blackwell.co.uk

Advantages: Great for academic books, free delivery, good service
Disadvantages: Browing somewhat limited, not the cheapest

I’m not very adventurous when it comes to ordering things online. I tend to have my favourite places for certain items and stick with them even if somewhere else happens to have the same thing for slightly cheaper, it’s only when it’s a lot cheaper do I stray. For books I use amazon.co.uk, not very original I know, but it was the first place I used and I’ve always had great service from them. They let me down recently though so I strayed to a competitor. ...
...like that from amazon, but simply the book I wanted had a month long delivery date - not good when you need it for a taught course which has already started. So I strayed and using the price comparison feature at kelkoo.com I strayed all the way over to blackwells.co.uk which not only had the book in stock but also had the cheapest prices of all around...not bad considering the book (“Mobile Robotics: A Practical Introduction”) is hardly a title ... Read review

Advantages: Wide range of academic and business titles
Disadvantages: Not so hot on chasing up out of stock orders

One of the great institutions of the both British bookselling and of academic publishing, it was a cinch that Blackwells would also be a major force in online selling. To give this op it’s proper context I should tell you that I work as the librarian for the UK programme of an American University. We have a fairly small library of about 4000 books, about 2, 500 of which I have purchased in the last 18 months, many of them through Blackwells ...
...regular consumer website offered better service and much the same level of discounts. I have tried out many sites, and still use a few for some specialist tasks, but Blackwells is by far the best overall site for academically oriented books. I have also used it for personal purchases several times. Although they stock all the bestsellers, that’s not really the strength of this website. Rather academic and business materials are the stars of ... Read review

Advantages: Good range of stock, free 2nd class postage
Disadvantages: Terrible customer service, late delivery, poor packaging, damaged books

With my final semester at university about to start - I thought it was about time I did things properly. Instead of the usual "finally find the text book in week 5, place it on desk and consistently fail to open it / find a million other fascinating tasks to do instead having read the first paragraph", I tried to order one of my course books over the net and get reading before term starts. I should explain that I tried over the net because "home" ...
...local books and local people" and I don't drive. The net stores are supposedly there for our convience. Now, it's a fairly obscure psychology text book so I wasn't overly surprised when all purpose shops like Amazon and Bol either didn't have it or would need 4-6 weeks to deliver it. So - I figured I'd try the academic book store par excellence - Blackwells. This was foolish. I've tried to exchange money for goods with these people before and with ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent catalogue. Subject specialists can be e-mailed for assistance
Disadvantages: None

When I buy books online for myself I tend to use one of the Amazon sites; however, I work part time in a health sciences library and I use the Blackwells website quite a lot when I'm at work. Blackwell's is excellent for the academic, business and professional user, as well as catering for the general public. Blackwell's has a long tradition of providing special services to academic institutions and libraries. I use the Blackwell's database for bibliographic ...
...a publication) - they're particularly good on business/management, scientific and medical subjects. I generally find that a quick search on title is enough. Customer service is always excellent, as there are subject specialists available to deal with complicated enquiries. Blackwell's will sell you everything from Harry Potter (a title search of the catalogue lists 70 items) to the Kama Sutra (27 items), Manchester United (75 items), or neurosurgery ... Read review

Advantages: good range of stock
Disadvantages: not always the cheapest

Until recently, I had only ever bought books from Amazon when shopping online since I have never had any problems with their service so why go anywhere else. Then I needed a book that Amazon couldn't deliver quick enough so, having compared the prices as any self-respecting online shopper should (using http://www.OnlinePriceGuide.co.uk), I decided to order it from Blackwells. The Blackwells site is nicely laid out, easy to use and you can do all ...
...bookshop. The process of ordering went very smoothly so I sat back to await the postman. I was a little disappointed that the book took 3 days to arrive rather than the 1-2 days promised but I can accept that this could well have been outside Blackwells control since my postman seems to come and go as he pleases (or is it just me not getting much post?) Now, I used to think that one online bookshop is pretty much the same as any other but Blackwells ... Read review