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Alibris Reviews Summary
Alibris enjoys a generally positive reputation among customers, particularly for its wide selection of used books at competitive prices and reliable shipping. Many customers appreciate the timely delivery and the ability to track orders, contributing to overall satisfaction. However, concerns arise regarding the variability in book conditions, with some items not meeting expectations, and delays in shipping for urgent needs. Additionally, the separate shipping fees for each book can deter purchases. Despite these issues, the platform remains a favored choice for many due to its extensive inventory and user-friendly website.
This summary is generated by AI, based on text from customer reviews
Do not, I repeat DO NOT shop here! I bought 1 dvd from them and while they claim free shipping I paid more in shipping than I did for the actual DVD I bought... I waited over 12 days for the dvd to arrive, it was shipped from one town in Florida to another town also in Florida, over 12 days! It finally arrived and the disc was all scratched up and when I tried to watch it all it did was skip and freeze! Waste of time & money... RUN to another company, trust me!
Site crashed on me three times when trying to order. I gave up and ordered on amazon after checking my email to ensure an order confirmation didnt come through. Next day I got a shipping notification. Noe I am stuck with books I don't need. Customer service is passing the buck on to seller to rectify. This right here is why people will continue to pay for with Amazon.
Ordered a used book, then the order is cancelled with a note included that hopefully I will repurchase the same book thru them. Same book is available for double the price of my first order - feels like Bait and switch. I have already fond the book for less on eBay.
6 wks later, still waiting on the last item.
Received 1 item that wouldn't play. In store credit for it but I can't apply it to new order.
ALIBRIS keep my refund and the last movie.
You are a terrible business and no doubt you won't last long.
You want stress, a bad product and lose your money- deal with Alibris.
5/14/20: A few days ago, I wrote a review where I accused them of cancelling my order only to re-shelf the book to hike up the price. The company gave an explanation as to how my order got cancelled; the possibility of it being double-ordered and since Alibris is an online store for independent sellers, they didn't catch it in time. I will give the benefit of doubt. However, since they didn't explain this until after I complained and didn't provide an explanation before, I will give the company 2 stars. I won't recommend this place and hope I would not have to return to this site for anything else.
5/10/20: I order Initiation in Hermetics for for $35, that was a steal as other sites where charging 5x more. I got a confirmation and notice it was going to be shipped. I get an email that they cancelled the order and I can go to their site to re-order a replacement copy - they are now charging $100. This is company is a capitalistic scum hole.
I made two orders with them and they were both messed up. Worst part, it's almost impossible to connect with someone there (it usually takes them 48 hours to reply to an email). I won't be working with them in the future.
Because I didn't buy a book that I had previously put in my Alibris shopping cart, I got an email with a coupon for $5.
Unfortunately, the coupon required me to spend 72.42, which was an odd number, double the price of the book I had removed from my cart, so when I decided to put the book back into my cart and try the coupon, I got asked to spend $72.42 before I could proceed!
That doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth regarding Alibris.
Better to have not offered a coupon -- or to at least state with the coupon what the minimum purchase needs to be -- or just offer a smaller coupon that has a minimum purchase more proportional to the price of the book I had previously removed. All those options would be better than a potential customer feeling pleased about an unexpected coupon in the mail that then results in being asked to triple my purchase to use it!
I ordered a book. After a month Ann's a half I still don't have the book. I have sent at least 2 emails requesting they cancel the order so I can order thesame book elsewhere. The decline to cancel it. Totally unacceptable. It is going to be 2 months soon.
I was concerned because I received a book that was a different ISBN than the one they agreed to send. I was upset because I asked for a specific ISBN and they sent a Global/International version (different ISBN). I could not speak with a person (which I really prefer) and never actually got a call back but someone did email me. They said they would be willing to work with me and said the version they sent was very similar (and better quality) and much less expensive than the one I requested. I feel better about the circumstance because they did provide information (Table of Contents) to compare both versions of the book and they do align well. They were willing to work with me on the return if I wasn't happy. So I removed my poor rating. I just wish they would have called me when I requested they call. It would have saved me stress and they would have 5 stars.
