I had an issue with a book that had not arrived. After contacting customer service at Blackwells, and speaking with Arwa, all was sorted promptly. I received the book within the next few days. Thank... See more
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Reviews shaping this summary
Dispatch was a little slower than I expected, but response to my email inquiry was prompt. I was assured all was well - and it was! My book arrived here in Australia in about 12 days. The tracking... See more
Company replied
Blackwell's is my go-to for ordering books online. I order books from Blackwell's for delivery to both the Spain and the US. Their prices are very competitive, their selection is vast, and there... See more
Company replied
I bought a book from Blackwells, unfortunately Evri were tasked with delivery. They failed, claiming 'delivery completed' with a 'fake' photo of a random door, not our door! I contacted Evri but no jo... See more
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
Blackwell’s was founded on New Year’s Day 1879, at 50 Broad Street, Oxford. From humble beginnings the company has built a worldwide reputation for unrivalled customer service, specialist knowledge and a passion for bookselling. Our mission is to become the world’s most trusted bookseller and to change lives through reading and books. We have shops across the UK, including flagships in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Edinburgh, alongside academic, campus and other specialist shops.
Contact info
United Kingdom
- bookshop.blackwell.co.uk
4.4
Excellent
35k reviews
No recent history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 89% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 month
How this company uses Trustpilot
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Books arrived on time, but tracking was useless
I ordered two books from Blackwells and overall the experience was acceptable, but there are a few points that could be improved.
The books arrived within the estimated delivery time (15 working days), so I cannot complain about that. However, the delivery process lacks transparency. Once the parcel has passed through UK customs, there is no way to track it properly. The tracking number provided does not correspond to any recognised carrier, and when I contacted customer service, they simply gave me another tracking number that also did not work anywhere. As a result, I had no idea where my parcel was for a significant part of the delivery process.
I was also disappointed by the payment process. I purchased two books costing €22 each and validated a single order of €44. However, Blackwells charged me twice separately instead of processing a single payment. Because my bank applies fees to non-euro transactions, I was charged those fees twice when a single transaction would have reduced the cost.
In the end, I received my books and they were in good condition, but the lack of reliable tracking information and the separate charges made the experience less satisfactory than it could have been.
12 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Laura Barkat,
Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell’s, we appreciate your time in providing feedback on your order experience on this occasion.
We are delighted to offer international delivery to a range of countries around the world, with delivery usually arriving within 10-15 business days. Full tracking service is limited to group of countries, with the majority of our international orders being sent by standard untracked mail. This is advised at checkout, with orders showing to be sent by standard untracked mail usually within 10-15 business days. Parcels can be sent with a postal number, which is an internal number linked to the parcel used by the postal services as it moves through the system but does not provide full location tracking. This number can help customers locate a misplaced parcel if speaking with their local postal services and will assist in highlighting if contacted regarding the location of a delivery that has been sent by untracked mail.
In regard to payment, we are sorry to learn that your bank charged a fee for each transaction fee. Although we offer the option of payment in euros for ease of payment, some banks may still charge a small service fee as we are a UK business. We would always advise to speak to your payment provider before placing an order, to be aware of any additional costs that could be incurred by your payment provider in making an international order.
Each book on our website has its own usually dispatched within timescale, with payment being taken for each item as it arrives into our Distribution Centre and is dispatched to the customer. Further information regarding payment can be found on our website help pages here: https://blackwells.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4407225410450-When-will-I-be-charged-for-my-order
If our Customer Service team can ever be of assistance in any way regarding placing an order with us, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone, chat or email on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk
https://blackwells.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4407225410450-When-will-I-be-charged-for-my-order
It is great to learn your order arrived safely with you within the usual delivery time period and that you were happy with your order. We hope you will consider ordering from us again in the future, if so we look forward to being of service again for your next reads. Thank you for ordering with Blackwell’s.
With best wishes,
Blackwell’s Online Customer Service
A go-to online bookstore for international book lovers
It has been a few years since I started shopping online with Blackwell’s, starting from guest order to more recent purchases.
The online support team has consistently been professional, helpful, and understanding. I really appreciate everyone I have interacted with so far; whether it was about older editions I was looking for, order status, or general enquiries, my questions have always been answered promptly and with care.
