AbeBooks Reviews 

1,024
•
TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.6

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 155 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. People frequently experienced frustrating shipping delays, with orders taking multiple weeks to arrive or sometimes failing to show up completely. Consumers frequently received heavily damaged items or completely wrong book titles, making the overall product quality highly unpredictable. When trying to fix these mistakes, buyers struggled with complicated refund processes and unhelpful communication. However, some reviewers were happy with the service, noting that specific orders arrived quickly and items arrived in great condition. A few consumers also mentioned having smooth purchases in the past without encountering any major trouble.

What people talk about most

Product

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of product quality, with some consumers expressing delight upon... See more

Order

Clients share profound dissatisfaction regarding their order experiences, frequently reporting that purchases... See more

Website

Users describe negative interactions with website features, noting that pages send people in circles and fail... See more

Delivery service

Customers had negative experiences with delivery service, reporting that shipping took forever and orders... See more

Refund

People report negative experiences with refund policies, expressing widespread frustration over delayed or... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

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 have bought books from Abebooks before with no problem. This time I bought a used book described as "good" condition. It had a pea soup-like substance on the cover and the pages were wilted like i... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

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... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I ordered expedited shipping and didn't receive it. Abe books will not help. They do not care about their customers enough to have a contact option available. You're much better off using thriftboo... 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

1K reviews

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1-star

No history of asking for reviews

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1.6

All reviews

(1,024)

159 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

NO Customer Service.

Do NOT use this company! NO Customer Service to speak of, and no way to get a hold of anyone at Abebooks. They have the wrong address for me, even though it shows the correct one u der my name. So, my orders go to the wrong address. It is beyond frustrating and inexcusable that they do not fix this issue, or even let you contact them to let them know there is an issue.

19 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Abe Books is a terrible system

Abe Books is a terrible system. You can no rate the sellers for lying about the book condition. If you request a refund they want you to mail it back, even though the seller did not describe the book properly. It is 100% hit or miss if you will get something in the condition it's labeled, and there is nothing you can do about it... Buy books elsewhere, where they protect the buyer.

15 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Unfounded malicious requests for additional shippibg fee

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 over EUR 23 each order. Order got cancelled by seller when I did not want to pay. it is a malicious and misleading practice to raise the profits, with already normal book prices. Bad thing AbeBooks doesn't check on that, which could be quite easy built in

8 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Avoid this lot at all costs- ordered a…

Avoid this lot at all costs- ordered a book early January, tracking number doesn’t exist, approached Abebooks- delivery date hasn’t passed yet can’t refund- delivery date now passed - Abebooks “ seller has issued a tracking number( not a valid one) so it must be sent , contact seller - so if you want to throw money away on books that won’t arrive with a company that couldn’t care less Abebooks are the ones to deal with, if not use someone else.

8 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Wish I had researched this company…

Wish I had researched this company before I purchased any books, but at least I did not spend a lot of money. I ordered two childrens' books. One was cancelled because it was not in stock and they did refund my money for that one. The second one was a different book than the one I ordered, same author, different book. Requesting a refund is easy, but as others stated, you have to pay to send the book back and no guarantee the refund will be given. Customer service is a joke, again as other stated, as Joe Walsh leave a message, maybe I'll call.

2 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I had a terrible experience with a stolen book.

I had a troubling experience with a stolen book, marking the fourth time this has happened to me as a self-publisher. My author name is Dorina Roua, although it is sometimes altered in metadata to "Roua, Dorina" by various publishers.

Currently, AbeBooks is selling my stolen book titled "Home Visit Best Practices: An Essential Guide for Social Workers and Care Professionals (Second Edition)," which was published with IngramSpark on June 26, 2025. On that very same day, my book was stolen and listed for sale on AbeBooks, where it is still today.

Despite my attempts to have the book removed, Nieseniq cancelled the ISBN and title, yet the company continues to profit from my stolen work. It is incredibly disheartening to see my work being sold for the benefit of third parties. The book is priced very high, and my royalties total £0.00.

