If you‘re an avid reader, collector, or bargain hunter, you‘ve likely come across AbeBooks during your online shopping adventures. With a vast selection of books, art, comics and collectibles from sellers worldwide, this Amazon-owned marketplace offers a treasure trove of items for almost any interest imaginable.
But with such a huge network of sellers, is AbeBooks actually legit and reliable? As someone who regularly shops the site for great deals on books and rare finds, I wanted to share an honest, comprehensive review of AbeBooks. Over my many years of using the platform, I‘ve experienced the good, bad, and ugly, so I‘m here to give you the full scoop.
In this in-depth AbeBooks review, I‘ll cover the company‘s history and background, the types of products they offer, and what the buying experience is really like based on my own purchases and research. I‘ve also scoured the web for real customer reviews and feedback to give you a balanced look at this popular but sometimes polarizing platform.
By the end, you‘ll have all the facts to decide if AbeBooks is right for you. Let‘s dive in!
What Is AbeBooks? Company History and Overview
Launched in 1996, AbeBooks (which stands for "Advanced Book Exchange") was one of the first online marketplaces for books. The idea was to make it easier for people to find and buy books of all kinds, including hard-to-find and out-of-print titles.
The company was founded in Victoria, British Columbia by two couples: Rick and Vivian Pura, and Keith and Cathy Waters. The original AbeBooks website had just 2,500 books listed by 5 sellers. From those humble beginnings, AbeBooks would go on to become a massively successful global platform.
In the early 2000s, AbeBooks expanded internationally, launching separate sites for the UK, Germany, France, and Spain. By 2004, the marketplace had over 50 million books listed by 12,500 sellers worldwide.
A major turning point came in 2008, when e-commerce giant Amazon acquired AbeBooks for an undisclosed sum. With the backing of Amazon, AbeBooks was able to accelerate its growth and expand its offerings beyond just books.
Today, AbeBooks is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world. The platform unites thousands of independent sellers across the globe, offering over 190 million books in dozens of languages. While used and rare books remain the bread and butter, you can also find new books, textbooks, fine art, vintage magazines, comics, memorabilia, and more.
Types of Products on AbeBooks
One of the greatest strengths of AbeBooks is the sheer variety and selection of items available. No matter how obscure your tastes, there‘s a good chance you can find something up your alley. The main categories are:
New, Used, and Rare Books
As the name suggests, books are the core of AbeBooks. The used book selection is especially impressive, with millions of titles to choose from at discounted prices. You can find everything from recent bestsellers to long out-of-print books in varying conditions.
AbeBooks is also famous for its unparalleled selection of rare and collectible books, including signed and first editions, antique books, and historical manuscripts. Serious collectors often turn to AbeBooks to track down their "white whales."
College and University Textbooks
Besides regular books, AbeBooks has a huge section dedicated to textbooks for school and college. Students can save a ton of money buying used copies of current textbook editions. You can search by title, author, ISBN, or keywords to find what you need.
Fine Art and Collectibles
In recent years, AbeBooks has expanded well beyond books. The marketplace now offers a curated selection of fine art prints, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and more. You can browse featured artists and discover new works.
Collectibles are another major category on AbeBooks. You can find movie and music memorabilia, vintage magazines, comics, trading cards, posters, and other ephemera. If you collect it, chances are an AbeBooks seller has it.
The AbeBooks Shopping Experience: My Honest Review
Now that you know the basics, let‘s get into my personal experience shopping on AbeBooks as a long-time customer.
Right off the bat, I have to give AbeBooks credit for its powerful search engine and easy navigation. With such a huge catalog, it‘s impressive how quickly you can drill down and find exactly what you‘re looking for.
Detailed search filters let you narrow results by keyword, title, author, ISBN, format, publication year, language, price range, and more. For example, if I‘m looking for a hardcover first edition of The Great Gatsby published before 1950, I can find copies in just a few clicks.
The product pages are clean and informative, with plenty of details about the book or item‘s condition. Sellers are required to describe any flaws or damage so you know exactly what you‘re getting. You can also see the seller‘s location, feedback rating, and shipping rates.
One nice feature is the Wishlist, which allows you to save items for later and get notified about price changes. Another is the ability to search and browse items from a specific seller if you‘ve had a good experience with them.
I‘ve ordered used books, textbooks, vintage posters, and other collectibles from dozens of different AbeBooks sellers over the years. In the vast majority of cases, the items have arrived as described and the sellers have been responsive if any issues came up.
The main thing to be aware of is that buying on AbeBooks is not the same as buying from Amazon directly. Since AbeBooks is a third-party marketplace (kind of like eBay), the individual sellers are responsible for the accuracy of the listings and order fulfillment.
While you do get some protections and guarantees by paying through AbeBooks, it‘s ultimately up to the seller to package your item securely and ship it out in a timely manner.
On a couple rare occasions over the years, I‘ve had an order arrive damaged due to poor packaging or had a seller cancel because they couldn‘t actually find the book in their inventory. In these cases, AbeBooks support has always been helpful with issuing refunds or finding a replacement copy, but it‘s still a bit of a hassle.
My advice is to always check the seller‘s feedback rating and reviews before ordering, especially for higher-priced items. Look for sellers with feedback scores over 90% and many sales under their belt.
Stick to sellers in your country if you need your item quickly, since international shipping can take several weeks (but it may be worth the wait to score a great deal or rare find from an overseas seller).
