• AbeBooks

AbeBooks

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Overview

AbeBooks has a rating of 2.53 stars from 710 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about AbeBooks most frequently mention customer service, tracking number, and credit card problems. AbeBooks ranks 9th among Used Books sites.

  • Service
    181
  • Value
    174
  • Shipping
    175
  • Returns
    122
  • Quality
    155
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 13%
Positive
7
Neutral
1
Negative
46
141
See all photos

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

  • Sure enough ABE Books had one, advertised in very good condition.

Critical highlights

  • They don't follow through and their customer service SUCKS!
  • I will probably have to open a dispute with my credit card company to fight for the amount of money spent on the book.
How would you rate AbeBooks?
Top Positive Review

“Scammers are using this site.”

Chad H.
3/4/24

My wife was scammed out of $1200 by someone using this site. They made it look like four $300.19 purchases. We have never even heard of this site much less bought anything from it. But apparently its an easy way to steal money. There should be some way to identify the seller.

Top Critical Review

“Bad Business Practices”

Christopher S.
12/27/23

Made a purchase. After purchase, I was told by AbeBooks that the seller wanted more money (additional money) than what was agreed upon. I asked questions to AbeBooks in return. My questions were unanswered and my order was canceled because they sold the books from under me even though I had an active order. At the time of this review, they have 700 reviews and a 1.8 rating. No wonder.

Reviews (710)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (118) credit card (33) book seller (34) abe books (97) irish booksellers (15)
Thumbnail of user christophers1042
2 reviews
17 helpful votes
December 27th, 2023

Made a purchase.
After purchase, I was told by AbeBooks that the seller wanted more money (additional money) than what was agreed upon.
I asked questions to AbeBooks in return.
My questions were unanswered and my order was canceled because they sold the books from under me even though I had an active order.

At the time of this review, they have 700 reviews and a 1.8 rating. No wonder.

Tip for consumers:
They need to up their quality of service real quick.

Products used:
Books

Thumbnail of user jerrys1561
1 review
1 helpful vote
January 17th, 2024

Ordered a book from GreatBookPrices on Dec. 7 and the co. Hasn't yet shipped it. Tried contacting Abebooks but the co. Doesn't accept emails. AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM.

Products used:
Still waiting for shipment.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kimberlyj1202
1 review
2 helpful votes
January 20th, 2023
Verified purchase

I only received a partial order. The company makes it hard to contact them via email text or phone. Tracking is out of the question as well And I have no way of finding out which sellers sent me their orders and which one did not. They also make that complicated. I've written off the order as a bad order and understand my money is gone. I will not buy from AbeBooks again.

Tip for consumers:
Their website is not user friendly for anyone having problems with their orders.

Products used:
Bought some books.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user loric1340
1 review
2 helpful votes
January 1st, 2024

Ordered a "new" Ken Follett book for a holiday gift that is not in production anymore. With a lengthy delay I received a damaged book; pages torn and bent. Packaged poorly but book was clearly damaged previous to shipping and used. Poor packaging probably added some corner damages. The rep "Shannon" that was in touch with me seemed really concerned and was responsive. Asked what discount I would like or should they send another. We wanted the book! With a huge delay another book was sent and received. Packaged well but damaged and used? A red stamp with a date was on inside of back cover. Dust jacket for both books used and pages damaged. Received too close to the holiday to be able take advantage of pricing and new books elsewhere plus those books at this point were gone. They gave me $7 off and Shannon wasn't quite as supportive anymore. She was always quick to respond each time though. So I paid an hugely inflated price for a "new" and at this point used book. Never again!

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user less203
1 review
4 helpful votes
November 9th, 2023
Verified purchase

After check out, estimated delivery date is 20 days instead of 5-10 as stated. Contacted customer service immediately to stop the order since I need it sooner. They suddenly say it has already shipped, but the delivery date hasn't changed. I live in the middle of the country in a large city, nothing takes 20 days to get here. Spend an extra buck and skip Abe!

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Thumbnail of user christopherm1278
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
January 21st, 2024

The site offers a wide array of books and the prices are typically competitive with other sites. The site is also fairly easy to navigate with the usual search tools and a fairly intuitive interface. My issue with the site is that when I did purchase a book and an entirely different book was sent to me, and I attempted to return the said book for a refund, I discovered I would have to package, label, and ship the item back to the seller entirely at my own expense. When a buyer receives an incorrect item, every effort should be made to make the return process as easy as possible, and the buyer should absolutely not incur expenses.

Products used:
Books

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user irish149
1 review
4 helpful votes
December 19th, 2023

I contacted customer service through email to get help with finding out where my package is and they were completely useless. They refused to help and said it showed delivered even though I never received anything. Do not buy your textbook from this website it's a scam!

Thumbnail of user duded13
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 15th, 2023

And I learned through their website it will cost me more than half of what I paid to send it back. Don't use stock photography to sell your stuff!

