Alibris - www.alibris.com

I'd been a customer of Alibris.com for more than 12 years. While I found lots of good used books, and only occasionally did I get shorted (but reimbursed), what was scary was the lack of direct communication with anyone at Alibris and when there was some communication with Alibris, it was slow and inadequate. If I really ran into trouble with Alibris over a book, over a charge, or a bookseller, just who could I count on to get resolution? I had no idea.

Like most people I signed the Terms of Service to become a customer, and I never really read the agreement. However, last month I started receiving repetitive emails asking for information from me from Alibris, telling me to respond but only if I were dissatisfied with my purchase. I did not respond at first because the instructions in the email were clear: do not respond if you are satisfied. But then I got a second email the following day, making the same request. I ignored it. Who was responsible for sending me these emails? Was it a third-party bookseller, was it Alibris, was it a customer service rep, or was it somehow an automated email? Who could I talk with to find out? No one. I ignored the second email, but then i received a third, and i decided I would respond.

I responded angrily and asked why I was being sent emails requesting a response that wasn't really necessary, especially since the customer was satisfied with his purchase -- and I used a couple of expletives.

I never got a reply to my angry query, but when next I tried to order a book from Alibris, I swiftly learned my account was suspended. I couldn't order books any more.

I created a new account with Alibris then and used a different email account as well, though I used my same charge card. At first, I was successful in purchasing books. I bought two without any difficulty, and at last I thought the obstacle that Alibris had posed me was finally overcome and done with. But then I went to order a third book, and learned my new account too had been suspended without notice or email. Why wouldn't Alibris allow me to purchase a book?

When Alibris suspended my first account that I had for 12 years, I thought it was because someone at Alibris hadn't liked me using a couple of foul words in my email and was punishing me for foul language. But when Alibris suspended my second account, I queried Alibris and a nasty man who heads Clients Services at Alibris emailed me, signing his name , and asked me if my email's name was different from the name on my account. My email name was same, so I said No, it is not different. I never heard back. I wrote him a second time and still no response. After I had emailed him three times, he wrote me back telling me i never answered his original question -- which, in fact, I certainly had done and I had the Sent emails to prove it.

I never heard back from him. Today I complained about him behavior on Twitter or X, and before I knew it, Alibris blocked me from posting any more comments.

Finally, I read Alibris's Terms of Service contracts. Little did I know that Alibris states it can terminate any account for any or no reason at all. The reason I wasn't able to get any communication from Alibris about my account was because Alibris doesn't want to waste time communicating or negotiating its decision on terminating or suspending an account it deems it doesn't want. That's all there is to it.

So if a customer does or says something, anything, once that Alibris doesn't like, it will terminate you as a customer, and you will NEVER get a second chance with it. The lack of communication lots of customers complain of about Alibris is all in the Terms of Service. Alibris wants just to press a button to delete and you've been X'd. This is a lousy business practice and he is a lousy intermediary between Alibris and the customer. Alibris's Terms of Service and Client Services are unfair and inadequate for good business about books.

Tip for consumers:

The Terms of Service at Alibris are such that the company can suspend or terminate an account without providing any reason at all, and Alibris does employ the Terms of Service in this manner with customers.

This company sent my materials to a 15 year old address, even though I manually input my current address at the time of the order. After requiring me to sign in with a 15 year old password, which I amazingly found, the computer screen automatically changed my address to an outdated address from 15 years ago. I then selected the PayPal method which again tried to change my address to my current address, and this company’s algorithm changed my address once again to 15 year old address. When I complained to the company that I never received my materials because they were sent to the wrong address, they refused to consider my situation or issue me a refund. This company is terrible, and I hope they go out of business.

Please know that the people operating this business and website: #1) continue to use underhanded and false communication tactics to make themselves appear legitimate, #2) manipulate every communication to appear good for their image. #3) will continue to manipulate the truths - my personal experience and so many people you see on here - except the naive and false people. conclusion: do not risk your money buying anything with this website or business. They have no responsibility and willing to lie to you (and everyone!) with their communications. They clearly lied with their communications to many people that you see on here and they will continue to do this. Be warned: do not use or buy or have anything to do with the people from this website!

I order a book from this company to use for my daughter's book report back on Jan 6 2016 after not receiving by Jan 15 I email the company and was told that another seller was handling the order and I need to contact them which I did twice and never heard anything back from the seller. Alibiris refund the 3.99 shipping that I was charged for the book today Jan 25 received an email from Alibiris to say they were sorry I haven't heard from the seller yet they would contact them. Wow how nice the book report is due this Friday so we had to pick a different person to do it on and go to the library to get a book. For some reason Alibiris can't understand I want a full refund at this point.

I would never recommend this company to anyone.

with no prior warning, Alibris cancels sellers accounts for sellers who have sold on Alibris for over 15 years. They destroy your inventory records immediately and are ruled by so-called customer service reps and their respective egos.

Very efficient at taking my money and spamming me. My goods never arrived and Alibris are ignoring my complaints.

I'm going to give up chasing now and write it off as a learning curve. I wished that I had stuck with the very well known online bookseller that I usually use and not tried Alibris UK.

"I've just had a negative experience with this book seller. They advertise books that they don't even have in stock. I placed an order for a book which failed to arrive after a fortnight, I went on holiday for a further two weeks and it still hadn't arrived. I contacted the company who offered a refund with no explanation of the problem. The refund never reached my account, I chased them up and they issued me with an email that a refund would be issued but could take up to two weeks processing. Surely in this day and age, with all the online retail competition for selling books, this poor level of service is just unacceptable."

Book ordered from World of Books through Alibris. Order accepted, money taken. Told a few days later that book had been returned to seller by Royal Mail having been damaged in transit. Refund offered and accepted. Next day offered a second copy and accepted within 60 minutes only to receive message that book was no longer available and that a refund would be made. Next day I saw the same seller (World of Books) offering the same title in same condition on Abe Books for double the money. The whole business has left a rather nasty taste in the mouth and I suspect I have not been dealt with honestly.

The book I ordered was in exactly the excellent condition described, it was carefully packaged and arrived within two working days of ordering. I can't imagine the service could be bettered. Thanks and best wishes - would certainly order from you again.

Do not buy from Alibris. Independent sellers send you wrong books/incomplete fake copies of books. buyer have to pay for return shipping. And if buyer do not have tracking on the package, you are screwed. They will not refund you a penny. Alibris ignores emails. Seller status on the website is "this seller is unavailable" a week after I made my purchase. IT IS A MESS. Goto Amazon, they are the best.