AbeBooks Customer Reviews Around the Web
Of course, you don‘t have to just take my word for it. To give you a more complete picture, I combed through hundreds of real customer reviews for AbeBooks on independent sites like Trustpilot, Sitejabber and the Better Business Bureau.
On Trustpilot, AbeBooks has a respectable 3.4 out of 5 star rating average from over 1,660 reviews. Happy customers praise the wide selection, competitive prices, and ease of finding nearly any book imaginable. Here are a few representative raves:
"I am absolutely amazed with this company. The books I‘ve purchased have all been in the stated condition and shipped quickly. I‘ve found some great deals too, much cheaper than Amazon for books that are just as good! Highly recommend." – Adam S.
"AbeBooks is my go-to for used books, especially older and harder to find titles. The descriptions are always accurate and I can count on the books arriving in great shape. I‘ve discovered so many intriguing books I‘d never find on Amazon or at my local shop." – Tanya R.
On the flip side, the most common complaints seem to revolve around issues with individual sellers, as I alluded to earlier. Customers often blame AbeBooks for orders that never arrive, books that don‘t match their descriptions, or unresponsive sellers, even though AbeBooks is just the platform connecting buyers and sellers.
Some negative reviews also take aim at AbeBooks‘ customer service, saying it can be slow and unhelpful in resolving disputes. Here are a couple examples of what I mean:
"I ordered a very expensive rare book that turned out to be an unannotated ex-library copy, not the pristine collector‘s edition described. The seller insisted they were not at fault. It took almost 8 weeks and many calls to AbeBooks to finally get a refund." – Kevin M.
"I‘ve had mixed results with AbeBooks over the years. While I‘ve found some amazing deals and rare books, I‘ve also had multiple orders lost in the mail or books arrive with undisclosed damage. Dealing with their customer service to get a resolution requires a lot of patience." – Jill L.
Another thing I noticed in my research is that some sellers have accused AbeBooks of "going corporate" and making policy changes that hurt small, independent booksellers (in some cases driving them to shut down or switch to other platforms). If supporting mom-and-pop bookshops is important to you, you may want to consider this.
All in all, the positive reviews for AbeBooks far outnumber the negative ones. But it‘s clear that you need to have realistic expectations about what the platform is. At the end of the day, AbeBooks is a massive marketplace powered by individual sellers, so your experience may vary.
Is AbeBooks Legit and Worth Using?
So, is AbeBooks legit? In my experience and based on my research – yes, absolutely. I‘ve personally found the platform to be a great resource for finding books and other items at competitive prices from reputable sellers. The customer reviews and BBB accreditation largely back this up.
With that said, AbeBooks is not perfect. Like any large marketplace with many independent sellers, there are occasional issues and bad apples. But as long as you understand how AbeBooks works and protect yourself as a buyer by checking seller ratings, you can avoid most problems.
Personally, I think AbeBooks is 100% worth using if you‘re looking for:
- Hard-to-find, out-of-print, or international edition books
- Used books in good condition for a fraction of the retail price
- College textbooks that won‘t break the bank
- Rare and collectible books, ephemera, or fine art
Does this mean you should buy everything on AbeBooks? Not necessarily. I still buy most new releases and bestsellers from Amazon or my local indie bookstore.
But for older, obscure, and secondhand books, AbeBooks is one of the best options out there in my opinion. It allows you to find cool books you‘d never come across otherwise from a huge pool of sellers around the globe.
AbeBooks FAQ
Q: Does AbeBooks offer free shipping?
A: AbeBooks does not offer site-wide free shipping. Shipping rates are set by the individual sellers, so costs will vary depending on the size, weight, and location. Some sellers may offer free shipping on certain items though.
Q: How long does shipping take on AbeBooks?
A: Delivery times depend on the seller‘s processing time and shipping method. Most sellers ship orders within 2-3 business days, but it can take anywhere from a couple days to several weeks to arrive depending on your location and the origin.
Q: What is AbeBooks‘ return policy?
A: AbeBooks itself doesn‘t handle returns. If you want to return an item, you typically have to contact the individual seller according to their policies. However, AbeBooks does offer a money-back guarantee if your order never arrives or is significantly different than described.
Q: Are there any AbeBooks coupons or discount codes available?
A: Unfortunately, AbeBooks does not seem to offer any site-wide promotions, coupons, or discount codes. Since AbeBooks is a marketplace, it‘s up to the individual sellers to set their own prices and offer deals.
Final Verdict
After many years of hunting for literary treasures on AbeBooks, I can confidently say it‘s a legit and valuable resource for any bibliophile, collector, or curious reader.
No other online marketplace comes close to the selection of new, used, and rare books from sellers around the globe. You can find almost anything with a bit of diligence – and AbeBooks makes the process simple with their excellent search tools and filters.
While not every AbeBooks buying experience is perfect due to the nature of the marketplace, the vast majority of the time, it works out great. Just be sure to always check seller ratings, understand their policies, and don‘t be afraid to reach out to AbeBooks support if an order goes wrong.
At the end of the day, AbeBooks is absolutely worth checking out if you want to expand your book collection, snag awesome deals, or discover new literary obsessions.
What hidden gems will you uncover in the digital stacks? The only way to find out is to explore AbeBooks for yourself. Happy book hunting!
