"I ordered a textbook from Alibris at a great price. The seller was from out of country and the expected delivery date was over a month away. However, the book came in just under 2 weeks in perfect condition.
I'm very happy with Alibris."
"Warning! Do not buy from this website unless you like to take a gamble with your money. You may or may not receive your order and if not, there is no customer service. Obviously I did not receive my book. The tracking number result was "no such tracking number found". If you find a phone # and try to call Alibris or the actual seller, Slategray, in this case, you will NOT be able to talk to a live person. You only get a somewhat arrogant recorded message telling that you can only use the "form" on the website to contact them and you have no record of your correspondence.
In addition, they tell you to send ONLY ONE email otherwise you will be put at the back of the line! Seriously? They had my money via PayPal, I had no book, no shipment tracking, and no way to contact a live person. And then they had the gall to send me an email and ask if I would like to order another book! Hah! Never, never, never!
When I finally received an email response to my contact via website form, basically all it said was "I believe everything will be ok" and was signed as follows:
Thanks for your patience, and for shopping with us!
Regards,
Gaurang Patel
Alibris Client Services
Monsoon Commerce"
"Really terrible company.
I ordered a book, which in fairness was very competitively priced. Next day I received confirmation the product had been sent. So far so good. Then four days later I received a cancellation email. I enquired when I would receive the money back and I was informed that it had happened, but upon checking my bank statement I have had nothing back. I asked my bank to look into it and they have asked for details in order to trace the transaction.
Alibris customer service refuse to give any details to trace the transaction, but just send one line emails "assuring" me the transaction is fully complete, but nothing substantial to help trace the refund, if indeed it was ever sent.
They thank me for shopping with them. It should thank me for donating instead.
A really awful experience. I would heartily recommend against using them"
"First and last time I'll ever purchase from this crap site. I received 1 out of the 2 books I paid for. The one that I received wasn't cared for and just thrown into a plastic packing bag. The second one I never received because they refunded me without first telling me why. I was confused because the email said it was "Shipped." I then emailed them asking why i got a refund when I didn't ask for one. They said they were "Out of stock" for this textbook. Why would it be "shipped" if it was "out of stock"? Very disappointed. If you want to be disappointed and receive mistreated textbooks, order on Alibris "
"I ordered the book at a price of $16. My order was cancelled because they said that the book was no longer available. Book was immediately available for purchase but now at $129. Fortunately I was available to find it elsewhere for a price close to the original price."
"Paid $43.99 for a book that I never received. Possible mistake but that's enough for me to stay very far away from Alibris. "
"DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY.
They take your money and then don't send the item.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!"
"I've bought CDs, books and DVDs from this site and I've always been pleased with the items received. I've found that most sellers on the website are responsive if you get something you're not happy with. I like that they always seem to have coupons available and that you can also get free shipping on larger orders. "
"I have ordered from Alibris a number of times over the last 6 years. My items have always arrived on time and were correctly described. Most recently I ordered 2 books from different suppliers. Both were shipped within 2 days and arrived within the delivery window.
Out of about 70 orders over 6 years only 1 was cancelled by the supplier (out of stock). The email notification was prompt as was the refund.
I have always found what I've searched for on Alibris. I appreciate the marketplace model where you have a choice of items and suppliers. Thanks!
"
"I ordered three books at the end of November and requested standard post. I have received two of the books in less than 5 days from date of order, very fast and in the condition described. Although I am still waiting for the third I am not yet concerned about its delivery as it is coming from the east coast and I live on the west coast. The site was easy to search and I noticed an improvement with the check-out cart from the last time I shopped, simplified and the coupon was easy to find. This time I actually took a few minutes in the rare book room and I enjoyed reading the Bookselling, book care, & book collecting articles."
"I will NEVER BUY from this place again ! Was shipped on the 27 of November . I still have NOT gotten it yet . They told me to contact them after 20 days ! What the hell did they ship it by ? A damn mule and wagon . I order this as a gift . Well , to late for that . Hell who knows , they might be bringing it to me on a bicycle . "
"I read these reviews and was surprised. I am a loyal buyer and my most recent purchase - The Lost Cat - arrived in 4 days, in perfect condition and it was cheaper at Alibris than any other place. "
"Book not as described. Return was processed."
"Do not, I repeat do not order from this site!!! This has got to be the worse experience I've ever had w any site in my entire life!!! I'm a student-recvd the instructor copy of a book. The book was of no use for me. They description mentioned nothng of it being the teachers copy. It took 4 months and about 40 emails before I was finally able to get a refund for this book. The customer service sucks! You can't call and speak w anyone. This experience makes me now skeptical of ordering from "sellers"."
"If you are considering purchasing your books through this site, then make sure you order at least 3 weeks in advance so you might have book by the time class starts. True story: ordered a book on the 24th, message 25th it shipped, email to alibris on the 30th asking why tracking number didn't work, email back from alibris on OCT 1, "book has reached the shipping facility and you can expect it in 2-14 days", check tracking number again and see the package entered into system OCT 1 for shipping estimated time of deliver 2-14 days. Price difference between website and book store: $30. Bottom line: Order elsewhere or buy local. The price difference is not worth it."