Sitejabber Website Reviews and Complaints
  • Bookmark

    Alibris

2024 SITEJABBER AWARD

Alibris

Corporate Values
Write a Review

Overview

Alibris has a rating of 4.7 stars from 90,207 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
    529
  • Value
    5881
  • Shipping
    5872
  • Quality
    5870

Proactively asks for customer feedback

This company responds to reviews on average within 2 days

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 93.2%
Positive
18,525
Neutral
803
Negative
551
View ratings trends
30
See all photos
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 (90,207)

Rating

Timeframe

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 jh1708
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 26th, 2024
Verified purchase

Shipping is a bit high. What happened to "Book Rate?" I ordered 2 paperbacks from 20 mi. Away from my home and I am paying $8+ in shipping. That was more than the cost of 1 book. Please, set some shipping guidelines for your sellers. Thank you.

Reason I chose this business:

My spouse and I have used your company before and have been very satisfied.

Date of experience: November 16, 2024

Thumbnail of user williamt1246
Viet Nam
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 21st, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

World's happiest Alibris customer! I'm overseas, and order through a sympathetic relative in the US, who packages up my orders and sends them to me. Thank you, folks, I don't know how I'd live without you!

Reason I chose this business:

Good prices, good discounts. Excellent response to problems, which occasionally, and inevitably occur.

Date of experience: October 11, 2024

No problem, so far
March 26th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I'm a long time customer. I have had very few problems with books from Alibris, and almost all of them were satisfactorily resolved.

Date of experience: March 16, 2024

Good books, accurately described (mostly), and good...
March 24th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Good books, accurately described (mostly), and good prices.

Reason I chose this business:

I've been using Alibris for at least 20 years, and have very few regrets.

Date of experience: March 14, 2024

Excellent
December 2nd, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Excellent. I live in a foreign country, where the cost of shipping is a major factor. This means that Alibris isn't always the absolute cheapest, but Alibris's reliability and accuracy of description usually more than makes up for the difference.

Reason I chose this business:

Reliable, acccurate.

Date of experience: December 2, 2023

Rather expensive transaction, but I'm sure it is worth...
November 24th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Rather expensive transaction, but I'm sure it is worth it.

Reason I chose this business:

Right price (after Black Friday discount) and tolerable shipping cost.

Date of experience: November 24, 2023

As always, great shopping experience with Alibris
November 21st, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Right book at the right price, and satisfactory service if anything goes wrong.

Date of experience: November 21, 2023

Alibris is still the best
October 12th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Alibris is still the best. I've tried several other sellers and while some of them are OK some of the time, nobody beats Alibris overall. I'm an overseas buyer and have been relying on them, indirectly at least, for at least two decades.

Reason I chose this business:

Just the best.

Date of experience: October 12, 2023

Excellent "shopping experience" from start to finish
May 28th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Alibris has clear descriptions, fair prices, and excellent service when there is a problem.

Date of experience: May 28, 2023

Alibris is the best book marketplace
January 28th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Alibris is the best book marketplace. My only complaint is that there's no way to exclude some sellers from my search; there are a bunch of these, some with high ratings that I will never, ever order from and I don't like to see them keep popping up.

Reason I chose this business:

It's far and away the best place to order books, in spite of my personal complaints

Date of experience: January 28, 2023

Excellent so far (about 15 years)
January 25th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Always my first choice for books.

Date of experience: January 25, 2023

Mostly very clear and complete descriptions, reasonable...
January 23rd, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Mostly very clear and complete descriptions, reasonable prices, very good policies when the condition is not as stated.

Reason I chose this business:

Reliable service; I've been using it for more than a decade.

Date of experience: January 23, 2023

Alibris is the best book marketplace
January 17th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Alibris is the best book marketplace. I have tried several others, and even use others when I can't find a book on Alibris, but Alibris is, overall, the best, hands down!

Reason I chose this business:

Accurate descriptions, fair prices, first-class customer service.

Date of experience: January 17, 2023

Clear descriptions, very fair prices
October 8th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Clear descriptions, very fair prices. My sole complaint about Alibris is that it is too generous with ratings of sellers. Specifically, for several high-rated sellers, my own personal rating is "zero" stars - I never buy from them. In fact it would be helpful to be able to exclude certain sellers from my searches.

Reason I chose this business:

Mainly, fair dealing with the occasional problem. However, the prices are also very reasonable. I live in Vietnam, so I would like it if you had, for international orders, a shipping discount. E.g., for multiple purchases from the same seller, at least some kind of discount.

