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About Textbooks.com
Academic life is full of wonder, knowledge, and…expenses. In addition to tuition, residence fees, and student costs, one of the biggest contributors to financial stress in education stems from endless textbooks at incredibly high costs.
That’s why Textbooks.com came to the scene in 2006 – to cut costs and bolster the supply of books students need.
Providing over 10 million books on a variety of topics, this brand was born to help students furthering their education without going broke just by buying a book.
I’ll be the first to admit that this business doesn’t exactly have coverage to spare. There aren’t too many Textbooks.com reviews posted online from media sources and the company only has around 700 followers on Instagram.
Despite the lower social media popularity, this brand persists in their mission, buying and selling textbooks for reasonable costs to assist students in their studies.
In this Textbooks.com review, I’ll break down just how this service works and what their customers think about them, helping anyone reading this to determine whether this will be the next stop on the college shopping list.
Overview of Textbooks.com
I’ll be the first to admit in this Textbooks.com review that this company isn’t drowning in an origin story of deep history.
In fact, I don’t know much about their start-up years at all other than the brand being owned by Mark Zuckerman. However, that doesn’t stop me from knowing their mission.
This brand is all about knowledge – expanding avenues, opening up a world to explore – it’s all about getting information into the hands of the people.
Whether a student, a parent, or just someone passionate about a certain subject, Textbooks.com came around to offer an expansive selection of topics to study and learn from.
The average textbook easily steps into the $150 range for costs, with many STEM books hitting marks higher than that. Textbooks.com believes there’s a more affordable and accessible way to reach this content and they work with millions of sellers to make that connection.
Offering a Buy Back system, customers can not only find the book they need for the next paper, but they can also sell the item back to the business after the course has been checked off the list.
While these books may come in as used, they assure good quality in every piece. Of course, their quality is only one aspect of the business I’ve come to love while researching for my Textbooks.com review. Check out these other benefits to the brand:
Highlights
- Wide selection of over 10 million books available online
- Incredible range of topics
- Low prices
- Buy Back Guarantee
- E-book and physical editions available
Just because an idea sounds good doesn’t mean we shouldn’t scrutinize it even more.
While writing this Textbooks.com review, I’ve come to understand that there’s a lot to consider before making a purchase and part of that comes down to the process.
As a result, I’m going to break it all down into two main options: buying and selling.
Buy Textbooks Review
Starting with the central part of the business, this brand is all about their books. Offering a collection of over 10 million books to customers, Textbooks.com sells both new and used copies to provide a range of pricing on individual titles.
Each book up for sale has been closely inspected for quality and certified for sales prior to posting to ensure customers end up with quality goods.
To buy a book, all it takes is a bit of shopping. Customers can search for books by topic, bestsellers, or even search up specific titles if they’re requiring a unique title.
Once the right book has been found, it’s just a matter of choosing the edition (new, used, or e-book), and following through with the shipping and purchasing process.
Easy to search, click, and buy, everything about this site has been created for user-friendly interactions. It’s all about easy access and easy money to get the knowledge needed.
Sell Textbooks Review
We don’t all read textbooks for passion or believe that we’ll want to keep our college books in later years. In the case of those looking to clear some shelf space, Textbooks.com offers a selling program – all it takes is three simple steps:
- Lock in the quote – all books sold receive a quote from the company regarding what they may be worth. To start the process, get the quote and lock it in to know how much will be earned from the sale
- Print the UPS label – free shipping labels will be provided for books sold to Textbooks.com
- Collect the cash – select from PayPal or cheque options for cash collection and the money will be sent when the sale goes through
That’s really all it takes – three quick steps and the money will be yours.
Who Is Textbooks.com For?
I’ll be honest in this Textbooks.com review; I know that the main customer for this business typically comes in the form of a stressed student.
Textbook prices for any higher education add up quickly and many students search endlessly for affordable options for books they don’t even want to own.
That’s why this brand is so praiseworthy – buy and sell textbooks to get the info for the semester and get rid of it when the class has been passed.
Of course, I have to note that due to the incredibly wide selection available, this site works for anyone searching for a textbook. Whether for studies or personal interest, the topics are there and ready for purchase.
Textbooks.com Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
I couldn’t write a proper Textbooks.com review without considering the users for this one and my first glance online shows a pretty mixed bag of opinions.
Ratings directly from the site seem to come in strong with many stating that they “Just wanted to say how pleased I am with Textbooks.com. The quality of the books has been excellent, the website easy to navigate, and the prices very fair.”