I encourage readers to think twice before purchasing books from this company. It is crucial to protect authors' rights, as buying stolen materials only perpetuates unethical practices and encourages the exploitation of their work.

7 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

MANOR COLLECTABLES OUCH

We have purchased books from a ebooks sellers for decades. In general I would say we would give it 4-5. Books that didn't come but charge removed, books that shipping took longer. Otherwise great experience; I was looking at body in the library and my husband thought he would surprise me, but I had purchased the book and we discovered it before the book arrived; we immediately contacted manor Collectables, but didn't hear back and they refused to take back an $1100 book; we said we would return it overnight by fedex, but they refused. We could have paid additional handling but no; this just bad by practice. The fact that after 20 years abebooks doesn't think it needs to intervene is sad. Avoid manor collectables, not reputable

1 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I have been trying to contact AbeBooks…

I have been trying to contact AbeBooks and NOTHING on their website works.
Impossible to get help!!!
Below is the form one finds at the bottom of their website page, which is WORTHLESS

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© 1996 - 2025 AbeBooks Inc. All Rights Reserved. AbeBooks, the AbeBooks logo, AbeBooks.com, "Passion for books." and "Passion for books. Books for your passion." are registered trademarks with the Registered US Patent & Trademark Office.

30 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DON'T USE THIS COMPANY, YOU WILL BE SCAMMED.

Don't even think about using this company. I purchased a book, was informed it would be with me before Christmas... it wasn't. The book never turned up and Abe Books didn't care. In the end I had to go through my credit card company in order to get a refund.

3 December 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Abe Books stole my money!

I ordered a cookbook for my daughter for Christmas. Abe Books sent me a book about animals. I found out how to return the book they sent in error for the correct book, or.a refund. Well, they just canceled my refund because they said I didn't follow the rules. Amazon, their parent company, I'd notorious for screwing ppl on refunds. Will not be ordering from Abe again.

25 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very Poor

Be very careful of dealing with an Emile P, his command of English is extremely poor and he is extremely lazy. He refused to help me sort a problem and I lost nearly $300 because he has blocked any correspondence and access to the abebook platform.

24 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I dont recommend any one to sell from…

I dont recommend any one to sell from Abe books, they are delaying order and after that they said your book is not available.
I send them to refund the amount but they didnt send unfortunately.
Avoid them ,dont order from them.

20 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Extremely happy!

I ordered 3 books. They arrived and the price was amazing. The books are in fantastic condition.... I saved a considerable amount of money. I would definitely recommend this site....

14 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Really bad

Not good. Poor customer service and lead time. Bought expedited shipping (3-5 days), its now 8 days later and no book. No response from seller or abebooks in days. Avoid this company that cant seem to do the right thing or even respond.

13 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Sent a different book than the one I…

Sent a different book than the one I ordered. Same author, but not the book title they advertised for sale. I ordered the I Hate to Cook Book and they sent the I Hate to Cook Almanack-very different books. I asked to return for refund-they accepted it but I will have to pay shipping. What a scam-it will cost almost as much as i paid for the book! I feel it is a deceptive practice on the part of the individual seller to get rid of books no one wants sitting in their inventory

7 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

It took a month to get the books!

I ordered the books on Dec 5th, with 5-14 day delivery. They finally arrived a month later on Jan 5.
Their response - Dec 11, 2025, 07:43 EST
We apologize for the delay. Your order will be shipped by this coming Saturday.
When I emailed back to say I wanted to cancel it because of the delay in shipping, I got the following response:
We are working on adding expedited shipping as an option, but are currently unable to do so. Our typical delivery timeline for delivery is approximately 4-14 business days via USPS Media Mail.
It took another 8 days to be picked up but wasn't actually dispatched until Dec 30
Picked Up By Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item
WAUKEGAN, IL 60087
December 19, 2025, 11:44 am
Shipping Partner: OSM WORLDWIDE
It was finally delivered to my address in California on January 5.
But here's the thing - they are a big enough company to use zendesk software which isn't cheap. I needed the books for students in a class I teach so they had to wait over 2 weeks for the books. And to add insult to injury, I never did receive notification of delivery.

5 December 2025
Unprompted review

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