"The only reason i gave it a 5 star was because of customer service. I had originally purchased a good condition book an urban book to be specific, my initial thoughts on the shipping and the books condition was that shipping was reasonable I got it within a week as far as the condition of the book I was a bit disappointed because certain pages were torn and it was hardly put back together with tape which I didn't appreciate and I was actually kind of upset because this was my first purchase on this site. And this initially was my first impression on this company. So I decided to contact customer service and see what they could do for me. which I've done yesterday and they got back to me quickly they told me that they apologize for the inconvenience and they try to look for another book in stock they did not find one so they would issue me a full refund plus shipping. And if the book is in OK condition to donate it to the local charity or thrift shop which i thought was a great suggestion and i was surprisingly, shocked and impressed because I actually had a negative thought of the company itself because the way the condition of the book was I thought it would be it would've been in better condition even though it said good condition I didn't expect pages to be torn and be put back together with tape. but they handle my issue quickly which I appreciate and I love how the customer services was so I definitely will be going this company a second chance and coming back to repurchase another book just because the way customer service is put."
"Descriptions regarding condition of the books are highly inaccurate...Don't bother yourself with the description of the book, for example Very Good Vs Acceptable, chances are your are going to get what they send regardless of condition description. I have received books described as Like New with stains and cigarette smoke smells...If you are fortunate to receive a book from the East Coast, the books are of good condition...I live west of the Mississippi, so I get books from vendors in Mo...AZ....NV...IL....and 9 times out of 10, they are of poor condition...Unfortunately you do not get to choose the location. Customer Service, Thriftbooks, is at the misery of the vendors who choose to participate; however, i believe Thriftbooks might want to revisits their vendors and beginning cleaning house of dishonest vendors...I am nearly ready to find another book source... "
"So I ordered 12 books from this website and was very specital due to the bad reviews but couldn't pass up the good prices but I did have an ease at mind paying through PayPal. Before ordered I did double check the isbn number and all checked out. I've received the first 11 books on the 9th day and the 12th book on the 11th day from ordering and couldn't be more pleased. Yes you get what you pay for but what do you expect with second hand books. Still in good condition, no ripped pages, and not falling apart which makes me ecstatic. Very happy to add the new editions to my book collection and overall pleasant experience. Will be glad to do business again. "
"I order from ThriftBooks ALL the time!! As an avid reader who read a lot of psychology based texts, I highlight and write in all my books as I read then safe them to refer to later!! ThriftBooks is perfect for me!! Some books come a little dirty or dinged up but honestly I've been known to take a magic eraser to some dust jackets and evn remove a couple pages in the front of a book because they had a letter written to its previous owner, and by the time I'm done they look almost like new!! A lot of these books sell for between $15-$35 new and i usually pay between $3-$4 and wait for their semi-annual 20% sale and get enough books for free shipping. I loan books to friends and enjoy the heck out of them without worrying about the $ invested!! Seems these negative reviews are from people expecting perfect books in timely shipping. All my books come in good enough condition I can clean them up and no one ever know I got them used. Shipping is usually within a week and FREE!! Come on people!! Save money, save used books, and enjoy reading for a fraction of the cost!!!"
"I was quite skeptical after reading some bad reviews but I took the plunge anyway and ordered 4 books. I got 4 of the Harry Potter books, hardcover, for $4-$5 a book. Excellent pricing!! I was told one may be missing the dust cover and that some damage from use could be seen on the books. I received them 7 business days later and they are in amazing condition! They look brand new! No dust covers missing, no rips in any pages, no stains, absolutely nothing!! I am absolutely amazed of how cheap their books sell for and how well they look. Definitely will use this company again, and I would recommend them to anyone else. I don't know what happened for the others with bad reviews, that's very unfortunate. From what I've seen, this is a wonderful company. "
"I have to say, the reviews almost scared me off but I decided to give it a try anyways and I am very happy with what I purchased(Botanical books). One book is a little dirty but I noticed it has a Goodwill sticker on it so its been in a store where it's probably been messed with a lot. No worries because they're mostly decor books so I like it. Anyways, all the books got here on time and are readable so all is good. "
"Awful customer service. Messed up my order, not once, but twice and no response to my complaints."
"I purchased a book on 3/22/17. I paid extra money for two day delivery. It's now 5 days later and I still have no book. I won't ever order again. Very misleading."
"I paid over $160 for a collectible book listed in "very good" condition. Nowhere in the description did it mention the two huge tears in the dust jacket or the overall wear to the book. When I asked them to send me a return label they said I had to pay for the return and they would refund me minus the original shipping as well. Avoid these scammers, they are a horrible company. "
"I was skeptical at first due to all the bad reviews, but I have to say I am very pleased with this company so far. I have received all of the books with fairly decent shipping times, expecially considering shipping was free (with $10 purchase). All of the books I have received have been in the listed condition, with the exception of one. I will be purchasing more books. :)"
"I had posted a very favorable review based on my first order. Unfortunately second order resulted in delivery of totally unrelated items with no customer service phone number. 50% doesn't do it for me. I contacted service through the web site and got an email that they will process a refund, and that there is no way to fulfill my original order. At least they didn't ask me to ship back the erroneously sent books. We will see if the refund happens. Great idea for a business. But, they clearly can't execute. I won't give it a third try."
"how hard is it to compare titles and ISBNs ?
Sent me the wrong book. Pain.
"
"I am shocked to see all of these negative reviews of ThriftBooks! I have used them for more than 2 years, and have been very pleased. I am avid reader, and I prefer actual books to reading digitally - but this can add up as books are not cheap. So, I purchase on ThriftBooks. I make sure to always buy at least $10 worth of books so that I get free shipping. I understand that I am purchasing used books - so stickers or library jackets do not bother me a bit. I usually purchase books that are in the $3.50-$5.00 range, and yes, that means I am unlikely to find a new release in that price range, but I put those books on my 'wish list' and wait till the prices go down. Usually the books arrive within a week, though there have been times that it took longer, but I understand that. Out of the MANY orders I have placed (probably 200 orders or more), I have only had 2 issues, and both times I emailed customer service and got a very quick reply. And both times they took care of me right away. I have nothing but good things to say about this company!"
"This is my second time using thrift books, I am Very pleased with this company, my books arrived before the actual date they told me, My books were in good condition, they even had a sticker added to the package stating it was sensitive material and i even got free shipping over 10 dollars! they have a great rewards program also. I will be using thrift books for future purchases."
"The biggest problem with Thriftbooks (also known as Green Earth Books | Motor City Books | Atlanta Book Company | Blue Cloud Books | Yankee Clipper Books | Books Squared | Silver Arch Books | Free State Books | Sierra Nevada Books| Second City Books) is that they consistently misrepresent the condition of their books.
Out of a dozen or more books ordered from them in the past couple years, ZERO have been in the condition they are described as. I've had no problem getting refunded for them, but how can a company like this stay in business? I do try to generally avoid buying from them altogether, but it's hard to remember the multitude of business names that they sell under."