Better World Books

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.

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.

Be aware that cover design displayed may not be supplied, although publisher, ISBN, and year of publishing may be correct. Stock photos can be misleading. I purchased the displayed James Bond 007 'white spine' Live and Let Die, but received the 'grey spine' edition. Advised that there is no way to confirm as ISBN is over arching criterion.
Condition stated as good, but I think tear in cover made it fair condition.

Purchased a book as a gift for my husband. Chose BWB because they indicated that I would receive my order earlier than the other online bookstores (and a few days before Christmas) and advertised the book as in "new" condition. Five days AFTER Christmas the book finally arrives and although it is new, it's a very poorly reproduced "copy". The photos are nothing recognizable because of the poor duplicating process and the Table of Contents is missing a page or two. Shocked that such a poor quality reproduction would be sold by a reputable company. Won't be ordering from BWB again.

I selected in good condition, but upon opening this book the first five pages fell out. More are on their way because the binding is loose. Very disappointed with this purchase.

I love so many things about this company but the long waits make me think twice about ordering. In addition I once realized 15 minutes after I sent in the order that I'd entered the wrong delivery address. I immediately contacted and asked for a change... told they would not redirect. Rather disappointing customer service.

Much to my surprise I received an ex library book although this was not mentioned in the description of the item. For an art book collector former library books are a showstopper. About the worst that can happen. This plus all the stickers that are very difficult to remove without damaging the book gives you a bad rating.

The book cost the same as a new book and it is in poor condition when it came. I will not order from this company again.

Lately shipments take longer and are getting lost more often. And prices have doubled in the last year for some reason. Some books got so expensive that it's cheaper to buy them new from amazon.

This was my first time ordering from BWB and I thought the quality would match the description. No such luck-- so buyer BEWARE! UG/UVG could actually be just Acceptable. Its too bad because the prices were competitive.

I ordered two used books from BetterWorldBooks and never received them. I contacted them when the books did not arrive by the latest date they were expected and was told to wait another week. I waited two more weeks, still no books. I have asked for them to be replaced but I am not very hopeful. This is the last time I will ever order books from Amazon as they never arrive, they are not replaced and I can't get my money back. It seems to be the standard practicd to blame the carrier.

They say they ship the books for free and that seemed like great news for someone who doesn't live in the US. Turns out they tweak the prices depending on the shipment destination and you'll be charged an extra $10-20 for having books sent outside of the US. I would rather they be upfront about the shipping costs than luring customers in by their FAKE free shipping scheme.

I got the book for a decent price and part of it goes to a good cause. However, the book was described as being in great condition, but there is a coffee (or maybe other drink) stain on it, which kind of sealed some of the pages together. The cover is dirty and there is some writing and markings in the book. It should have been listed as in poor condition.

I wanted a specific edition of a book with a particular cover design, and I was thrilled to find exactly what I was looking for - or so I thought - at Better World Books. As it turned out, the photo on the website showed the version I wanted, but the book I received was a different edition with a different cover design. I guess it was my fault for relying on the photo and not checking the listing more closely. The item did arrive on time and in good condition. It just wasn't the item I thought I'd purchased.

Out of the last 4 shipments I made only one of them has arrived. I know there are shipping problems internationally, but it's ridiculous that 3 out of 4 shipments never arrived.

Many books were sent in cheap plastic sleeves and were damaged in shipping. Some of the books were library books and covered in stickers. No bookstore I have ever dealt with will accept library books because they are usually stolen!

My first order ever from Better World Books and they lose part of the order and though they did refund me the money I spent. I lost the discount that I use and they refuse to give me another discount on the new order I made of the exact same books. I could understand this if it was my fault but it wasn't. THEY LOST THE SHIPMENT NOT ME. Very disappointed in their customer service. My daughter who is overseas doing mission work recommend them and now I am rethinking this. I might rather pay the shipping to her instead of dealing with this company. I know this review will never make their page.

Item was not as described due to poor packing, however fast delivery. If condition is important, I'd avoid.

I received a long awaited book. I could have gotten a new one, at a store for just a bit more, but have always had good experiences here.
The first one that arrived was damaged. I called to inform them that this was only one of several I'd bought in this shape. I called the post office to complain, with no luck, as presumed it was carriers fault.
BWB rep stated they would send me a replacement and that it was a "new" copy. I received the second in worse shape than the first. It was not new by any means.
I feel I was lied to.
Read John S. Review.
I do appreciate the rep trying to help me, but quite disappointed in what I received.

The website seemed not to be working properly when I was trying to place an order and as a result two copies got placed in my cart of one of the books in my order. I didn't realize it until I'd paid when the format of the receipt clearly showed two copies. I immediately emailed BetterWorldBooks about the problem. Nearly 24 hours went by and I did not get a reply. I emailed again, to no avail. I then got an email telling me one of the other books in my order was not available. I replied to that email informing them yet again about the extra copy I didn't want. Shortly after that I got an email saying my order had shipped and not 5 minutes later I got a reply from BetterWorldBooks saying they were sorry about the problem, but my order had already shipped. Of course, they said, this is no problem because I can return the book--but I have to pay to ship it back (which costs not much less than I paid for the book). Thanks. If they truly can't get back to you by email in time (though the timing seemed awfully convenient for them) they should have a way to cancel or update orders on the website without having to go through this frustration. In addition, one of the books in my order described to be in "good" condition came with about 95% of the pages covered in underlining and notes. They refunded my money, but still... not a great experience.

Every book I have ordered for the last several years has been in excellent condition, whether the caption says good condition or excellent condition. However this book, A Walk In The Woods 2, is not. The pages are very yellow and I am afraid that when I read it, the pages will fall out.

Two books on one order, one arrived 18 days after the other.

Hoping this is a one-off as it hasn't happened before.

While the selection and cost of books were good I will not order again. Exchange from Canadian though expected was very high and then delivery was NOT free but an additional third of total cost