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user patrickh1385
1 review
2 helpful votes
December 31st, 2023

I ordered a book from AbeBooks via Thiftbooks. This was an out of print music book and was to be a Christmas gift. A book arrived and was placed under the tree. On Christmas, it was discovered that Thiftbooks has mailed a children's novel rather than the book ordered. That day, emails were sent to both companies explaining the error and asking for the correct book to be sent. A week later, I still have not gotten anywhere with either company, although Thiftbooks says they do still have the book I paid AbeBooks for. Almost daily I hear from a different person at AbeBooks who seems to not understand that the wrong book was delivered. It is impossible to actually speak to a person to solve the issue. I work in sales and if I treated my customers this way, then I would be out of business. This is dreadful customer service.

Products used:
Used book

Service
Shipping
Returns
Thumbnail of user higherflier123
1 review
3 helpful votes
November 11th, 2023

AbeBooks is just fine with its sellers shipping a different book than was ordered.The listing was for a 'New!' book in unused condition. When the seller realized the book wasn't actually in stock, she ordered one from Amazon and had it delivered to me. Needless to say, it was not 'New!'. And it cost me twice as much as if I'd ordered it from Amazon myself. When I emailed "customer service", they replied - "Occasionally, when you order an item from an AbeBooks seller and they no longer have it in stock, they will locate and ship the item from an alternate source rather than cancel the order." Really? How is that OK? Because cancellations reflect poorly on a seller's star rating, based on the percentage of successful (non-cancelled) orders. Cant have those sellers looking bad! So now I get to return the thing at my expense, along with two weeks I'll never get back. BTW I never have these issues with Biblio.com, who I recommend highly. Good luck!

Tip for consumers:
Shop somewhere else.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user barbarar504
9 reviews
25 helpful votes
April 22nd, 2019

I updated my review from one to three stars because they were quick to refund my card after canceling my order. I ordered from them because I'm in Pensacola, FL and they're in N Miami Beach, FL. It took 2 days to confirm my order and at that time, they then told me that the book was estimated to be delivered on May 11. Three weeks! I also ordered from them because of their 4 1/2 star rating through bookscouter.com. Had I known that it would take this long for delivery, I would have ordered the book from a pleothra of other dealers. My son wanted this book before our trip coming up. Why almost three weeks from N Miami to Pensacola? That being said, I went on Amazon and found the book, same price. I got an amazing offer to join Amazon Prime and with that came free one day shipping. I ordered the book yesterday morning. It will be here today. Although I comment Abe Books for refunding my card immediately, I have to ask myself how they will stay in business with other places out there that exceed expectations of customers?

Thumbnail of user sw2fan
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 8th, 2023

I was amazed, their shipping was estimated to be a month. It was a difficult book to find though and it was a new book. But but in fact it was not new - it was inscribed on the front cover as a gift. I paid for new and did not get it. Will not buy from them again.

Thumbnail of user excessories2012
1 review
6 helpful votes
October 20th, 2023
Verified purchase

Ordered a book with specific cover art that I wanted, but received some mass reprint instead. In order to return it I'd have to spend 55% of the overall cost to ship it back. Feels like I'm dealing with those websites from China. Last time I ever buy from AbeBooks.

Products used:
Books

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user freyaw23
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 28th, 2023

I have had the experience now two times of ordering a textbook on AbeBooks, but receiving the wrong edition. In the first instance I ordered a calculus textbook but received the solutions manual for it instead. In the second instance, I ordered the 4th and most current edition of a biology textbook, but received the 3rd instead. With the calculus book, it cost more money to ship it back for a return than I paid for it, so essentially I just lost my money. I am sending back the biology book and hoping I will get my refund as it cost me almost $170 with the postage and tax, but I will only get back what I paid for the book. I strongly advise against trying to save money on textbooks by using AbeBooks instead of your school bookstore/publisher. The sad part is, AbeBooks used to be a very reliable place for buying books (I was a customer for years), and I can only think it went downhill after being taken over by Amazon.

Tip for consumers:
You have to be careful about ordering books from AbeBooks vendors. The customer ratings for a vendor do not necessarily reflect whether you will receive the correct product or what you ordered. I have started buying from Thriftbooks or from Powell's instead, as they are more reliable. After this last experience with the biology book, I will delete my account with AbeBooks.

Products used:
I did not end up using the books I ordered. The calculus book I received was not what I ordered but it cost more to return it for a refund than I had paid, so I donated it. The biology book I received was not what I ordered, and since it cost a ton I have sent it back for a refund. The refund amount does not include postage and tax paid.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user heltonchad72
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 4th, 2024

My wife was scammed out of $1200 by someone using this site. They made it look like four $300.19 purchases. We have never even heard of this site much less bought anything from it. But apparently its an easy way to steal money. There should be some way to identify the seller.

