"On 4th September, 2017, I ordered a book online from Ergode Books (only 1 copy was available from Ergode Books) though Abe Books. The book was listed as "used: very good" and priced at £28.90 with the estimated delivery given as on or before 09 October, 2017. A couple of weeks after I placed my order, I made a polite inquiry regarding the shipment to the vendor through Abebooks and was informed that according to them (Ergode Books) the item was lost in the mail and apologized for the "postal mess". Ergode Books then provided me with 2 options; to wait 3 to 5 weeks while they procure another book or to issue a refund. I kindly refused both and requested that shipping information be provided to me in the form of either a shipping invoice or a tracking number. Ergode Books did not comply. In the meantime, I raised the issue with Abe Books while keeping Ergode Books informed in parallel. I made it clear that I did not wish to be issued a refund and made it clear that I had no problem waiting for Ergode Books to provide me with proof of shipping or a replacement book. Ergode Books then arbitrarily imposed a refund upon me because they decided that it would take too long to find a replacement book as there was nothing in their "warehouse" or non-availability from any of their "suppliers" while Abe Books supported the decision and processed the refund on Ergode Books behalf. During this entire process, Ergode Books continued to list the book on Abe Books though in a degraded condition from "used: very good" to "used: good" with an increase of price from £28.90 to £117.05!!! When insisting that I would accept the present listed book in a degraded condition while the refund was enforced upon me, I became fully aware of the scam the Ergode Books is running. Further investigation convinced me to file an official complaint through the Texas BBB as Ergode Books is listed in that state but ultimately it was transferred to the BBB in Victoria, B.C. Canada because it was also determined that Abe Books were also responsible. Sadly, because the refund had been issued, there was no other recourse though it was obvious that this was also favourable to Abe Books. In noting the long list of subsidiaires under Fast Media and AmiVentures, including Ergode Books all of which are located at; 25547 Canyon Crossing Dr. Richmond, TX 77406 while pairing my experience with many other complainants towards what is obviously drop-shopping, book-jacking, etc it is a social responsibility to inform others by exposing Ergode Books and it's subsidiaires for what they are; A RIP-OFF and a SCAM!!!! None of these are legitimate, including Ergode Books; nor are they in any way acting in the better interest of their customers. They cannot even be placed within a reasonable level of trust regarding making the simple provision towards providing ordered items to clients in a timely and professional manner. They cannot even be considered a provider in any reasonable definition because they do not have an inventory!!!! In making any queries related to Ergode Books and others connected to Ami Ventures, the internet is a treasure trove in presenting negative reviews and complaints towards them and I highly suggest that you heed the warnings. And sadly many so called "independent booksellers" follow similar practices and again Abe Books supports it."
"I've ordered from this company many times and luckily have never had an issue where I needed to reach out to customer service. I understand that they're a funnel for other sellers - but my experience has been nothing but positive. I've found it to be a great place to buy gently used books for my young son, rather than pay full price on Amazon."
"After i bought a books and payed both fort book and for shipping, almost every seller cancelled my order and tried to add extra money for shipping, even i already paid for that.
Either they are scam sellers that have not enough of what abebooks asks for or the website has racist sellers.
I emailed with my complain to abebooks about sellers trying to pay extra for shipping and got no reply, never ever use this **** site"
"I ordered a book through Abebooks. My order was forwarded to Goldstone Books in Wales who claimed to have sent my book via Royal Post on 28 July. No tracking Number or Consignment Number provided. No assistance provided to help track my shipment. I took up the issue with both Abebooks.com as well as Goldstone but only received courteous responses stating there is no tracking number available. My package is still to arrive as on 12 September!!"
"I had issues with receiving the book, AbeBooks was good about getting back to me, the vendor is at fault for my not receiving the book and I have expressed that frustration with AbeBooks who will address it with their vendor."
"AVOID!!! Book was in stock - they cancelled my order saying "the item unavailable".
LOOKS LIKE all the GOOD REVIEWS are PAID/SPONSORED :(
Scammers"
"Paid for expedited shipping and got the WRONG edition (class required specific edition). They don't even know what they have because they have to ask their vendor if such book is actually available in order to send a replacement.
Now class has started without the book but even worse, their return policy is nuts. They want me to spend MORE money to pay for shipping back to their vendor then wait and hope to get my money back! Really?!?"
"ABEBOOKS ONLY CARES ABOUT GETTING YOUR MONEY.
I needed a textbook for a class that just started. On the first day of class, the professor told us to get a certain book. Like most these days, it cost over a hundred dollars new in the campus bookstore. So, even he advised getting it online. Abebooks said they had several in stock, and the price was much lower. Great. So I ordered it, and I added an extra $6.99 for "priority mail" shipping. And THAT is the problem...
