been shorted on the total cost of the order to send the book back, and yet won't be refunded for any of my shipping costs (I've asked, no response, so let's assume the answer is no). I have sent numerous emails with the tracking number but no one from customer service has responded in over a week, and no word from the bookseller. As far as I'm concerned, this site is a scam and to be avoided at all costs.

AbeBooks is very hit or miss when it comes to buying books from their numerous books sellers. I have orderd two out of print books from them with no problems yet other people seem to bash this site a lot. Why? Because they don't do their research before purchasing a book. So here are things you need to look out for,

1. Look at the sellers reviews and ratings.

2. Do not buy from sellers that use stock images and have a very vague description of the book itself, these are nearly always scams. Buy from book sellers that use their own photos, if they don't see if they have a very descriptive review of the book itself.

3. If you have no choice but to buy from a seller on AbeBooks that uses a stock photo and has a very vague description, email them and ask about the condition and if a tracking number will be supplied. If the seller responds in a short time and provides you these answers then you should be safe to go ahead and purchase it. If they don't, avoid buying from them as most likely it is a scam.

What you have to know,
Don't be stupid, do your research!

I ordered a book through Abe Books from a "book seller" located 20 miles from where I live. Abe Books claimed the book had been shipped, which it hadn't been. I called the"Bookseller" who at first couldn't find my order, then claimed the book had shipped the prior day, which I now doubt. And, the "Bookseller" turned out not to even be a "Bookseller," but someone or some business in a strip mall that had nothing to do with selling books. Every time I check, the "arrival date" changes. Now I'm being told another 3 weeks before the book arrives. Be wise and avoid this business.

A month ago, I purchased two textbooks from AbeBooks, I was expecting to receive it around 11/12 of February and so I emailed through to them asking if there was any tracking number. A customer service rep got back to me within a day or two detailing why there is no tracking. She also advised that I can expect my order end of day on 12 February. I waited the whole day and nothing, so contacted the contact centre again. I saw her response the following day apologizing that my books may have been lost and that I'll be refunded. While I am panicked and disappointed that I'm not getting my books, I've found another solution of sourcing my books, the service I received was better than most. If looking to purchase from AbeBooks, Prices are great, it literally comes down to risk.