Hi book loves! How are you all doing today? I ordered some books on Better World Books a while ago, and they just arrived today, so I wanted to review the store! I’m thinking of making this a series where I try out different book stores and review them. Nothing big, just ordering one or multiple books on these sites and seeing how long it takes for them to arrive and in what condition I receive them.
Better World Books is an American online bookstore that sells second hand and new books and has free shipping. The site was founded in 2002 by students of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.
Better World Books’ used book inventory comes primarily from regular book drives at over 1,800 colleges and universities and donations from over 3,000 library systems, in addition to donation boxes found on corners and on college campuses. The company has distribution warehouses in Mishawaka, Indiana; Reno, Nevada; and Dunfermline, Scotland. (via Wikipedia)
I ordered three books on the 25th of November. I ordered Legend, Prodigy and Champion by Marie Lu. All three books were in used condition. Legend en Prodigy were shipped on the 27th of November and came from the Better World Books warehouse in Mishawaka.
On the 11th of December I received a mail from Better World Books saying they had a problem with my order. Champion was coming from their Reno warehouse, and they had to cancel the transaction. I was pretty sad about this, but shit happens. I did get a full refund and a one-time coupon for 20% off, which was nice.
Both Legend and Prodigy were former library books. They do have some markings on the inside, but that doesn’t really bother me that much. I was a bit scared the dust jackets were missing (don’t know why haha) but they were included. They aren’t in the best of conditions (read: you can see they aren’t new), especially the edges of Prodigy but that’s to be expected of course. I did think they would be in worse shape since they weren’t described as ‘Very Good’, but I’m pleasantly surprised. The backs of the books do feel worn out, so I think I better be careful because I don’t want to break them. The books were described as ‘Good’, which is what they were!
I might spray paint the edges, just to get rid of the ‘San Jose Public Library’. I probably won’t because it’s a lot of work and it doesn’t bother me that much to be honest haha.
PROS:
- They have used and new books
- Free shipping
- Large choice of books
- For every book you buy on betterworldbooks.com, they donate one to someone who needs one
- The books are pretty cheap if you buy them used
CONS:
- No tracking
- It takes a while to arrive (the books were shipped from the US so that’s understandable)
Would I recommend Better World Books?
Yes I would. I think my cancellation was an exception and cancellations don’t happen that often. I like that I can buy second hand books. Here in Belgium we don’t have many second hand bookshops and the ones that exist don’t really have YA books. I personally love buying used books, since books are pretty expensive.
Do you like buying used books? Let me know in the comments!
heavenlybookish 
I think this is a great idea for a series! You explained what your experience was like, which you don’t always get in those reviews on other review sites.
Have you tried World of Books? They do second hand books and DVDs, too, and they’re usually really reasonably priced.
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I haven’t! Thanks for letting me know 😀
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No problem 🙂
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I love Better World Books! I find it quite exciting to see where books have come from, and some real gems have arrived in my mailbox including an unexpected signed copy! I think reviewing bookstores is a really great idea for a blog series, I would certainly be interested 📚❤️ X x x
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