Bookcloseouts.com Has Thousands and Thousands of Books at Bargain Basement Prices!

Are you looking for some great books at deep deep discounts? Look no further.

I checked out http://www.bookcloseouts.com and have ordered again several times. They have thousands of titles. The books are all new but they are bargain books and as such you occasionally see a mark on the edge of the book to indicate it's a bargain book. Their web site explains that this is done by the manufacturers to indicate they are bargain books and cannot be returned for credit by the vendors.

My biggest complaint about this online service is the web site itself. I wish they would hire someone to do a complete redesign as it is extremely busy looking and can be difficult to search. The top menu gives you a choice of new arrivals, special promotions, kids' books, and scratch and dent. There is also a selection for categories which list out, uh, all the categories of books. It is very daunting looking for books. By-the-way, while the site is called bookcloseouts.com, they also sell VHS, DVD, and recorded books on CD or tape.

The quantities of each title are limited. So while you might see a book you like, it could be gone a few days later. There's no guarantee that they'll get more copies of that title.

It's advisable to register on the site. They need an email address and password. This really comes in handy because if you're signed in and add books to your cart your choices will be saved if you leave and come back another day. Of course, if the book sells out before you buy it, it will be removed from the cart.

Trying to sort out through the books
Once you choose a category of book, you have several options. You can search within categories. For instance if you want to find some books on Antiques and Collectibles you can sort or search within that category by letter of the author's name, by format (Analog Audio Cassette, Hardcover, Library Binding, Paperback, Softcover, or Spiral), Price, or Publisher. In this particular category you can also search by type of antique or collectible such as: books, furniture, glass & glassware, textiles and costumes.

The problem comes after you have refined your search. There are SO many books that, personally, I sometimes lose patience looking through the titles for something I want.

You Can Search for Specifics
If you know the ISBN, exact title, author, or publisher you can search by those criteria in their advanced search.

Create a Wish List
If there's a particular book you're looking for and can't find, you can create a wish list. This is from the web site: Are you looking for books that aren't currently available on our site? Create a Wish List! If the titles arrive in our inventory, we will notify you by e-mail. Simply enter the 10 digit ISBN (for exact match) OR any Title, Author or Keywords and click "Submit". You will be presented with a list of books to choose from.

Prices
There are definitely bargains to be found!!!! I have only bought books for the kids. For each book I found I went to Amazon.com and checked new and used prices (including taking into consideration any free shipping on Amazon.com) and each time I came out significantly better off on bookcloseouts.com. Some books I found were not available through Amazon.com so I couldn't compare the prices.

Shipping Charges
The web site mentions that there is a $1.00 handling charge for each order but they say that the shipping charge is based on the size of the order. That's an uncomfortable feeling not knowing the shipping charges up front, but after ordering a few times I can tell you the shipping charges are very reasonable. For instance, I ordered NINE books for my last order including a heavy Macmillan Dictionary for Students and the total shipping and handling charge was $6.75.... VERY reasonable.

Order Process
VERY easy!!! Put the books in the cart! They accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express but no Discover! An email confirmation is sent and a shipping email confirmation is sent. The books are all shipped from their Niagara NY facility and for all occasions shipping took about 5-7 days to get to Richmond, Virginia.

They do NOT accept orders by phone.

Returns
I have not tried to return anything so I cannot vouch for the process. They do say they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and will accept returns within 5 days of the receipt of the order but you MUST call to get a Return Authorization Number.

They can be contacted by phone!
I have not tried calling them because I haven't ever experienced any problems but there is a toll free number to call from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time for order issues.

Signing up for their monthly emails
They have an area for you to sign up for monthly emails discussing new arrivals in categories that you can pick when you sign up. The problem with these emails is that they only seem to come for one or two months and then they stop. I've had to sign up several times! I'm not sure if that's because I only order every 4 or 5 months!

Final Thoughts
This is a terrific web site and I highly recommend it. I have ordered about 30 books or more from the site and never been disappointed. I've also saved a considerable amount of money by ordering from here as opposed to buying these same books in the local Borders/Barnes and Noble or even from Amazon.com with free shipping!

My big complaint is the frustration of scrolling down so many pages looking for books, but I can overlook that for the cost savings!!

Book 'Em, Dano!