Better World Books has a rating of 3.1 stars from 2,091 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Better World Books most frequently mention good condition, free shipping, and timely manner. Better World Books ranks 3rd among Used Books sites.
Library books but in near perfect condition. Orders take around a month and a half to cross the pond, but as long as you're not in a hurry i definitely recommend. Books shipped from the UK arrive within a couple of weeks. Hooray for that! Also, I feel like I need to mention the e-mail they send when a book is dispatched. It is simply delightful! I'm a very happy customer/bookworm who wishes they had warehouses in the EU.
I bought several books by the same author from BW books. I got part of my order but its been a month now and even though I have a tracking #, once it "leaves" BW books they do not help at all to find your order. The site they direct you to in order to "get help" sends you in circles. They did not hesitate to help themselves to payment for the books, however. Beware. I will never order books from this company again.
Prior to this problem, I was mostly pleased with Better World Books. But after my recent experience I will avoid ordering from them. They sent a book which did not match their listing or the product details. It was not by the author shown, and other details. I informed them of the discrepancy in detail and asked for a refund and a return shipping label. They asked me to find and tell them the ISBN number in the book. I checked the number on the ISBN site, and the description there was what they had shown in their listing. So in fact the ISBN description was wrong! I informed BWB of this and they told me they go by the ISBN number, I would need to pay return shipping if I wanted a refund. That would have cost me most of the price of the book, and have no book. And the book I received was actually an old school text, worthless to me or to about anyone. I explained all this to them and told them they would see the truth of what I told them when they received the book. They repeated their refusal and reason. Over several weeks we exchanged numerous messages, in which the then told me it was a case of my changing my mind, so they couldn't pay shipping. All their messages were full of "sorrys". It began to appear to me that it was not humans but a machine reading and answering me. I said so, but the responses didn't change. I warned them that I would need to complain and could never trust them again if they wouldn't do the right thing. Same responses. I finally reported it to the Better Business Bureau. They quickly informed BWB, and only then did they refund my money. They said keep the book. I can understand that, because they wouldn't want to pay for the return of an unsellable book!
Tip for consumers:
Based in their responses to me, I cant imagine what would have helped.
Products used:
Didn't use the book. I donate it to charity, where I expect it will end up being disposed of unsold.
I ordered a bunch of books that were listed as "very good condition" and when they got here they were old ex library books. Not what a I played for. When I bought 1 book it was packaged in just a plastic mail bag with no packaging, of course it arrived severely damaged. Every book comes with a paper based sticker ON THE SPINE which do not come off easy and leave sticker residue behind. I ended up ripping one of the dust covers of my books, can't imagine how horrible buying paperbacks from them would be. Avoid this website
Tip for consumers:
Never ever ever buy paperbacks
Products used:
Books
I've shopped from this website many times and now I live abroad, I also got my package delivered. It took a little longer than usual but I'm happy to know I can still have my favorite books delivered anywhere I go. I love betterworldbooks~~
I will never use this site again. They are sending me spam 3 times a week. There's no way to unsubscribe. I emailed customer service, and the spam stopped for a while, THEN IT STARTED UP AGAIN. Nightmare.
Tip for consumers:
Be Warned!!
Products used:
a book
Library books but in near perfect condition.
Orders take around a month and a half to cross the pond, but as long as you're not in a hurry i definitely recommend.
Books shipped from the UK arrive within a couple of weeks. Hooray for that!
Also, I feel like I need to mention the e-mail they send when a book is dispatched. It is simply delightful!
I'm a very happy customer/bookworm who wishes they had warehouses in the EU.
Tip for consumers:
They often have discounts available. May be worthwhile waiting.
Products used:
Books
I first heard about BetterWorldBooks through a server I'm in that listed them as a reliable resource to buy books from. After doing my research, I found that they have sustainable practices in selling books as well as donating proceeds to literacy causes, both of which I wholeheartedly support. I also love that I can get such great deals on almost new books! All that together makes BetterWorldBooks one of my new favorite online book shopping sites.