Date of experience: October 8, 2022

Excellent books at, often, bargain basement prices
April 30th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Habit, I guess; I've been using Alibris for more than a decade.

Date of experience: April 30, 2022

Alibris is the best
December 9th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Alibris is the best. I occasionally use a couple of other marketplaces when I find a better deal, but I buy most of my books from Alibris. In the past week, I've ordered twelve books, ten from Alibris, two from other places.

Reason I chose this business:

Smooth system, good prices, reliable dealers, and good response when something goes wrong.

Date of experience: December 9, 2021

Alibris is the best of the several book marketplaces...
September 24th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Alibris is the best of the several book marketplaces that I buy from.

Reason I chose this business:

Generally clear and sufficiently detailed descriptions, good prices, and a long record of excellent service when there has been a problem.

Date of experience: September 24, 2021

Excellent
September 19th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Excellent. Better than ABE, about on a par with Book Depository.

Reason I chose this business:

Alibris has good prices for good books, and excellent service when something goes wrong.

Date of experience: September 19, 2021

Clear description of book, including ISBN
April 30th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Clear description of book, including ISBN. Very easy to enter order.

Reason I chose this business:

It's my usual marketplace; only when Alibris doesn't have a book or I think someone else is likely to have a substantially cheaper price, do I look elsewhere.

Date of experience: April 30, 2021

Thumbnail of user kellyns4
Kansas
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 21st, 2024
Verified purchase

I love using this site. Not only do they locate books from various sites and compare prices so you get to choose the best bang for your buck, but they also handle all of the shipping information. It's a one stop shop no matter how many stores you buy from!

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 11, 2024

Thumbnail of user donaldb1920
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 3rd, 2024
Verified purchase

All good. No surprises. But really, you want me to include extra verbiage just to achieve some random number of characters in this "Quick Message"?! Change that rule, or next time I'll complain about it as negative part of my shopping experience!

Reason I chose this business:

I always look at Alibris first; great selection, very good prices, honest assessments of their book's conditions

Date of experience: September 23, 2024

Thumbnail of user marka4726
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 2nd, 2024
Verified purchase

I'm sorry but I think most people don't want to spend much time writing a review and going into a lot of detail about their experience. Look, Alibris is great, don't get me wrong, love your website and the service you provide. Filling in the 1 to 5 stars is easy, give us one box to make comments as an option, that's good enough.

Reason I chose this business:

Great website and great service at reasonable prices.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 23, 2024

Thumbnail of user heatherr1415
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 2nd, 2024
Verified purchase

Haven't bought from Alibris in a long time...haven't had much time to read lately. The shopping experience was great! I REALLY like the price comparison where you can choose the money saving cart! It is daunting trying to find the best deal when there are multiple copies of the same book all with different prices and different shipping amounts.

Reason I chose this business:

I bought from you a few times 10? Years ago and had good experiences.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 22, 2024

Thumbnail of user tomm2902
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
October 10th, 2024
Verified purchase

I ordered a two volume set and received these huge books exactly as described, carefully packaged, and in reasonable time. The ordering process was fast. (My wife would appreciate it if you made book-buying a little more challenging)

Reason I chose this business:

Not Amazon, plus, great customer service.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 30, 2024

Thumbnail of user jamesy1804
Oregon
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 18th, 2024
Verified purchase

I've been ordering books from alibris since working as a book seller myself many years ago, and the availability of human interaction has always set them head and shoulders above their Amazonian competitors.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 8, 2024

Thumbnail of user darreng392
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
December 7th, 2024
Verified purchase

It's always hard when you order anything online but I could not pass up the price! The book was beautiful and in perfect condition despite being secondhand. Alibris connected me to the best store with a really good price.

Reason I chose this business:

They offered the best price for the condition I was looking for!

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 8, 2024

Thumbnail of user briang2606
Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 23rd, 2024
Verified purchase

Products (mostly new books) tend to arrive pretty quickly. The cost of shipping on non-new, Alibris-central books is a bit much. But I'm pretty sure that's because it's individual sellers and location-based.

Reason I chose this business:

It's my preferred book shop for new and new-ish books.

Date of experience: October 13, 2024

Thumbnail of user farhanau1
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 9th, 2024
Verified purchase

Ordered text books for my intro to psychology and intro disabilities studies course. Textbooks came quickly under expedited shipping. Condition of book was superb, I ordered used but they looked brand new.

Reason I chose this business:

Classmate recommended

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 29, 2024

Thumbnail of user pamelaf1410
Massachusetts
4 reviews
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 26th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

Trouble with site identifying me as returned customer. This is a frequent problem at your sig=te. I often need to re register or re enter my name and password. There are times I nearly give up and delete the purchase.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for books in a series.

