Which online book retailers do you think have the best shipping practices?

Submitted by ZeroCool20XX t3_yyn4jn in books

I’m sick and tired of Amazon sending me “new” bent up books. And I don’t live nearby any local bookstores where I can just pick a nice looking copy right off the shelf.

I buy manga through Right Stuf mostly because of how well they package their books to prevent them from getting damaged during shipping.

Are there any online bookstores that do something similar?

Thanks!

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ccb2553 t1_iwv1x6e wrote

not sure if it would fit your criteria, but i always recommend using thrift books! obviously they may not have like, brand new conditions of the book you are looking for. but they are always cheap, the condition i receive it in always matches what they advertise on their site, and i’ve never had a bad experience! may take a week or two to get your stuff though. and they don’t necessarily package the books in individual plastic wrap or anything. but always worth a look for their prices alone

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwv2ikm wrote

Thank you so much! I’ll definitely check them out!

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lifeisabowlofbs t1_iwv3j14 wrote

I'm pretty sure they sell new copies as well, when they are available. They ship in plastic mailers, but I've never had any issues with the books arriving in bent or otherwise in bad condition.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwv4of2 wrote

Excellent! Thank you! New books are what I’m looking for. Nothing against used books lol. I’ve read my fair share. There are just some authors that I like to buy new.

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unlovelyladybartleby t1_iwv66wm wrote

Abe books is good. I've also never gotten a damaged book from Chapters/Indigo - they package carefully

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwv81eb wrote

I’ve never heard of Chapters/Indigo, but it sounds exactly what I’m looking for! Thank you so much!

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unlovelyladybartleby t1_iwva6bs wrote

NP. I love that store. They also have excellent fuzzy blankets and shawl scarves - there's always some deal that if you spend enough you get them 75% off. Both my blankets and giant scarves are still fuzzy and glorious after 5+ years of harsh use lol

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwvht5h wrote

That’s good to know! My dog and I both love a good blanket, especially now that the weather’s getting colder!

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AtraMikaDelia t1_iwvegpy wrote

Personally I use B&N for pretty much everything, and I've never had them send me a damaged book; they wrap it up tightly enough that it doesn't have any room to get banged around.

I also bought one book from bookshop.org, mostly because it was something I couldn't find anywhere else at the time, and they shipped it in good condition as well, although since I've only used them once idk if I just got lucky.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwvhf56 wrote

Thank you so much! Bookshop.org was one that I came across on my own and wanted to try. I like how they donate to local bookstores. And thanks for the info on B&N. I’ve had a few opportunities to buy books from them in the past, but never online, and I wasn’t sure how they shipped them.

I’ve gotten so many good suggestions here, I’ll probably end up buying a book from each place to test them all out lol

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pretenditscherrylube t1_iwxienw wrote

I use bookshop.org. They are nonprofit. You can donate your proceeds to a specific independent bookstore.

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Marril96 t1_iwwga6i wrote

BookDepository, Abebooks, Blackwell's for me.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwwlsku wrote

Thank you so much! I’ll have to give these places a try!

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Marril96 t1_iwwm3ao wrote

You're welcome! If you're in Europe, on Abebooks.co.uk there's two shops I like: WeBuyBooks and Reuseabook. Both are excellent used bookshops. So far I've had amazing experiences with them.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwwrp15 wrote

Dang! Unfortunately, I’m in the US. But it was nice to see that Blackwell’s still gave me free shipping!

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Marril96 t1_iwwvlqt wrote

Maybe give those retailers a try anyway, they may ship outside of Europe. I'm from Croatia and constantly order, never had any trouble. :)

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Brain_Wrinkled t1_iwxcge3 wrote

Amazon, any damage, gets sent back and a new copy delivered the next day, if not same day.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwxk6nn wrote

Yeah, in Amazon’s defense, I’ve never had a problem with returning books and getting replacements. But it happens so often, I’m just tired of constantly taking them up to my UPS store to send back.

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Confident-Panda-6951 t1_iwv2ggx wrote

Abebooks is my go to. Great descriptions and fair prices, I also look at Poshmark.

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esofagus t1_iwv6m82 wrote

Abebooks is owned by Amazon now. They’re independent retailers but they have to operate under the Amazon umbrella.

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwv2qb8 wrote

Thank you so much! I’ve never heard of those two. I’ll definitely check them out!

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violetmemphisblue t1_iwvyhre wrote

Bookshop.org is what I use, generally. They have sent one damaged item in all of the books I've gotten from them and they were super nice and efficient in getting it replaced, plus they sent me a discount code for my next order (in addition t9 fixing everything for me for free). That was pretty early on in their existence, so not sure if its the same now, but overall, I've been quite happy with them...you can designate a local bookstore to get a part of the sale, but I don't think its necessary. You can also order from a local bookstore directly, but I'd talk to them first. I have one local one that has zero problem doing it and one that prefers customers use Bookshop, just because getting special orders in/having to sort and repack them/get them to the post office/mailed out is a lot of extra work for their limited space and staff...

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iww0tg1 wrote

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! I’m definitely going to give them a try!

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eeekkk9999 t1_iwxc4j6 wrote

Amazon’s but you cannot buy used books if this bothers you. It is new and perhaps free shipping but you could definitely spend less on used and pay for shipping

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Separate-Grocery-815 t1_iwwajmc wrote

I’ve had good experiences with Powell’s and Better World Books (both used and new for both). I would definitely steer clear of Book Outlet. All my packages from them have come absolutely destroyed

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwwbugx wrote

Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to check out both of these! And thanks for the warning!

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FerociousKZ t1_iwy608t wrote

Chapters has been great great for me, never receive damage books and their return policy is fantastic

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwzv0ja wrote

Thanks! Someone else suggested Chapters here too. I’ll definitely have to check them out!

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FerociousKZ t1_ix0quqd wrote

The only issue I have had is books with print errors and chapters fixed it immediately. And once with a previous shipping partner who was trash, just late but no damage. And when I complained chapters sent me gift cards. Their partner now is great and their customer service is top notch!

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Safe-Energy4500 t1_iwyhtho wrote

kinokuniya, I think it depends where you order from but I ordered a week ago and my books are out for delivery today!!

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ZeroCool20XX OP t1_iwzv48n wrote

Thank you so much! I never heard of this place before! I’ll have to check them out!

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StrategyComplex1090 t1_iwzf5fq wrote

Try BookOutlet! They sell overstock at insanely discount prices and I’ve only had great experiences with them. I recently bought 8 books for roughly $50, free shipping too!!

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