Buying books from Amazon/ Half.com

[Top Cat]

I know that when you ordered books in undergrad from an online source such as amazon, you ran the risk of being shipped an international edition.  Does anyone have any experience buying new casebooks from amazon or half.com?  I have my book list, and I am hoping to go ahead and get everything purchased... but, if I am going to spend close to $1,000 on books, the last thing I want is to end up with a bunch of international editions.

Anyone have any advice on ordering books online or from some other source?

[Matthies]

The only time I ordered a case book from Amazon for law school it turned out to be the wrong edition, not what they listed on the website, and I had to return and get it from the bookstore. Other than that I am no help.

I have had very good luck with getting supplemnts and other stuff from these guys though (but I never used them for textbooks) http://www.barristerbooks.com/ they ship really fast.

[EdinTally]

I've ordered 3 casebooks so far and all have been the right one (of the dozens of books I've ordered for undergrad only 1 was incorrect and amazon made good on it).  Saved a little over half what it would cost from the school bookstore.

[big - fat - box]

Most of my books I get used off amazon or half.com or craigslist. I always email the seller to confirm that the edition/isbn is the correct one before buying though. I usually email a couple sellers and whoever gets back to me within 24 hours is the one I end up buying from. If they don't get back to me, I do not buy.

For new books, I know a lot of people like barristerbooks.com or lawbooksforless.com

[jsb221]

I never had a problem ordering from Amazon, Half, ebay or wherever. But definitely read the description carefully. Some sellers will list an older edition under the listing for a newer edition.

[vap]

I can't speak to other websites, but sellers on Half.com are notorious for listing an item as a higher condition quality than the condition quality guide would allow (e.g., listing a book as "like new" when there is highlighting in the book).  As others have said, read the description, and contact a seller who doesn't provide a description.

[chi2009]

The only time I ordered a case book from Amazon for law school it turned out to be the wrong edition, not what they listed on the website, and I had to return and get it from the bookstore. Other than that I am no help.

I have had very good luck with getting supplemnts and other stuff from these guys though (but I never used them for textbooks) http://www.barristerbooks.com/ they ship really fast.

Same thing happened to me.  I was able to return it, but the seller gave me a lot of trouble over it.

[HippieLawChick]

I got almost all my books from Amazon, ebay or from other students.  I also sold them through those same venues.  My total law school book cost (considering sales and purchases) was a net of about $500.  You should try to make friends with a few 2L students immediately upon starting school, and get books from them.  Since the law changes so frequently, it is pointless (in most cases) to keep your old books, so sell them and make some money.

Also, don't bother buying Black's law dictionary.  You can access it online at Westlaw, and you will have free Westlaw access all through law school. 

[audreygreen]

I have been ordering books from Amazon ever since and haven't so far encountered problems with edition. Maybe it's a case to case basis and depends on the type of book you're ordering. You can also try searching from craigslist if you feel uncomfortable with the former.

[Specks]

I've always bought my books off of Amazon and Half.com and have never had a problem. There was one time I sold a contracts book on Amazon and the seller tried to return it a month after class started. I, as the seller, didn't want to return their money because there was no way I could sell it a month after classes started but Amazon let them anyways. So, in conclusion, Amazon is awesome for the buyer and not so awesome if you're the seller. Ironically, I've been a more loyal person of amazon since because I know that they will protect me even to the detriment to their sellers.