This brand doesn’t have many ratings listed on their own site, instead choosing to go with select testimonials to showcase their reputation.
Listing no star ratings or numbers to contend with, I’m left acknowledging the select customer responses that refer to the prices, selection, and even the customer service and return policy.
“Thank you for your prompt responses and refund. While I would have very much preferred to have the book, your efforts to make the situation right IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you! I will look forward to doing business with you in the future.”
Of course, I wanted a wider pool of ratings to pull from, so I went on a search for reviews elsewhere and quickly stumbled upon Google Review’s 4.8/5-star rating based on over 570 customers.
Textbooks.com reviews on this site are quick to note the “great service and fast smooth delivery” of products, noting the excellent quality and how these affordable books are good as new.
Customer service also sees some highlights on this platform as many state that “Everyone I spoke to was really kind and helpful!”
I’ll admit that this ideal reflection of customer service doesn’t hold up on every rating platform I stumbled across, but Google Review ratings seem to have nothing but good to say about their experiences with products and services from this brand.
“GREAT PRICES, and GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I was able to purchase a required custom text book sold by my College, which is normally $154.00 New and $89.00 Used in the College Bookstore, for only $15.00 from Textbooks.com! I was able to pay an additional $12.00 for 2 day shipping and was still way ahead. OUTSTANDING!”
Where there is good, there’s always some dissatisfaction, and those numbers are reflected on TrustPilot with their 1.8/5 stars based on over 80 ratings.
The main concern from these customers tends to stem from a lack of communication with customer service and issues in shipping.
However, these ideas don’t reflect the whole community as there are still many commenting on how “The purchase was quick and easy,” and that they “appreciate the affordable price and great Customer Service.”
It’s always difficult going into a new platform like Textbooks.com when the ratings see such different tides depending on the platform.
That said, the large numbers of positive ratings do seem to speak good things about this brand, so I’m apt to sway towards that side of things.
Is Textbooks.com Legit?
In the researching and writing of this Textbooks.com review, I found no larger concerns or red flags for this company. As far as I can tell, this brand is the real deal.
Is Textbooks.com Worth It?
In my opinion, this brand is one to try. Based on all the information collected in this Textbooks.com review, this company has excellent reviews, a wide selection, and great costs. That’s all we really need when it comes to shopping for budget books.
Cut those class costs with easy purchasing at up to 90% off the original price and then return to sell the book back when finished with it – a better system doesn’t exist.
Textbooks.com Promotions & Discounts
No Textbooks.com coupons or discounts were being offered at the time of writing this article.
Where to Buy Textbooks.com
When searching for the best budget books, the only place to buy from this brand comes from their own site at textbooks.com.
FAQ
Who owns Textbooks.com?
Textbooks.com operates as part of MBS Textbook Exchange LLC. The brand itself is owned by Mark Zuckerman.
Does Textbooks.com ship internationally?
At the time of writing this Textbooks.com article, the brand only ships within the US.
What is Textbooks.com’s Shipping Policy?
Find a book that’s required for a class? Luckily, shipping doesn’t take too much effort or thought. Shipping times tend to vary by location, but there are a number of estimates available for all four services:
- Free shipping over $25
- No order tracking
- Free flat rate
- 5 to 10 business days
- UPS Ground Shipping
- Tracking
- $4 flat rate
- 2 to 7 business days
- UPS 2nd Day Air
- Tracking
- $12 flat rate
- 2 business days
- UPS Next Day Air
- Tracking
- $20 flat rate
- 1 business day
Signatures may be required depending on the order, but customers should be notified of that prior to delivery.
What is Textbooks.com’s Return Policy?
Should books not arrive as planned or needed, returns are available for items within 30 days from purchase.
All books returned must appear in the same condition as when they were shipped and any returned access codes/cards must be unused and unopened for a full refund.
Returns can be sent to:
- Textbooks.com Returns at 2711 W. Ash St., Columbia, MO 65203.
OR
- Returned directly to the seller from whom it was purchased (contact info found on packaging slip)
E-books are currently not available for refund once activated. Any inactivated textbooks online can be returned within 30 days from purchase.
How to Contact Textbooks.com
Any lingering questions or concerns after reading this textbooks.com review can be turned over to customer service who are ready with the answers. Reach out through the following methods of contact:
- Online Contact Form
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 877-292-6442
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