Tip for consumers:
A purchase confirmation before funds a transferred would help deter scammers.

Products used:
None

Thumbnail of user kylew628
1 review
12 helpful votes
March 28th, 2023
Verified purchase

I've been ordering books through Abe books since about 2015. In the last two years the quality and descriptions of the books have deteriorated. When I order books in very good condition, they come ripped up torn up and with missing covers. And depending on the seller, it can be a nightmare trying to get a refund. I think I'm officially done. Stick to eBay where you can get actual photos of what you're buying.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user dbonanno7373
1 review
3 helpful votes
November 5th, 2023

Non existent customer service!,, I ordered a book September 12 th! No Book o Response
Terrible experience!

Thumbnail of user jillian12
1 review
2 helpful votes
September 12th, 2023
Verified purchase

Ordered a book described as "good condition"

Hardly! Writing throughout the book! I would say not even fair condition. I tried to contact and was told I could return for refund. It would have have cost me the amount of the refund to send it back. And the responses were much less than helpful, as well as very delayed.

Won't be using Abebooks again. Going with Thriftbooks! Do recommend them! I have had a great experience with Thriftbooks.

Tip for consumers:
super unhappy with this service- found somewhere else much better!

Products used:
used book

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user shannynt3
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 1st, 2024

I ordered the Veterinary Anatomy Coloring book for My daughter for Christmas on December 4th. They said that it was delivered to me on December 16th. I emailed them to tell them that I never received it. They told me to give them a couple of days to look into it. It was over a week and they never got back to me until I emailed them again. They then asked for me to be patient and to give them time to look into it and they will would get back to me. I then asked them to just refund me my money because it was now 12/31 and I never got any answers. My daughter needed this book for school and it was suppose to be a Christmas present and now she never got it. I ended up having to make a complaint with my credit card company to get my money back and then had to order it again from another retailer. I will never order anything from AbeBooks again! The bookseller was Byrd Books (Austin, TX).

Products used:
I ordered the Veterinary anatomy coloring book but never received the item. I had a difficult time getting any answers from customer service. I gave them several chances to make it right and either refund me my money or send me a copy of the book but nothing. I had to go through my credit card company to make a formal complaint to get reimbursed my money back.

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user federicom50
3 reviews
88 helpful votes
May 11th, 2021

I've purchased many very cheap used books on Abebooks. Most arrived without an issue. The problem is that if the seller fails, you have ZERO protection, your money is gone forever. So just spend money you are willing to lose, Abebooks will not help you at all.
My last purchase was 20 days ago, seller "Ergodebooks" will not respond after my book didn't arrive, so no book and no money back. I'll take that $12 loss, no big deal, but still a waste of time and effort.

Tip for consumers:
Spend money you are willing to lose.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user pingf1
2 reviews
19 helpful votes
December 12th, 2023

I had a horrible experience buying from this website, the sellers on this site seem often not honest. The shipping date was changed after I placed an order, and I couldn't cancel it because the seller changed the status to shipped right away, but not tracking info. The seller does not respond to messages. Customer Service Does not exist. It is either automated, or takes forever
Then, I realized, Amazon bought this company and the worse experience that we get the better. We will all have to go back to buy on Amazon… and they will be able to control all the prices.

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user amyl148
3 reviews
14 helpful votes
October 16th, 2023

I paid extra for the priority shipping to be received 1-5 days. That timeframe has come and gone. I am still waiting for this book! Tracking just show a label was created. The funny thing is, it shows it will be delivered today and it isn't even out for delivery, very comical. I will not be a returning customer.

Tip for consumers:
I do not recommend AbeBooks

Products used:
Book store

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user annettel139
1 review
3 helpful votes
November 14th, 2020

A company called Glass Frog advertised the Baltimore Catechism #2 on Abebooks. The copyright date they gave was from the 1960s which was what I wanted as a Traditional Catholic, but when I got it it was 2012 with revisions making the book useless for my purposes.

They refused to refund and let me return the book.

Thumbnail of user jimm2524
1 review
6 helpful votes
April 19th, 2023
Verified purchase

Book ordered on May 1 never arrived. Bookseller number not correct and apparently fraudulent. No one to contact at abe. Following support request links on abe website results in endless circle which goes nowhere. They never respond to emails. Wasted money.

Tip for consumers:
That the bookshops may not actually exist.

Products used:
Book

Value
Shipping
Returns
Thumbnail of user dbart897
1 review
4 helpful votes
September 22nd, 2023
Verified purchase

I purchased the teacher edition of a math text. I received a book with only chapters 11-14. When I contacted Abe books through there customer service mail (there is no phone number) they never responded. I chose to simply return the book as I had no value to me. I put in a return through Abe books and when I went to the post office, was told that the address I was given for K12 books did not exist.

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2.5
710 reviews
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