ThriftBooksReviews 377

This site used a picture of a book with a similar name and then sent the book they actually carried (title is similar but wrong cover and author). I searched by ISBN and it showed the correct book that was needed for my class. Once I got the book, it was a similar title with a totally different cover. I called to ask what happened because I had screenshots of the book I ordered as well as a copy of the ISBN. I was told that they didn't even carry the book I needed and that she was sorry. I was told that I had to pay for the return shipping and a restocking fee. After all was said and done, I lost almost $10 from my pocket because of the shipping and restocking fee. False advertisement and this customer was screwed. Never, ever order from this site! (First picture is what was sent, second is what I ordered. As you can see, they show the correct book, but sent the wrong one).

Ordered a book from them. Got here in fine time, and "correct" book was received but... wrong *edition*. So... kinda entirely wrong book. So buyer beware, you need to check the very very fine print to ensure that what you're getting is the correct book AND edition, as they lump all of them into the same entry, and don't split seperate editions into their own entry.
Edit: within 10 minutes of me contacting customer response, they completely resolved my issue. So, the caveat above still stands, but also know that they are on top of things, and you really do just need to be Very Discerning. But, for the prices available, you could stand to save a lot of money if all it means is inspecting your purchase for an extra 30 seconds. I will be checking thriftbooks.com again for whenever I need a hardcopy book. Just, I'll be a bit more cautious.

I have been purchasing from Thrift Books for many years as a very satisfied customer. I purchased several books this year and noticed that the quality standards have changed. I never worried whether my book would be marred in any way; however, I do now. I used to receive almost pristine copies in the very good and good status. Currently, both statuses have declined. The last books purchased were for others, and the recipient(s) were not totally pleased. The very good copy had a tear in the jacket cover, the book was not protectively wrapped like it has been before. Moreover, when I attempted to contact Customer Service, I received adequate service, whereas before, it was outstanding. The representatives used to be very friendly, helpful, and go over and above to service me. Perhaps my standards are too high, but now, it is difficult to actually speak to a person, and the stated definition of the quality standards on the books did not match. When I mentioned it to the Customer Service Representative, the person was curt; basically telling me that Huge writing/inscriptions on the cover page is part of Very Good versus Good, as stated in the description.
Emailing Customer Support takes several days to receive a reply. Email is an automatic default.
I am sadly disappointed in the decline. I hope that it is temporary. I miss the high standards that Thrift Books used to have, and the quality of the customer service that they once valued.
Great prices in general. Some items seem pricier, which is fine if the quality was not an issue.

I wish I would have done a little search before ordering but this website had been recommended by a homeschooler group. Well I placed my order, everything went smoothly and my books have shipped but my debit card information was stolen. Within a day of me placing my order someone attempted to go on a $1000 shopping spree on the opposite side of the country. I've contacted thrift books about this and have yet to hear back. 95% of my online shopping is done through PayPal but for some reason that feature wasn't working when I was ordering from them.

I was the victim of the recent postal service NON delivery debacle especially packages. This book ("Human Capital") was supposed to be delivered (so they said via their Informed Delivery service) LAST Friday. So I signed up for tracking alerts and the first email said this Thursday for delivery of the book. Then a second email said Tuesday (when it FINALLY arrived! And because I set up tracking alerts, now MAIL itself is NOT being delivered to my house as well as packages) I contacted ThriftBooks. Very prompt in apologizing for late delivery of the book (again, no fault of theirs; it's the post office that REFUSES to do their job timely or at all!), and they issued a refund. Plus I didn't have to pay even if the book arrived. I'm not a person who lies or cheats or looks for a handout. Since the book arrived, I resubmitted payment and let them know the check was in the mail. I guess I surprised them. This is a company who not only cares about their customers, but they want to make things right for them as well. A VERY gracious, friendly understanding book company! And those prices can't be beat either! Books are in very good condition for used.

Whatever you do - avoid this place. You will have one problem after another with the books you order. They regularly bait and switch. You may order a collectable hardcover and receive a trade paperback. Seriously. This place should be named TrashBooks. I learned my lesson to never order any books from Thriftbooks ever again. On top of the bait and switch they attach their sticker to the bottom spine of every book. When you try and remove it the dust jacket or even the bare hardcover spine gets damaged most of the time. Thriftbooks is a joke. I made several orders all at once and learned the hard way as my orders started to arrive. Learn from my mistake - stay away from this used book seller. It doesn't get any worse than Thriftbooks...

I recently gave a 2 Star Review because I never received a book I ordered, but instead after 3 weeks of waiting to receive the book, I got an entirely different book. Today in the mail (2 days after giving my 2 star review) I received the book I did order "The Secret Wisdom of the Earth". I'm assuming this was a "gift" because it doesn't look like I'm being charged. They had initially gave me a full refund for the wrong book, and the refund was quick. I'll update again if I see I'm being charged without my knowledge, but I don't think they'd do that. P.S. The book was in pretty nice shape; it was an old library book from Pima Arizona.)

So far so good. I've ordered over 25 books from thriftbooks.
Pros:
Customer service has been very good
Got some great deals on some great books
Overall happy with the condition ratings

Cons:
Pricing - some books are priced WAY above what they retail for or sell on Ebay, not sure who sets the pricing but some books really make you scratch your head
Shipping - Slowww shipping. If you're on the East Coast expect some slowww shipping, quickest I've received a book is a week, most are 2 weeks and some even longer - don't expect Amazon Prime delivery.

A lot of the bad reviews on here are obviously privileged morons - the company isn't GradeANewBooks.com, it's a thrift store company, my god. Disinfect your books and move on with your lives. Overall, in my opinion, you get what you paid for and then some in most cases. Have had a few duds and 2 wrong items but overall very happy and it upsets me that people bring down this THRIFT store company with overly dramatic bad reviews.

While this site offers cheap books and free shipping, it seems their system for book rating isn't always true. The books aren't individually described and I believe that's why I had an issue with quality. Some books were very much worth the money: a cheap book that was essentially new. Unfortunately, I'd rather just spend a little more money on either the book itself or shipping to get what I know is a decent book versus a gamble. Attached is an image of my "Like New" book. While clearly used, it is not as their website states a "Like New" book should be: "An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind." Clearly, this book has been marred and is far from "perfect condition." In fact, it's a library copy, too.

I first saw about thriftbooks on a post on social media, as you could get books at a cheaper price. Several years later, I still use this site over big name websites. Sometimes I run into the issue that something I'm looking for isn't available, but that is to be expected at times. While it's not much cheaper, I like to stock up on new manga and multi-book series, so it's nice to be able to purchase multiple volumes in one go for a discount. They're really good at letting you know right away if a title is unavailable after you purchase it, which just happened to me. I purchase books that are anywhere from acceptable to new and have yet to experience any problems with anything I purchased.

I purchased a book using the website thriftbooks.com. I expected the book to be used - reading marks, notes, bent pages that sort of thing. I was excited when the book arrived! "The Berry Grower's Companion" From the moment I opened the package I could smell heavy cigarette smoke. I gaged immediately. I can't use the book with a horrible smell. I contacted Thriftbooks and was told they don't inspect for smell and don't refund shipping. I had used them in the past. I will never use them again! I recommend you run!