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    Alibris

2024 SITEJABBER AWARD

Alibris

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Overview

Alibris has a rating of 4.7 stars from 90,174 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Alibris most frequently mention great prices, good price, and shopping experience. Alibris ranks 1st among Used Books sites.

  • Service
    528
  • Value
    5867
  • Shipping
    5858
  • Quality
    5856

Proactively asks for customer feedback

This company responds to reviews on average within 2 days

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 93.2%
Positive
18,518
Neutral
800
Negative
553
View ratings trends
30
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How would you rate Alibris?
Top Positive Review

“Very impressed w/ orderly arrangement of products for...”

Cate Z.
9/16/21

Very impressed w/ orderly arrangement of products for sale, e.g., music, books, movie, etc. Makes sense! Also, the choice of sellers is easy to understand & navigate--I contacted one book seller Solr by email to find out if the used book they were selling was highly dusty (allergies) & they emailed back w/ details & evident concern. Alibris is now my "go-to" source for great prices, selection & quality of sale. Thanks for doing a great job!

Date of experience: 9/16/21
See positive reviews
Top Critical Review

“Very Difficult to change shipping address”

Stephen I.
5/17/21

Very Difficult to change shipping address. Had to quit internet browser and log back in again. Shipping choices limited. I know from past purchase that independent sellers can take their sweet time shipping items and often do. Why does alibris appear to charge at 1st class parcel rates and deliver at slower and cheaper media mail rate? Delivery window excessively wide.

Date of experience: 4/17/21
See critical reviews

Reviews (90,174)

Rating

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Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

shopping experience (1087) web site (334) use site (204) credit card (484) billing address (196) coupon code (234) shopping cart (173) email address (78)
Thumbnail of user johnr10948
Virginia
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 3rd, 2024
Verified purchase

This item was extremely well packaged. Excellent! The outside cover of the book is rather shabby but the important part, the text is in really good shape. This book is a real classic and I wanted a hard cover version. So, this particular item is acceptable. I have ordered from this source before and been entirely satisfied. I'll order from them again if the occasion arises.

Reason I chose this business:

Alibris offered a hard cover version of this particular book which is what I wanted.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 24, 2024

Thumbnail of user m.m45
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 16th, 2024
Verified purchase

On 11/14/2024 I ordered 2 items, different vendors. One item & it's delivery satisfactory; second item satisfactory, delivery awful. However, Alibris customer service did a good job of resolving the delivery issue.

The problem was with due to handling of the item by USPS. Alibris customer service solved the issue.

Reason I chose this business:

Alibris provides the best selection of kindly used books/movies that I have ever found. When I first located them, they even sent bookmarkers listing current/upcoming discounts. Considering, the number of items I've purchased over the years, there have been relatively few problems. Each was settled by their very efficient customer service personnel. I can be very caustic at times, and yet they always retain their dignity.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: December 6, 2024

Thumbnail of user larryl2459
Canada
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 1st, 2024
Verified purchase

I received an email indicating that my order could not be filled and was offered a close substitute for the original order. Given the inconvenience, I asked/emailed a request for a coupon code. I did not receive a reply. I am disappointed because a small gesture, such as a slight discount from a coupon, would have gone a long way to a loyal customer.

Date of experience: November 21, 2024

Thumbnail of user eugener337
Colorado
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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October 16th, 2024
Verified purchase

Alibris is a fantastic site with great prices on books to help you save. I consistently get my books from this site, and they do well with ensuring that they are delivered on time; in several cases I've gotten my books delivered earlier than usual, a major plus!

Reason I chose this business:

Great prices, easy to navigate/use the website, and I get my books on time or earlier than anticipated!

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 6, 2024

Thumbnail of user steves4212
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 6th, 2024
Verified purchase

Alibris allows for affordable opportunities to find the authors I enjoy all with only a 10-minute investment of my time. This order went smoothly from identifying the book and provider to placing the order.

Date of experience: August 27, 2024

Thumbnail of user caryna19
Illinois
0 reviews
0 helpful votes
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October 16th, 2024
Verified purchase

I ordered on sep 12 and 2 books arrived late on Oct 4, which is a pretty long time. One book was in the condition listed but the other was pretty beat up and pages were folded. It felt dirty and I wouldn't have chosen this copy if I had known.