Delivery can sometimes take a little longer (around two weeks in my experience), but as long as the books are well packed and reasonably priced, I don’t mind the wait. Most importantly, the items I have received have been brand new and mostly in good condition.
Overall, it has been a positive experience. Thank you, Blackwell’s, for continuing to support international readers and making online book shopping accessible and reliable.
5 June 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Kate,
Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. We are delighted that you have felt supported when requiring to contact our Customer Service team with a query regarding your order, we are always pleased to assist. It is also lovely to hear you have been pleased with your orders upon arrival and that they have arrived in the usual 10-15 business days that we advise upon dispatch for international deliveries.
We look forward to being of service again in the future for your next reads and being your go-to bookseller. Thank you for purchasing your books with Blackwell's!
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Terrible customer service book arrived…
Terrible customer service book arrived completely damaged and was for a gift advised a week later to either return and refund which i can see from other reviews i would be charged for even though the item is damaged or return and have a replacement sent which wont be dispatched until the end of the month definitely will never order again
5 June 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Geordie Queen,
Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell’s, we appreciate all customer feedback and thank you for your time in providing your experience in ordering with us on this occasion. We are terribly sorry to learn your book arrived with damage in transit and apologise for the disappointment caused in receiving your book in this condition, especially as it was required for a gift. If a book is received damaged, we advise to notify us within 72 hours of receiving the item, where our team will support with next steps. If your order has not yet been resolved with a positive solution, please do not hesitate to contact us on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk with the subject matter ‘Trustpilot - Geordie Queen’ and we can discuss your review and order in further detail to provide assistance.
If we can be of further support, we look forward to hearing from you.
With best wishes,
Blackwell’s Online Customer Service
Charges for returning damaged books
My book arrived damaged and I've tried to arrange a return as its damaged and get my money back but the customer service agent I dealt with told me I had to pay the return postage to return the book, even though I am returning it through no fault of my own as the book is damaged.
This is absolutely outrageous. No company in the world, only a disreputable one, charges a customer (i.e. makes them pay the return postage) for an item that's damaged.
Indeed, this breaches trading regulations. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, sellers are entirely responsible for the costs of returning faulty or damaged items, including arranging collection or reimbursing reasonable postage fees.
I shall never buy from them again if this is how they treat customers.
Buyer beware!
2 June 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Aaron,
Thank you for your comments. We're sorry to hear that your experience was not a positive one.
We've reviewed this case and in this instance we agree that your issue was not handled correctly. We've briefed the team on how to address similar cases in the future.
We can see that the item has now been refunded in full. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Best,
Blackwell's
Appalling service
Appalling. Ten days to deliver a book then zero customer service when I complained. I was told that ten days delivery was perfectly acceptable. I won't be buying from Blackwells again
29 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear P.W.,
Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's, we appreciate all customer feedback on the experience of ordering with us.
We are sorry to learn you are disappointed with the level of service received with your order placed with us on this occasion and felt you did not receive support from our Customer Service team.
When placing an order with us, we provide an estimate dispatch timescale from our Distribution Centre for each book on our website, alongside the usual 2-4 working day from dispatch to delivery for UK delivery and 10-15 business days from dispatch to delivery for international. Each book has its own usually dispatched within timescale, which can be located on the book page at the time of ordering, within checkout and in the confirmation email received. This is due to fulfilling our orders from a range of stock locations which require to travel in transit before being dispatched straight out to the customer. In using this method, it allows us to offer the 18+ million titles available to purchase on our website and offer a range of harder to locate titles.
Although we will always aim to dispatch an item within the usually dispatched within timescale, we are sorry if an unexpected delay occurred within the process and this was not the case on this occasion for your order placed with us, or if your delivery was delayed beyond the usual 2-4 working days from dispatch to delivery for UK delivery (term does not include weekend days). If your order took longer than the usually dispatched within timescale and the usually delivered within time period combined, we apologise for this and for any inconvenience caused.
If we can be of support further in relation to your review, please do not hesitate to contact us again by emailing us on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk .
With best wishes,
Blackwell’s Online Customer Service
Full marks to Blackwells, zero to Evri.
I bought a book from Blackwells, unfortunately Evri were tasked with delivery. They failed, claiming 'delivery completed' with a 'fake' photo of a random door, not our door! I contacted Evri but no joy there.... However I also contacted Blackwells, who were really helpful. Amany Mohammed from Blackwells dealt with the problem with grace and efficiency. He refunded the book token by sending a new one via email and put the cash back on my card. Thank you Blackwells and Amany. However you might consider giving up using Evri !!