Date of experience: September 16, 2024

I had trouble resetting my password
August 9th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

I had trouble resetting my password. Took me three attempts as even after resetting the order site refused to acknowledge me. I was happy after 30 min the order was completed.

Reason I chose this business:

Wanted a hard copy of a much loved book.

Date of experience: July 30, 2024

Great selection this week
June 11th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Great selection this week. The site had nearly all the books I was looking for.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for some older children's books.

Date of experience: June 1, 2024

Site getting easier to use
May 16th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Saw this book offered as an ebook wanted hard copy

Date of experience: May 6, 2024

Initially I selected ebook but the site published that...
May 15th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Initially I selected ebook but the site published that I was buying a hard copy. Had to get out of the site & start over again.

Reason I chose this business:

Saw a review of this old edition & was interested. Ebook cost is much less than the cost of a hard copy plus shipping.
I am hoping this can be sent to my kindle reader.

Date of experience: May 5, 2024

Site very user friendly
April 15th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Looking for physical copy of ebook

Date of experience: April 5, 2024

This is a trusted online vendor for me
February 10th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review

This is a trusted online vendor for me. I am a little disappointed that shipping costs have increased but I am usually happy with the books I receive.

Reason I chose this business:

Trusted online vendor & interested in reading this book

Date of experience: February 10, 2024

Always happy when I find a book I am seeking
September 13th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Always happy when I find a book I am seeking. I usually can find it on your site and I have always been happy with the vendors. I do try and purchase more then one book from the same vendor hoping that the vendor would consider bulk mailing that would cut down on the shipping cost. Sometimes I can find a new copy on Amazon at a cheaper rate because I do not need to pay shipping. I do like giving the used book stores my business but cost can be prohibitive.

Date of experience: September 13, 2023

Always happy to see the varied inventory among your...
November 19th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Always happy to see the varied inventory among your vendors

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for outated book

Date of experience: November 19, 2022

Site easy to navigate and I have found sellers to be...
June 30th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Site easy to navigate and I have found sellers to be very reliable.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for an out of print book.

Date of experience: June 30, 2022

Item was in stock at very fair price
March 29th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Looking for a book title

Date of experience: March 29, 2022

Always happy to visit this site
March 23rd, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Always happy to visit this site.
Great prices for books in very good condition.

Reason I chose this business:

Seeking books for preschool class

Date of experience: March 23, 2022

Love being able to find unusual titles that have long...
November 7th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Love being able to find unusual titles that have long gine out of print.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for favorite children's books that are out of print.

Date of experience: November 7, 2021

Thumbnail of user freds1045
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 18th, 2024
Verified purchase

This is my first time ordering from Alibris and in my opinion you appear to be an honest company that conducts business in a profession way. Not overly greedy, deceptive or "in you face" as many on line businesses are.

Date of experience: October 8, 2024

Thumbnail of user jennifers8526
Louisiana
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 27th, 2024
Verified purchase

Very easy to log into my account, search for a specific book I wanted and was presented with different pricing options. I've mostly used Alibris in that past to purchase used copies of textbooks to help save money while in college. I've always been pleased with my orders. It's also a good way to support small/private business bookstores who list their inventory online. I love buying secondhand books :)

Reason I chose this business:

I started my search on GetTextbooks.com, and Alibris was the cheapest listing.

Date of experience: November 17, 2024

Thumbnail of user carefulb1
West Virginia
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 26th, 2024
Verified purchase

Everything was fine (low price, fast shipping) except that the book, described as "new," was banged up a bit (corner creased, edge bumped), probably during shipping and because of insufficient padding.

Reason I chose this business:

Best price.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 16, 2024

Thumbnail of user allisonh500
Massachusetts
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 23rd, 2024
Verified purchase

I like that I can determine where a book is going to be shipped from- meaning a closer location has a slightly smaller carbon footprint. It also gives me the opportunity, when ordering more than one book, to try and get them all from the same seller, thus reducing shipping. Prices are good and I have never encountered any problem with getting my orders filled.

Reason I chose this business:

Return (many times!) customer

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 13, 2024

Thumbnail of user leep833
Georgia
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
December 6th, 2024
Verified purchase

I love how it's so detailed with knowledge of all parts of one's health,body and mind! This man is extremely knowledgeable about everything he teaches and guides you through! I'll definitely be buying more of his work!