Reason I chose this business:

Good prices and they had what I was looking for.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 6, 2024

Thumbnail of user kevinh4798
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 9th, 2024
Verified purchase

For my first order it went well. I have been looking for a hard to find book at a reasonable price and not only did they have the book, but it was also reasonably priced compared to other booksellers.

Reason I chose this business:

You had the hard to find book I was looking for.

Date of experience: November 29, 2024

Thumbnail of user johnh14928
Oregon
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 17th, 2024
Verified purchase

First time to website. Difficult shopping. Had to re-start 3 times. Perhaps I could have saved on the shipping if I had noticed they were from different sellers? Appears to have amazing variety. Enjoyed the company start up story.

Reason I chose this business:

Encountered on web search for a hard to find book.

* Alibris attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

Date of experience: November 7, 2024

Thumbnail of user jamelg16
Maryland
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 13th, 2024
Verified purchase

Just a few days after placing my order Alibris was promptly taken offline due to a security threat. Despite the delay in getting the site online I was able to receive by book within a reasonable time. I am highly satisfied with Alibris services. I will be sure to order from them next time.

Reason I chose this business:

Competitive pricing and reliability.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 3, 2024

Thumbnail of user karenw2110
Oregon
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 25th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I go to Alibris to pick up a book that I've read about in some review, or that I took out from the library and finally had to return before finishing it, or on a topic of interest. The selection is terrific.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 15, 2024

Love Alibris!
October 7th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I can usually find what I want here.

Date of experience: October 7, 2021

Thumbnail of user brianner25
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 10th, 2024
Verified purchase

Disappointed finding out days later that my book wasn't available, having to re-buy and pay shipping. I only purchased the other two books in order to reach the free shipping for the first shipment. I would have just not bought those had I known.

* Alibris attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

Date of experience: September 30, 2024

Thumbnail of user leea409
Washington
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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November 2nd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

Always appreciate your easy website -! I only wish I hadn't deleted a coupon you just sent me via email! Your website used to have a band at the top showing a discount code one could use based on how much the order was for.

Reason I chose this business:

I avoid Amazon!

Date of experience: October 23, 2024

Always love shopping on your site and recommend it...
September 2nd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Always love shopping on your site and recommend it regularly but everyone else uses Amazon - and I do NOT

Reason I chose this business:

To avoid behemoth, worker-abusing Amazon. I always use Alibris!

Date of experience: August 23, 2024

Love shopping on Alibris!
May 18th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Very easy - always get my books in the timeframe specified. I avoid Amazon and use Alibris instead - and I order a lot of books for relatives in November to inc in my holiday boxes to each of their homes.

Date of experience: May 8, 2024

Always excellent!
March 23rd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I like giving them my business - I avoid Amazon!

Date of experience: March 13, 2024

Always use your site for book purchases!
November 11th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I avoid Amazon, Walmart. I am a union member and my family ran a unionized printing firm in DC.

Date of experience: November 11, 2023

I have been using your site for many yrs and love how...
October 28th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

I have been using your site for many yrs and love how easy it is. I have definitely recommended it to others.

Reason I chose this business:

I always appreciate shopping on your website- and avoid Amazon!

Date of experience: October 28, 2022

Very easy
August 30th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Very easy. Always a pleasure to find what I'm looking for at great prices and I avoid Amazon

Reason I chose this business:

Because I avoid Amazon like the plague

Date of experience: August 30, 2022

I just wish you had a gift note option…
December 27th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

I just wish you had a gift note option…. I have purchased from your firm for a couple yrs now.

Reason I chose this business:

Always use your firm - I do not shop Amazon or Walmart…

Date of experience: December 27, 2021

Always use your website because I dislike Amazon
November 17th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I avoid Amazon!

Date of experience: November 17, 2021

I always use your site to order books!
November 8th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Date of experience: November 8, 2021

I nearly always use your site
October 23rd, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

I nearly always use your site - avoiding amazon. Rarely have problems.

Reason I chose this business:

Your firm is the #1 place I go when I need books for myself or gifts.