Please do not buy from this website it is a 100% a complete scam. I am out 87$ worth of books. There is no call center to complain to when you have a problem with your order and the sellers are fake.
It is my understanding that selling advanced readers is illegal (or is at the very least unethical), as they are distributed for free by publishers in order to generate publicity for upcoming titles. When I contacted customer service about receiving an ARC (in place of an item listed with a hardcover ISBN), not only did they not offer to help me resolve my issue, they did not acknowledge it at all. Because I'd be responsible for return shipping and have had no luck getting my point across, I'm going to cut my losses and just never use this site again.
And, by the way, if you complete your order as a guest, they make you an account anyway (which turns out to be impossible to delete).
This website has an excellent stock and range of prices to chose from. Unfortunately you are dealing with third party sellers going through the site. If you do receive the wrong book (like I did) the site is only willing to give refunds for returns, and are unwilling to put for shipping (3.00$ rebate however). I wish they were more upfront with the policy.
Do not buy from Alibris. Unless all goes well with your orders you will not find good reliable assistance. They will instruct you to contact the sellers yourselves when you face questions of late delivery. Then they will pretend that they are on top of things when sellers write to them. So this ding dong back and forth go on ad infinitum. What a waste of time!
Thanks for your feedback, Lena. Most of the time, sellers include tracking with their order details so you'll have it at hand when you've placed an order. But in cases where they don't, you can use the information in your account's Order History to contact the seller for more information. You can always contact us directly at info@alibris.com and we'll do what we can to help you out as well.
Michael B
Alibris Customer Service
I did not experience any of the criticisms leveled at Alibris. Very reasonable price, quick, inexpensive shipping, item exactly as described, timely email notifications. Cannot comment otherwise on customer service since there were no issues to resolve. I'll buy from them again.
It's been a long tine since I ordered I book and still haven't received it. There is no tracking and I have no idea where it is and when it may arrive. Ask customer service, and they just (I guess) copy/paste pre-written answer without answering my question. I ordered one used, difficult to find a book, paid quite a lot for it. I didn't care much about high book price and that I paid for premium shipping, I care to get the book. Now. I doubt I will ever get it. Well, I know better now. Lesson learned.
I contacted this company when i didn't receive my book on the date is was supposed to arrive. Over $100 purchase. They asked that I give them more time. I said no i wanted a refund. They told me I had to contact the company they went through for the order. Long and short of it. They would not give me a refund and I never received the book i ordered. Rated a one only because I couldn't rate a zero.
Several ppl in my class at u of ark in little rock ordered a book that we have to have for class 23 days since we r told that book mailed no book its not one person but at least 5 i think this is a svam take money and run im a law student and i PLAN to file a suit to get my money and make them pay the $1000 plus for this class
I ordered 2 children's books through Alibris from a bookseller named "Extremely Reliable" in Richard, Texas. They arrived in GREEK! I went to the Alibris website and immediately completed a return form. I discovered the Alibris policsy is that I have to pay the return shipping, which is never refunded to me! I wanted my money back--it was almost $20.00--so I paid the return shipping and mailed it right back to the seller. Two weeks later, multiples attempts to reach the bookseller (who sent only "form" emails back), call the seller (never an answer, no return call), and having completed a form to Alibris about the problem, I tried to call Alibris. Their number is all recordings--which say to email them. So I am not only the charge of the 2 books and the shipping, but the return shipping, which totals over $44.00!
Ordered a book and the seller sent a wrong one. Sent back for a refund for nearly two months, with countless reminders, and have got nothing back. Ordered a new book and it hasn't arrived. The customer service is basically nonexistent. They will tell you they've done everything they could, but that amounts to nothing. STAY AWAY FROM THEIR SITE.
I placed a few orders with this company, and never had any problem. The books arrived in a reasonable length of time, and were in good condition.
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- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Thanks for your feedback, Fred. I'm sorry your experience with us was so poor. We're a small company with a lot of customers, so it can take some time for us to get back to you when you write in, but we will always respond as quickly as we can. Thank you again.
Michael B.
Alibris Customer Service