Products used:
Books
Purchased a book during COVID (from BetterWorldBooks UK) and still have not received it at an overseas location 4 months later. No tracking information was provided so there is not evidence the book was sent. Better World Books have washed their hands of the matter and said they don't offer refunds if you contact them after 60 days of not receiving a book. Have just lost $50. Buy at own risk. Don't do it! There are lots of reputable sellers out there and this is not one of them!
DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE. It takes forever for them to email back if you have issues with your order (They don't have a live line for customer service). You want to cancel your order? Good luck! By the time they reply stuff will have already shipped. Returning is a hassle and expensive and could cost you a lot of $$$ (You have to pay return shipping). Better off using Amazon and Thriftbooks.
Tip for consumers:
Please use Amazon, Barns and Noble, Thriftbooks. Their customer service is better and you don't have to pay to return items. Better World Books has the worst customer service I've delt with.
Products used:
Books
I bought several books by the same author from BW books. I got part of my order but its been a month now and even though I have a tracking #, once it "leaves" BW books they do not help at all to find your order. The site they direct you to in order to "get help" sends you in circles.
They did not hesitate to help themselves to payment for the books, however. Beware.
I will never order books from this company again.
Tip for consumers:
Can not trust them
Products used:
Books
Overall, I am pleased to find used books at a decent price including unique, out of print, and sometimes challenging to find ones. My only beef is that at least with 1-3 books I order in a group of them, a "very good" book is not what I called "very good" but "roughly used" with bent corners, folds, and creases on the front and back covers. It looks more like a book that has been at the bottom of a middle schooler's locker for half the year and found. I would like the wear of the books to be more accurate.
The books were both labeled the same but are not in the small category to me. The Missing Diary picture looks better than in real life including the small food stain on the bottom left at the binding. Just not quite sure how they can both be "used very good". You just have to know it can happen.
Tip for consumers:
Just know some descriptions are not accurate on occasion.
Products used:
Books
In addition to the normal acknowledgment of an order these folks sent a creative delightful letter while the order was in progress. I won't give you a spoiler about what it said - you'll just have to order a book yourself to see. I shared a copy of it with all my adult children. One response was "Those are some people who really love their work." I agree and their support for literacy programs is a real plus.
Products used:
Book
These scumbags are unprofessional and I will never buy from them again. They sold me a book. Good book. Arrived in mail fairly quickly. But I had asked immediately and politely for a simple receipt. They said since some people order books as gifts, they don't provide receipts. I told them it's not a damn gift, it's for me, please include a receipt. They said no. A simple receipt for a sale is standard and they flat out refused me. These people are scumbags.
The books I have bought, were always in the condition they said they were! I have never had anything damaged in shipping. The people with negative reviews, should just go to a Barnes and Noble and pay new price, instead of getting the same books for $4. Really? No complaints from me! Love your site, and the ability it gives me to get all the selections I want, at bargain prices. Thank you Better World! Marsha
I have received all books from BetterWorldBooks except 'Anne Frank: the Biography' (order: *******). When I notified them about this they said (more or less) 'too bad you waited too long to notify us'. My star rating is for this very poor and heartless response and not for my other orders. Just goes to show if you treat people badly once it has implications and they won't forget it! Though I still order from BetterWorldBooks I couldn't recommend them to others just in case they get burnt as I did!
I bought three books on the 1st October 2021 and have still not receives my order after two months two weeks down the line. I say they are a scam because their website does not offer tracking numbers for their orders. And what is the reason for no tracking details and just the order number. How does one go to the Post Office and ask for shipment without a tracking number?
As matters stand now, my status of the books I ordered reflects that I only ordered two books and not three as before. Initially, one book was to have been shipped from USA and others from UK. However, the one from UK does not reflect anymore and its just those from USA.