Date of experience: October 23, 2021

Thumbnail of user davidb14712
Kansas
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 27th, 2024
Verified purchase

I like Alibris and prefer to shop here. I wish shipping wasn't so high. Some sellers don't give out a tracking number. They simply put the order number in for the tracking number. That way it gets marked as shipped, but it really isn't.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 17, 2024

Thumbnail of user juliah1427
Washington
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 31st, 2024
Verified purchase

A fantastic catalog of books (even from small publishers), dvds, and vhs tapes! The prices are great and I love being able to search for media online from Goodwills and used book stores, especially because it offers an alternative to corporate online book sellers.

Reason I chose this business:

It was recommended as a place to find rare used books and as an Amazon alternative

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 21, 2024

Thumbnail of user josephj1564
Wisconsin
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 6th, 2024
Verified purchase

A positive buying experience. That is it. Stop asking for reviews and then prodding your customers to write a thesis on a simple transaction. It was good. Maybe I'll be back. Maybe I won't. Thimbs getting tired...just wanted...to...leave...simple good review...

Reason I chose this business:

You had the book I needed.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 26, 2024

Thumbnail of user jeffreyz751
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 9th, 2024
Verified purchase

This was my first time visiting Alibris. I found the website is easy to navigate. There is a large selection of authors and titles, which is great and pricing is competitive if not better than other sites. I loved the offer of free shipping with Alibris as well. However, the free shipping was a little confusing at first to locate on searches and was not clear on check out, but in the end worked out. I'll be back.

Reason I chose this business:

Alibris had the books I wanted at the right price.

Date of experience: November 29, 2024

Thumbnail of user luizd17
Connecticut
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 3rd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

Look, it's a great shop, but I'm tired of trying to pad my order just to take advantage of the coupons you offer in the mail. I originally was going to order one book, but decided to add another to take advantage of the coupon and even though with tax and shipping it added up to the minimum, I still couldn't use it, so I went back to one book - why not just have a n% off any order coupon for people who keep coming back - otherwise, Id' be happy if you didn't offer a coupon at all. Still my favorite shop, still would recommend it, but still grumpy about your coupons

Reason I chose this business:

It's always the first place I look for things

Date of experience: September 23, 2024

Shopping at Alibris is always easy
August 4th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Shopping at Alibris is always easy. Too easy, actually, since unusually wind up buying more than I came for. I prefer it to other booksellers on the web.

Reason I chose this business:

My first place to look for books that are either out of print or that I feel I wouldn’t find at my local shops

Date of experience: July 25, 2024

Inwasnhappunfondi
May 7th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I was happy to find what I was looking for at a good price (including shipping it was still lower than most places displayed on a google search)

Date of experience: April 24, 2024

Quickly found what I was looking for
August 18th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Quickly found what I was looking for - slightly disappointed that one book I can't find here, but couldn't find it anywhere else, either

Reason I chose this business:

I've used alibris for longer than I can remember. It is usually my first stop in looking for a book, in particular, out of print books.

Date of experience: August 18, 2023

Thumbnail of user jenniferg3647
Virginia
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 23rd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

When I get an email with a link that says "please click here to verify that you've received your order" I assume it's because someone wants to verify that I received my order. I don't expect or appreciate being taken to a page where I'm asked to give a review. You want a review? Ask nicely. Otherwise, $#*! off.

Reason I chose this business:

I chose Alibris because I used to really appreciate the customer service. But if you're going to send stupid $#*! emails tricking me into writing reviews, I'm more than happy to take my business elsewhere. Screw you.

* Alibris attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 13, 2024

Please stop sending review requests disguised as making sure I got my package
October 21st, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Seriously, with all the notifications we get these days for shipping, surely you should be able to tell if I got my package. If it is marked as delivered and I didn't get it, trust me I'd be in touch. Sending me multiple emails asking me if it was delivered which then takes me to a survey and request to leave a review is just annoying as hell. I definitely will take your annoying behavior into account in the future when choosing where to purchase books in the future.

Reason I chose this business:

Well, I used to really like Alibris, but this whole thing pestering me to leave a review by disguising it as a "checking to see if you got your package" has largely changed my mind about your interest in making me happy as a customer. I don't know that I'll be back.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 9, 2024

Thumbnail of user jamesb5081
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 11th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I very much enjoy this website and its strong selection of books and music! Thank you! I was hoping to use my coupon COLLEGE to get $3 off… The checkout process did not allow me the opportunity. 🥲 Can you help me with this?

