ThriftBooks: New & Used Books 4+

I have accidentally used my free book rewards on Ex-library copies before and the condition will say “Like New or VeryGood” and I will get them and half of the front cover design will be missing. I wonder to myself what makes these LikeNew or Very Good. Honestly if it says Ex-library STAY FAR WAYDON’T TOUCH IT WITH A 10 FOOT POLE. Also if you are not using a book reward and you simply purchase and Ex-library book there are NO refunds, I sent back a few books that I wanted refunded because they were NOT LN or VG quality. even if you explain to the help desk person that the item is not LikeNew or in VeryGood quality They will say you should have known the risk you were taking when buying a discounted Ex-library copy. Love the site and the book rewards but it gets exhausting scouring the site to find something for the book rewards. First you have to spend 150$ to be eligible to receive a book 7$ or under for free. I find it mind boggling for the other reward tiers the second one you have to spend 75$ to get a free book that is 6$ or lower and the free one is 5$ or lower. Good luck finding a book that is under 6$, is in Very Good or Like New condition and isn’t a Ex-library book. Sometimes I don’t even bother with the free book reward thing cause it take me SO long to find anything that I would actually want to redeem my reward on.

I LOVE thriftbooks for their incredible prices and large selection. Their customer service is great, every time I’ve had an issue they have resolved it quickly and satisfactorily! The only reason for 4 stars is their quality control is SO unpredictable. I’ve ordered a book in “acceptable” condition (the worst condition out of their options) and the book arrived in brand new, untouched condition. On the other hand, I’ve ordered a book in “like new” condition (their top quality option) and received a 30 year old edition that was falling apart and covered in stains. This unfortunately happens often here. A lot of library books slip through the cracks too (there is an indicator on the website that tells you if you’re purchasing a used library book). Multiple times I have ordered a book not specified to be library, and I receive a library book. I’ve also twice received “unedited proof” copies of books. Like I said at the beginning, their customer service is incredible and has always sent me replacements or refunds if replacements are not available. I will never stop ordering from thriftbooks, but the unpredictable condition of books is very frustrating.

I found this website/app during COVID lockdown. I usually either buy books used from Goodwill or rent from the library, neither of which was a good option for COVID. My library is also kinda hard to get to, and unless you’re just looking for any book to read, is hard to find specific books. I love this app even more than Goodwill or the library! I love that I can find pretty much any book on here, even if it’s new, and I can choose what kind of book (paper or hardback) and the range of pricing. I even found a college textbook or two that I needed. To make it even better, the company supports several charities and offers good employee benefits, or at least they claim to on their website:). And you get free shipping on orders over $10, which, let’s be real, is super easy to achieve when the books are usually around $5. Every purchase gives you points and once you get a certain amount of points, you get a free book under $5, plus shipping. I wish I knew about this in high school, it would have made finding the required reading much easier and cheaper. I highly recommend this app to anyone who doesn’t mind a pre loved book and who loves to read.