AbeBooks Reviews 954

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.6

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Many customers encountered significant issues with their orders, frequently reporting that items were either not received, arrived damaged, or were not the correct product as advertised. People often found the delivery service unreliable, with long shipping times, missing tracking information, and packages sometimes sent to the wrong address. Reviewers also expressed frustration with unexpected additional shipping fees that were not initially disclosed. However, some customers were satisfied with their purchases, particularly when finding rare or niche books at competitive prices, noting good condition and timely delivery in these instances.

What people talk about most

Product

People report ambiguous experiences with product. While some customers were delighted with their purchases,... See more

Order

Clients share ambiguous opinions on order experiences. Many customers report not receiving books they... See more

Price

Users describe ambiguous interactions with price. Many customers appreciate finding items for modest... See more

Delivery service

Reviewers express significant dissatisfaction with the delivery service. Many customers report that books... See more

Website

Consumers find the website to be ambiguous. Many reviewers express extreme disappointment and frustration... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Ordered twice at two different sellers. Paid already more than normal British postage rate for getting book shipped to Nethrrlands and, after placing order got request for additional shippibg fees for... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I ordered two used hardback books on clocks and watches, both described as clean and undamaged. They turned up today, in a thin, plastic bag, so suffered bashed corners, but what's worse is that bot... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ordered a book described as "Very Good" condition. Book was sent in a flimsy plastic bag that offered no protection. Book arrived with tears in the outer cover, holes in the hardback and splits in th... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I ordered a book, via Abebooks but fulfilled by Toscana Books, on January 9, and by March 10 it still hadn’t shipped. After asking for the order to be canceled and a refund issued, they stonewalled an... See more


Company details

  1. Book Store
  2. Hobby Store
  3. Rare Book Store
  4. Used Book Store

Information provided by various external sources

AbeBooks is your source for Used, New, Rare and Out of print books. Find classic collectibles, rare signed editions, used textbooks, and inexpensive bestsellers from independent booksellers worldwide.


Contact info

1.6

Bad

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

954 reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Caution Before Buying from Abebooks - You will pay ever if they make a mistake

AbeBooks used a third party company, Thriftbooks, to fulfill my order. They send the wrong book. Not only was it disappointing not to receive my book, I also had to pay $9.16 in for envelope & postage. They made no effort to try and get me the correct book. I am frustrated and out $9.16 for their mistake. They point the finger at Thriftbooks, Thriftbooks points the finger at them

November 20, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Scammers have infiltrated

Ordered a used book that was supposed to come from Greenworld books in Arlington, TX. Never received it. No one at Abebooks or at the seller has replied to my questions. I think its a scammers' site now. Do not use.

November 9, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

You do get real books, but customer service is non-existent

Tried out this company and purchased a book that said it came with a bag (important because this was a pacifier elimination book where the bag is the main tool for this). The book arrived without a bag, so I contacted customer service, asking for the bag to be sent, or a deep discount since I will have to make/source this bag. They said that I can process a return and they will reimburse me once that is activated. I did so and am now being prompted to send this back WITH MY OWN MONEY in order to get my money back.

I attempted to contact customer service multiple times and now realize it’s just bots or real people with only not answers, because every reply is the same— it apologizes and says I have to process a return, even though I have one processed.

It is absolutely infuriating to not have a human answer me with any sort of indication that my previous emails had been read.

Buy at your own risk, and do not expect any form of customer service.

November 26, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Garbage book!!

I ve bought a book from France. It was supposed to be in excellent condition. The book is awful and disgusting. I can't send it back because the price to send the because is 2X the price I paid

November 28, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

do most of my reading digitally these…

do most of my reading digitally these days, but like having a few refernce books on my shelves, along with old favourites, Abe had exactly what I needed, and no fuss, one of the books came today, like new, for a fraction of the cost. Very happy.

November 17, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Despite updating my address

Despite updating my address, the company sent my books to the old address. After going round and round trying to find someone to contact, I realized there’s no way of contacting these folks. They lost a customer.

November 6, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Pathetic

I have never received my book, which was ordered in June already and supposedly would have arrived on the 8th of September. Logged in and it does not even recognise my order number or my buyer history. No where to contact anyone. Do not waste your time and money to buy from them

October 1, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I was sold a book that was supposed to…

UPDATE- They have issued a refund and told me I do not have to return the book, so I have adjusted my review to indicate good customer service

I was sold a book that was supposed to be in 'good' condition but the copy i received was torn/damaged on both the front and back, stained and had something that looked like melted chocolate on it. It is definitely not 'good' condition and by most standards, not even acceptable. I've ordered books from other online sellers with no issues but will stay away from Abe. This was my first and last order with them

October 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Not Delivered

Ordered a book recently. Failed to arrive - looks like the post office delivered to the wrong address. Neither PO or Abe responding to requests for further information.

October 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I attempted to order a book

I attempted to order a book, the delivery was late and the book was wrong copy from what i ordered.There was not an option to get correct copy,i returned book and was not reimbursed for the postage of the return. I will not use ever again, poor customer service

October 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Abebooks shipping rates unsustainable

I was ready to place an order for five books, but changed my mind when the shipping rates were higher than the value of the books. Not sure why: there are options out there, and I've purchased dozens of books from Abebooks in the past with only two cases of not receiving books. That was in the past but the chance of future orders from me looks bleak because of shipping costs.

October 19, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Poor Customer Service

I bought a book listed as a third edition, the seller sent a first edition, I have wasted over an hour communicating back and forth with you and the seller not knowing if I should repurchase the book or if the seller would actually send me the one they listed. Now I am required to waste more time going to the post office and shipping back the book on top of having to find and repurchase the correct edition, which has gone up in price since I first was searching. I am out all of this time and money and am back at square one, while the seller is not responsible for making amends. I will not be purchasing from Abebooks again as your policies are not customer friendly.

October 7, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They allow bookstores to discriminate

They allow bookstores to discriminate.
After bookseller confirmed my order, the bookseller told me directly he would not ship to me because of my race.
abebooks did nothing about it and is OK with this behavior.

October 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Would recommend, great value

Reviews online here are terrible, so I was unsure ordering, but I can only go off the two recent experiences I had with them, where I ordered books from them. I needed two very niche books for my doctorate which I could only get on AbeBooks, no library had them. One book was an original edition from 1956 for only five pounds and the other one one was six pounds fifty. Unbelievable value, and delivered to my door in Ireland for only 5-6 pounds, arrived no problem. Both said they were in a fairly used condition. They both turned up flawless, looked like new, even the one from 1956. Would use again for sure

October 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I paid for express delivery but the…

I paid for express delivery but the book was send with standard delivery without any tracking number. The seller promised to refund the difference which was never received. Unlike Ebay or Amazon, there is no channel on the website to contact their customer service or post a feedback. I had not visited trustpilot before buying from this website but now looking at all the reviews, I might be the fortunate one after all.

October 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10

10/10. I ordered some first editions and they arrived, from US to UK, promptly and in perfect condition. Well done, Abe Books and Kjosen Booksellers!

October 3, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Total lack of customer support from AbeBooks

I had a problem with the books going to the wrong address. The seller refused to help. Abebooks pretended to intermediate. In the end, they expressed their sorrow while doing nothing. When things go wrong, you are on your own. The lesson cost me $100. Disgusting.

September 29, 2025
Unprompted review

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