Used Books Monthly
by Used Books Monthly$8.49/ month
Buying OptionsReviews (386)
Cancelled my subscription
Jan 09, 2022
Candace G.
The last purchase contained books that were used to the point I would have passed them up at a yard sale. I can go to the Goodwill and get used books for 50 cents each and make sure they are in decent shape. I cancelled my subscription.
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Just ok
Oct 04, 2021
Jennifer P.
First box was ok (subscribed for 3). I at least got 1 decent read from it. Second box was a huge disappointment. At first I was convinced it was sent to me accidentally, considering how far off from my preferences it was. We'll see what happens with box 3.
Update: just received box 3 and it was just as disappointing as box 2. If I wanted to read James Patterson, I would. I subscribed to find new authors and discover new stories, not to read the same boring drivel I can pick up at the drug store. Canceling my subscription and will continue to be mad at myself for spending the money.
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Bummed
Aug 12, 2021
Leslie B.
Im hoping that this was a one time mistake, but one of the books i received was ripped in multiple places and so dirty that i didnt want to touch it. I put it right in the trash.
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Isle of Palms
Jul 23, 2021
Nanci K.
My first book under the Non-Fiction was a Fiction book. Cancelling subscription. You should be able to get this right.
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I'm so very sorry, Nanci! That is something that we should definitely
be able to get right. Can we send you a correct book so we can part ways without negative feelings?
Latest order
Jul 20, 2021
Rebecca P.
There was only one book in the order I would actually read and I’ve already read it…. I’m doing another order but definitely not thrilled
Verified Purchase
Hello Rebecca, I encourage you to read the book that you may not have picked out for yourself. That is what our curators are best at, picking books that we think you would like but may not pick out for yourself.
Terrible customer service
Jun 16, 2021
Terry A.
So I have two subscriptions one for myself and one for my sister. We had one month where her choices were sent twice and I didn't receive mine. I contacted customer service thinking it was no big deal and at best could maybe get a refund for the books I didn't receive. The customer service guy answering emails did not understand me and frankly ignored my emails. I don't have time to be chasing after someone to do their job over 12$. I'm canceling this subscription for myself.
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Books in a series...
Jun 08, 2021
Tamara M.
I thought this would be a fun subscription but the first delivery gave me a book that was part of a series.. I had contacted them and they said they would send me a replacement. Thought I would get it in the next month. But did not get it. And I also got a book 3 of a series. I contacted them on the first email asking how it was and no response. Then a waited a couple days and nothing. So I came on here to contact the seller and that got me nowhere as well. I don't normally leave these reviews but since I'm being ignored and have paid 11ish for each book basically not 6 like I assumed I'm pretty upset about how they handled this So ya never again.
Verified Purchase
Tamara, I am so sorry to hear this. We have had difficulties with communication between customer support and our warehouse staff. That's no excuse but I hope it helps you to understand that we were definitely not ignoring you. I can go ahead and send you those 2 replacements today at no charge if you still would like them. Again, I'm so sorry that you have had a bad experience and we will use this information to continue to improve our services.
Books
Jan 22, 2021
Arthur Y.
Was disappointed at selection of books.
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Thank you for your feedback, Arthur! I am so sorry that you were disappointed in our curator's selections for you. We are "book people" and work very hard to attempt to pick the best books for each customer. Feel free to go to our website and refine your preferences by including book titles you have already read or would like to read and any authors that you like or dislike in addition to your genre selection. This will help us in the future. Please let us know if you have any other issues.
Better Book selection please
Dec 18, 2020
Kelle H.
I was very disappointed with the books sent. The books themselves were in good enough condition, but I did not like the book selections at all. I bought this box for my 31 year old daughter as a Christmas present, and one of the books was a Danielle Steele book (which I always think of being a much older woman's book). Out of the books she received, there was a "maybe" to one of them that she would read. It was disappointing.
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Thank you for your feedback, Kelle! I'm so sorry that you were disappointed in our curator's choices. We are "book people" and do our best to meet our customer's expectations. Feel free to go to our website and refine your preferences to include specific book titles wanted or not wanted, specific authors wanted or not wanted, etc. This will help our curators get closer to the bullseye on future orders. Please let us know if you have any more issues.
Selection
Nov 08, 2020
Susan S.
Wasn't a big fan of my first box, I didn't like the writing style and the theme that was chosen (children going missing/being kidnapped) was not something I would pick out to read in my free time. The second box really isn't my cup of tea either and honestly I'm not really interested in attempting to read either one of the books that were chosen. I like the idea of this, the books are in good condition and I receive them in a timely manner I just haven't been happy with the books that have been selected for me thus far.
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I’ll see how next month goes
Aug 27, 2020
Nailah S.
There was only one book that I’d read out of the four I got. The shipping was really fast though
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Haven't gotten my final shipment
Jul 29, 2020
Christina R.
The books in this box were pretty good, but a few were in much worse condition than others. I was ok with that seeing as they are used books. I did wish it was easier to change my preferences as far as what genre books I got. You have to message the seller and make sure you do it in time before they prepare your box. I wish there was a way to do that within my Cratejoy account. When I messaged about changing preferences, I received a quick response.