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 26, 2024

Thumbnail of user joshuab2975
Maine
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 22nd, 2024
Verified purchase

Products were affordable and delivered in a timely manner. One used book did contain somewhat more underlining than I had hoped from the description, but since I paid so little, I can't complain. Overall I was pleased.

Reason I chose this business:

Some titles were available on Alibris that are not available from Amazon. Although the books I bought were available from both, I appreciated the options that Alibris offered.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 12, 2024

Thumbnail of user pablor359
Wisconsin
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 20th, 2024
Verified purchase

I love Alibris! I've bought 7 or 8 gift-books for family members in the last few years and a number more of books for myself. "Very good" is usually nearly brand new, and prices are always less than 1/2 new. Huge selection, even for more obscure science texts.

Reason I chose this business:

My older sister showed me the site in college (10+ years ago) and I’ve never had a bad experience.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: November 10, 2024

Thumbnail of user melanied498
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 22nd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I try to use Alibris for media as opposed to Amazon because of price and to support more independent resellers. I've been able to find classic stuff to replace lost items in my CD collection & get Blu rays for very cheap. It's nice to have physical media sometimes. The shipping time is also pretty fast.

Reason I chose this business:

To avoid getting so much new stuff from Amazon when I know I can get it used here.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 12, 2024

Alibris is a good alternative to Amazon
April 9th, 2024
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

I try to use other sites besides Amazon for media because Jeff Bezos is a $#*!.

Date of experience: March 30, 2024

Thumbnail of user jph72
Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 6th, 2024
Verified purchase

Great price, easy to order, received item fast unfortunately the lovely book was packaged in nothing more than a thin Mylar envelope. Without any real protection it incurred damage to all corners of the book. It's extremely disappointing when sellers ship books in these extremely flimsy packaging.

Reason I chose this business:

Reputable website, great price

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: October 27, 2024

Thumbnail of user marjorief154
Montana
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 21st, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I have had very good luck finding out of print books as well as recently published titles. The prices make it easy to try a book you might not buy at full price but the huge selection is what makes me a steady customer. I find English titles not otherwise available.

Reason I chose this business:

Always a positive experience

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 11, 2024

Great selection, prices and service
September 29th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Selection available

Date of experience: September 29, 2021

It is a 5 star experience not 4 star
August 10th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Have used it multiple times for years. Always happy with results. Any problems have been promptly resolvec

Date of experience: August 10, 2021

Thumbnail of user mariar3480
Virginia
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 7th, 2024
Verified purchase

Great source for used books. Whether hardcover, paperback, other formatted-- large number of reputable sellers in various parts of US. Generally good shopping prices, some allowing aggregation of orders.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 27, 2024

Thumbnail of user suec578
Washington
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 3rd, 2024
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I always check Alibris first whenever seeking a book or music title. The prices are amazing, and I am able to select the provider based on service reviews by other customers. I've never had an issue with an order or delivery.

Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 23, 2024

So easy to find books and to build an order from one...
February 5th, 2022
Verified purchase
• Previous review

So easy to find books and to build an order from one supplier to save shipping.

Date of experience: February 5, 2022

Alibris is my go-to site for books, music, movies
November 28th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Ease of ordering and pricing.

Date of experience: November 28, 2021

Alibris is my go-to site
October 8th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review
Reason I chose this business:

Easy, always find deals and can "bundle" books from one supplier

Date of experience: October 8, 2021

So easy to find titles at great prices and to "bundle"...
September 14th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

So easy to find titles at great prices and to "bundle" purchases from the same seller to save shipping.

Reason I chose this business:

It's my go-to book ordering site.

Date of experience: September 14, 2021

Love this site
March 19th, 2021
Verified purchase
• Previous review

Love this site. I can always find deals on what I'm looking for. Purchases usually arrive promptly.

Reason I chose this business:

Looking for a specific book at a great price.

Date of experience: March 19, 2021

Thumbnail of user christinb41
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 3rd, 2024
Verified purchase

Was NOT happy it took 24 days to receive one of my books! I have ordered previously 3-4 times from your company and never had that happen. Was not happy either about paying $21.54 for a used book, would have like that option to be much less expensive.

Wasn't happy when response from your company was to wait longer for the book that I should have received in 11 days, but ultimately took 24 days to get to my house.

Reason I chose this business:

Cheaper than buying new. I'm on a budget!

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality

Date of experience: September 23, 2024

Sitejabber for Business

Gain trust and grow your business with customer reviews.

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

How do I know I can trust these reviews about Alibris?

  • Sitejabber’s mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
  • Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
  • Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Have a question about Alibris?