I still have email communication I had with them as proof to all this. What I don't like about the reviews appearing currently on their website is that they are on their webpage, and not from an independent one. This rings a bell, isn't it?
I have ordered from Better World Books many times. They frequently sell used library books. I DESPISE the stickers and stamps all over the books and intentionally order ones NOT marked as previous library books for this reason. In spite of this, I routinely still get them. It's so frustrating that they either don't mark all library books as such or they just don't pay attention when fulfilling orders. For my last order they had several copies of the same book, one marked as previous library and the other simply as "used". I chose the "used" version, and got a book covered in library stickers and tape and stamps on the page ends. And it was sent in this sticky wrapping plastic envelope that made a mess of the dust jacket. I'm done ordering from here.
Tip for consumers:
That they don't send what you actually order
Products used:
Book
Very bad experience. Book never arrived, no refund, no goodwill gesture. I won't buy anything from them again.
I ordered a book in Very Good condition and received an Ex-Library book with stickers on the spine and stamps inside. The binding was loose, the book heavily used and the condition could be listed as Fair, if it hadn't been Ex Library. Better World Books clearly misrepresented the condition of this book. I have sold used books and know how the condition code works, you can pick ONE from: New, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Ex-Library. It's like your age. You only get to choose one. You can't be 40 and 16. The whole industry agrees on this. My receipt even says Condition: Very Good. Their customer service sent me a canned response of "We work with many libraries who send their overstocked books or old editions for us to sell. The libraries then select a local charity or one of our literacy partners to receive a portion of the proceeds, in addition to earning funds for their own programs." So they justify misrepresenting book condition by using words like "charity" and "literacy partners". They were not apologetic at all, just send it back if you don't like it. You know they are just going to list it again as Very Good and fool the next customer. It sounds like all their books are Ex Library. Just avoid these guys. They are hustlers.
Tip for consumers:
Avoid them, all their books seem to be Ex Library but they misrepresent the condition.
Products used:
used book
Incredibly happy with the fast delivery and my very special book! So thrilled! Have been using BWB many times and it always managed to find beautifully rare books in a very good condition!
Ordered 2 books recently for a book club... they were coming from 2 different locations (which BetterWorldBooks let me know upfront)... I assumed they'd arrive at different times. Both books arrived quickly (quicker than I expected actually... for free shipping!) and on the same day! BetterWorldBooks will be my go-to for future book purchases!
I ordered 6 photography books. Only 5 arrived. Those 5 were all, to my disappointment, ex-library books. One book did not arrive. One book arrived without its hardcover case. One book arrived missing over 20 pages. I was only able to communicate via email which appeared to be automatic replies.
I would NOT recommend buying from them as they screwed up on 3 out of 6 books that I ordered.
Products used:
Books
I ordered 4 books and they only sent me 3 and trying to contact them about their mistake was very hard and time consuming, and when I finely did get in contact with them I had to deal with a stupid robot at first. And their way of fixing their mistake was to not charge me for the book they failed to send. I prefer to order from thriftbooks.
Tip for consumers:
Pay close attention to the books you order and the books you actually get in the mail, make sure you get all that you order, And if you don't, then have fun contacting them about it.
Products used:
Books.
Although the book came in fine, both of the included CDs were broken and the book had a TRACKER in it (which is weird)! As soon as I opened the package, the CD's came out in shards! This is the first time ANY book service we've used has failed in shipping us quality books. This is so disappointing! Plus: this book is for a college class and if the Proffessor hadn't also sent mp3 versions of the CD I would be out of luck. I would be rating it zero stars if that was an option.
It was okay. But needs improvements. Some pages of book is misleading. Hoping for the better one. Good luck to the author of the book.
They are so helpful, friendly, and with a generosity of spirit as well. Fast postage, Great packaging. Everything was first rate. Great place to discover hard-to-find books.
Your online bookstore? Millions of USED books at bargain prices. Super selection, low prices and great service. Free shipping. Satisfaction guaranteed. Shop for your next used book or textbook now.
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