My main issue was with the shipping of the boxes. I got my first 2 boxes about 3 weeks apart, and then nothing for 2 months. I paid for a 3 month subscription, but chose not to renew. My third box was supposed to have arrived over 2 weeks ago, and it still says it is being prepared. I have messaged the seller multiple times, and have only received 1 response saying that their book shipments were delayed and that my box would be shipping soon. That was 2 weeks ago. I have messaged again since then and still no response. It is strange to me that they would be so responsive in my desiring to change my genre preferences and then be silent when I ask when I'm getting the books that I have already paid for.
I would not recommend this subscription box based on their customer service...
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Incorrect Subscription received
May 20, 2020
Madaline B.
I received someone else’s subscription. I’ve contacted the company three times and have yet to hear anything back. The quality of the book that I received was good, however not the genre I ordered and I paid for two books, not just the one I was sent.
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The Girl from Junchow not really Romance
Feb 23, 2020
Stephanie S.
The book was very difficult to follow/get into unless you have a strong understanding of politics in the Soviet Union in the 1930s.
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Unsatisfied this time around
Feb 10, 2020
Haley K.
I shared this subscription with a friend before loved It had to stop for a while decided to get my own this time but for whatever reason the books were horrible not a single one I liked/was interested in reading very disappointed this time :( hopefully next month is better
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No books yet
Dec 30, 2019
Cheryl M.
Haven't received my order yet
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Mixed choices
Oct 29, 2019
Sandi H.
Update: I had issues with the books I received and have attempted 3 times to contact the seller with not even an acknowledgment of my questions.
While I love the idea of getting a selection of used books every month, the books in my first shipment were meh. Blue Gold is a book I had already read and there's no way you could know that but it was in the large print version.
My biggest disappointment was in the book Lesser Evils by Erin M. Evans from the Brimstone Angels series by Dungeons & Dragons. This is not a book I would classify as "fantasy". It's definitely more on the occult side of the scale. I would suggest that this should be a separate genre rather than lumped in with fantasy or sci-fi.
I really appreciate the other two choices - Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell and Blood Orchid by Stuart Woods. Both seem to be books I will really enjoy. I've read other books by Stuart Woods so I'm particularly looking forward to that one. All the books were in great shape with little to no wear at all. Getting the chance to read books that are a bit older is appealing, not just the constant stream of new releases.
Another plus is the re-use of packaging materials. My shipment came in a box that had obviously been retaped and that was so great to see.
Over time I hope that the books sent will be narrowed a bit to my reading...
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Thank you for the feedback. Let us know if our e-mail and solution were satisfactory.
Disappointed in curation
Aug 29, 2019
Lizz H.
not a great selection at all. sandra brown? the yaya sisterhood? i was quite disappointed.
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Russian History and From Beirut to Jerus
Aug 19, 2019
Denise S.
I received two books. One book I already own. I wrote immediately to let you know but still have not heard back. Am I supposed to mail it back to get another one? The other book was ok, though I probably won't read it.
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Not worth the Cost
Aug 11, 2019
Rebecca V.
I would really like to know why it takes two weeks to get, from the date it shipped, to get the books.
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Quality box,
Jun 29, 2019
Matt W.
It had good books, just not my type of books, will try another month
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Picky
Jun 01, 2019
Nicole A.
To start, I am a harsh reviewer and book picker but with the books I received, I wouldn't be surprised if I got the leftover stack. 3/4 books I don't know how they chose: a Christian fiction, a "Venetian goth" book, and some horrid mystery fiction. Not to mention, these three books are all part of a series and were not the first books. The fourth book, however, is a reasonable choice based on the description I left. I'm just left thinking how scarce their collection is that they would send these books and also just how picky/pretentious I am a reader! The price is great though so maybe this box/the picker just wasn't for me.
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Nicole, I think your sentiment that our subscription may not be for you is completely accurate. I have refunded your payment and cancelled your subscription. Thank you for giving us a chance. I’m sorry we fell short of your expectations.
Okay-ish
Oct 01, 2018
Kyla B.
The subscription was decent considering the price. Most books received were close enough to the genre I asked for. Unfortunately my experience with their customer service was lacking. All I received from my August renewal was a packing slip. I notified them on 7 September, and was informed a replacement would be sent ASAP. 3 weeks have gone by, and there has been no replacement recieved and no shipment notification was provided.
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Aug 16, 2018
Larissa Y.
Sadly underwhelmed with my first box. One of the books has what looks to be coffee stains throughout and the others have bent pages and ripped corners. I’m sure it’s not a bad subcription but I believe my first box was a total flop and that wasn’t the greatest first impression.
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Apr 20, 2018
Samantha R.
I really wanted to like this box. I got a 3 month subscription and my first box was okay. But my second and third boxes are both awful. I could only read 1 book in my second box because the other 3 were all in the middle of different random series. My third box was filled with mostly mass market paperbacks that are again apart of different random series.
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Samantha, we are sorry that your boxes fell short. We always hope our subscribers are elated with our selections, but sometimes we miss the mark. I’ve sent an email with a solution we hope makes you happy. Thank you for subscribing!