Reason I chose this business:

Good website!

Date of experience: September 1, 2024

Very good experience
September 24th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Very good experience. I was hoping the shipping would be a bit less because many items came from the same location. Thank you!

Reason I chose this business:

I have used before.

Date of experience: September 24, 2023

Very good experience
July 23rd, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Very good experience. I do however wish the shipping was a little bit cheaper on some of the items. Thank you.

Reason I chose this business:

Easy. Good prices on items.

Date of experience: July 23, 2023

Shipping is expensive
January 18th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Familiarity

Date of experience: January 18, 2023

Wonderful!
July 25th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Wonderful! Efficient, great selection, easy to understand. Thank you

Reason I chose this business:

Email, easy, past experience

Date of experience: July 25, 2021

Thumbnail of user johnr7950
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 11th, 2024
Verified purchase

Efficient, could find book, ordering fairly straight forward. You could reverse pages, and ask for shipping address before payment windows, as I wanted to send to friend. Afraid to use PayPal, not knowing if I could put in diff shipping add. So used credit card, and this choice allowing me to put in billing add and shipping add. Thanks.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for book with best condition and best price

Date of experience: October 1, 2024

Thumbnail of user kevind2396
New Hampshire
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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September 18th, 2024
Verified purchase

Alibris is the first place I look for all my books. Since I have an extensive resource and reference library, I would have paid thousands of dollars if I had bought all titles from a book store. The overall selection is good, used book conditions are as described and prices are reasonable. Many times I pay more for shipping than for all the books I have ordered.

Reason I chose this business:

Most cases I can find the title I'm looking for at a reasonable price.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 8, 2024

Thumbnail of user joanm736
Massachusetts
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 18th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I've been buying books with Alibris for several years and I have had good experience. The books are as described and come in the condition stated. Sometimes deliveries are a bit slow, but I don't find this a problem, since I,m always reading and always have books by my bedside,

They were there when I needed them!

Reason I chose this business:

I'm always looking for recycled books as I like to share what I'm reading with as many people who like to read! Books should always be shared with other people who enjoy reading

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 8, 2024

Always a good and easy experience!
October 15th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Date of experience: October 15, 2021

Thumbnail of user jillb1275
Missouri
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 20th, 2024
Verified purchase

I put items in my shopping cart less than six hours before returning to checkout. While the items still appeared in my cart, when I clicked on "check out," a message popped up stating no items were in my cart. I did not enjoy having to go back and again find the books at the prices I was willing to pay.

Reason I chose this business:

I like to support companies smaller than Amazon.

* Alibris attempted to help this customer through the Sitejabber Resolution Center, but the customer did not respond

Date of experience: September 10, 2024

Thumbnail of user jamesy1082
Maryland
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 21st, 2024
Verified purchase

My experience with this website was vary helpful. Unlike other websites this website looked over all my liked books and did not scam me, and the pricing was vary good the prices are NOT high at all. I rely like how they have there books sorted, they even have textbooks. This website also has many social to help there business and they have many known book publishers and arts.

Reason I chose this business:

I choose Alibris because all of my friends talk about the pricing and al the good book selections. This website you can not only find books but you can also fine music and movies. I HIGHLY RECOMEND this website to purchase your books and more.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 10, 2024

Thumbnail of user jackh1565
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 27th, 2024
Verified purchase

Ordered 4 books all of them for dirt cheap, like 2$. Shipping was 5 a piece and they took a little bit to arrive. 3 of the 4 were almost brand new and one was pretty dirty but the inside was brand new. Overall really great 9/10

Reason I chose this business:

Cheapest option around.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 17, 2024

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From the business

We love browsing books, drinking coffee, and talking with people who love good stories.

Business History

Born from Interloc, a database for proffesional booksellers, Alibris has spent over two decades connecting book lovers to book sellers. It's the premier marketplace for textbooks, used books and rare, out-of-print books and supports countless small booksellers across the country. With over 270 million books, Alibris has something for you.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user mikef1003
Mike F.
Director of Client Services
Typically responds within 2 days

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