Abebooks has redefined "priority mail" to mean collecting their money fast and then sending the order on to a third party who will do whatever they feel like doing. When I didn't even get a tracking number in 48 hours and complained, they responded with the advice that they would pass my complaint on to the seller and if the book didn't arrive in 12 days, I could make another inquiry. So I complained again that this was unacceptable, and they replied with the same canned response.
The seller finally responded with a "tracking number" - that their shipper said is not valid. I complained AGAIN - and got the same canned response AGAIN.
6 days have gone by. The shipper finally acknowledges the tracking number, and what it shows is that the seller has printed a label but has not yet delivered the book to the post office. I complained to Abebooks and got their usual canned response.
I hope I get this book before the class is over!! And frankly, now that I have read the reviews, I worry about the condition of what will arrive - assuming it ever does.
IN THE MEANTIME, I have been forced to buy another book from another seller so I have something to work with. So much for "AbeBooks", one of the worse online retailers I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
Buy from Abebooks at your peril. Remember, they are NOT the real seller, but an order taking service that couldn't care less about the honesty of their sellers."
"The customer service do not give a ****. Those people are unbelievably uneducated- they would simply shift the responsibility to the sellers. Never trust them, use them."
"Sold 2 text books to them. One was brand new the other was in excellent condition. They tried claiming the more expensive of the books was water damaged which it definitely was not! They are refusing to pay me and won't send me my book back! Now they got a free book for them to sell! They make their money by scamming and ripping people off! Don't trust them! Don't use them!"
"I, too, fell victim to Abebooksellers. This is a scam!
About 2 weeks after purchasing a textbook, I had yet to receive it, so I contacted them asking for a package tracking number.
Their response: my book was lost in the mail. In this digital age, it seems truly shady that this company could not provide a tracking number while blaming a "postal mess." Something doesn't add up!
This company deserves to be shut down! "
"I am yet another sucker that received the wrong book; seems all too common in the reviews of Abebooks. Pity I didn't read them before I wasted my time and money. Having notified Abebooks of the error I expected there to be a returns policy. However, their policy is to suggest that their customers abuse the postal service by writing 'Not known at this address' on the package and sticking it in a nearby post box. When I refused they said I would have to pay to return it. I never ordered it so why should I have to pay to return it?? Despite many emails (and the book being returned in the manner advised) I have still not received a refund. Smacks of a scam and a way if getting rid of unmoveable stock to me! I'll never shop there again and would strongly advise anyone else to steer clear!"
"Great Price, On Time Service and the Product came in the condition promised. What's not to like? I wish all the internet sellers were as competent and competitive in price as AbeBoooks. Kudos!"
"Beginning in 2005 I purchased scores and scores of books from AbeBooks. Books I'd been searching for years (I, shame on me, was fairly late in surrendering to internet service) could be had with a click, I was in heaven. Then, slowly, almost without my noticing, AB began to go downhill. When I finally got upset enough to inquire among friends whether they'd also been having problems I learned, to my horror, that they'd fallen to The Beast.
Now? I use AB as a search engine only. Having located a book I require, I make contact with the seller (true "indies" only) outside of AB channels, inquire among friends and other collectors whether they've dealt with the seller, make sure the seller is a member of ABAA and what, if any, issues customers have had with them.
The sellers don't have to give AB/Amazon a cut (if the book is an expensive one, many times the seller have given me a 5-7% price break without my having asked) and I get my book with, as a rule, truly personal service.
I've gone this route for going on six years, I purchase, at the very least, three books a month (seven is probably my average–yes, I own a ridiculous number of books) and I've only had a single one go missing (it turned up at the UK's dead parcel branch in Belfast)."
"I've used Abebooks for several years and in the past have been satisfied with most of the transactions. Now however, Abebooks has a policy of allowing Sellers to disguise their location - for example, a seller may represent they are based in a United States city but in reality are an overseas company AND shipping FROM overseas to the United States. Abebooks allows a loophole for an overseas Seller to do this as long as they indicate somewhere in their listing that they "MAY" ship from some other location - even without full disclosure. This enables Sellers' deception of point of origin of your package. This directly impacts shipping time, increases the risk of damage and increases your financial privacy risks of dealing with a disguised, overseas Seller. I first contacted Abebooks about this policy, they determined the Seller "met their requirements" and took no action other than to tell me I could request a refund. I am very disappointed Abebooks is enabling this kind of Seller deception and encourage you to think twice before using this service."