What is your experience with buying used college textbooks online? ?

Question

Are the websites safe? (i.e. Alibris, Amazon, etc.)

Im just not understanding how the whole process works - you give Amazon your credit card info - not the individual selling the book? Who ships the book ? The company or the seller (i.e. another student?)

How long before you receive your books? I appreciate your help -

I m so hesitant to purchase items online- it's not something I normally do.

Answer 1

I purchase my books on amazon and half.com. They are safe. What happens is that you pick out the book that you want to buy and log into your account. They will ask you to verify that the address you have in store is correct (given that you register first) and then they will ask you to pick a method of payment (credit card), then you are given the choice on how fast you want your books. The individual selling the book will not see or get any of your credit card information. the transaction is through amazon and the seller will never see your card number. The individual selling the book will ship it. Depending on what method of shipping you choose, you will get it in week, three days, 1 day, etc

Answer 2

Hi! It's not too hard to do.  What you want to do is use sites like amazon.com, half.com because they are known sites.  Basically once you go online, you find the book you want and purchase it.  In sites like these, the seller never sees your credit card number, Amazon.com and half.com allocate the funds to the seller.  The person who your bought the book from will be the shipper, not necessarily Amazon or Half.com, unless you bought the book new on Amazon from Amazon themselves.  You will know when someone isn't Amazon because their name will say Textbooksfast0001 or something catchy like that.  Usually it doesn't take too long to ship your book, maybe a week or so.  Sometimes there will methods to make your shipping faster available from the buyer.  Overall, just use your judgement.  If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is.  Also make sure the price you are willing to pay for a book isn't more than what it is worth.  Oftentimes, you may see a book in good condition for more than a like new book would cost you, which makes you think why would that be?  Watch out for gimmicks like that, and also make sure that you get the edition you need as well

Answer 3

I buy used textbooks online all the time. If the book is being sent by a third part, you give your credit card info to  Amazon or Alibris or B&N (I'll just call them "Amazon" from now on). Amazon then transfers those funds to the seller's account. Amazon does not share your credit card info with the seller. Amazon gives your address to the seller so they know where to send the book (and your email, to confirm the order). If you choose standard shipping ($3.99), it can take up to three weeks for a book to arrive. I tend to buy from people who are in the same state as me and that seems to go more quickly. If you pay for expedited shipping, then your books should arrive within a week. Any of the larger book sellers (Amazon, B&N, Borders) are secure and I've never had problems buying from them (and I buy A LOT of books!!!). Sometimes the sellers will falsely advertise their books (such as not telling you the cover is missing) and then you can go online and complain to them and they'll usually try to fix the problem. If they can't, they'll refund the money. If they don't, Amazon will refund it to you and deal with the third party separately. It's really a good deal. To save money on textbooks, it's totally worth it!

Answer 4

I have had great luck.  I go to school on line so all of my books come from on line sources.  Amazon is great for finding great dealers, and the correct addition of the book.  You can also price match.  My books are always almost new.