28 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Mr Fox,
Thank you for writing your review for ordering with Blackwell's. We are terribly sorry to learn of your parcel not safely arrive with you, we wish to assure this is a highly unusual occurrence and apologise for any inconvenience caused due to this happening with your order. Our Customer Service team were delighted to have supported when you contacted us to notify of your order being missing and offering a positive solution as quickly as possible.
We hope you will consider ordering with us again in the future and should you do so, we look forward to being of service again.
Thank you again for your time in providing feedback on your ordering experience.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
I absolutely LOVE Blackwell's!!
I absolutely LOVE Blackwell's!!! The very first time I ordered from them I purchased 2 books, and hadn't realized that I would be charged for them at the time of dispatch, so when I got a notification with just one charge I contacted their customer service to inquire about it. A representative responded to my email nearly IMMEDIATELY! She had already looked into my order and reassured me that everything was all right, and explained how the charges would be done, and also when I might expect my books! So kind, thoughtful, helpful, and considerate!!! I greatly appreciated not only her rapid response to my question, but also her patience, understanding, and kindness. I highly recommend Blackwell's to everyone, and will most definitely order from them again soon! Their customer service is stellar!!
25 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Roxy Coryell,
Thank you for reviewing your experience of ordering with Blackwell's, we appreciate all customer feedback and thank you for your time in providing a review.
We are thrilled to learn that this was your first order placed with us, welcome! It is great to know that you felt supported when contacting our Customer Service team to query your payment and we put your worries at ease quickly. We are always delighted to support with any order queries and advise to never hesitate to contact us for assistance.
We hope you enjoy your book upon arrival and look forward to being of service again in the future for your next book shopping experience. Thank you for purchasing with us and for recommending our service to others.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Excellent response & remedy
I had an issue with goods that were delivered damaged by the courier delivering them for Blackwells & their excellent customer care team resolved this within 24 hours of my initial complaint & with such politeness & professionalism. A pleasure to deal with
18 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Shar B,
Thank you for posting your 5 star review for Blackwell's. Although we are very sorry to learn your order arrived damaged in transit, we are pleased to have supported in rectifying this and offering a solution swiftly. It is great to know you felt supported with your query and lead to having a positive experience with us. We hope you will consider ordering with us again in the future and should you do so, we look forward to being of service once more. Thank you again for providing feedback on your purchasing experience with us on this occasion.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Shipping taking a long time
Shipping taking a long time. No communication. Website confusing.
12 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Sacha Hall,
Thank you for providing feedback on your experience of ordering with us and for your time in writing your review.
We are sorry to learn you are disappointed in the level of service received with your order placed with us on this occasion.
If your order took longer than the usually dispatched within timescale or the usually delivered within 2-4 working days for UK or 10-15 business days for international (terms do not include weekend days), we apologise for this occurring and for any inconvenience caused due to this.
In regard to communication, we send an email at the time of ordering with us and at the time of dispatch, to advise the item has been posted and is in transit. If you did not receive our emails, some email providers may accidentally pop them in promotional/spam/junk/other folders due to the email coming from an automated noreply email and always advise to check these areas. If tracking is provided for a delivery, we will include this within the confirmation email along with the way of being able to track an item, which may take a few working days to be activated depending on the delivery route and whether they are being transported by a carrier company before being passed to the final delivery postal service. If you have set up an account or logged in to an account before placing your order with us, it is also possible to track the order from within your account area.
We are very sorry to learn you felt our website was confusing and should you wish to elaborate on this, we would be grateful for any further feedback, as we are always updating and improving our website to ensure a smooth customer experience.
If our Customer Service team can ever be of assistance in relation to the status of an order or delivery, we are always available to support and happy to assist with any queries. We can be reached on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk
We hope you will consider ordering with us again in the future so we can showcase the level of service we always aim to provide. Thank you again for your feedback and for purchasing with Blackwell's.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Kindest customer service, slow international delivery
Ordered a nice penguin classic.
The delivery took long (for international shipping).
Thus I contacted customer service after the tracking noted the product was delivered. I was warmly received by the customer service. The book eventually arrived and I ordered more books.
They are very open, responsive, clear, kind, and gentle. The communication is so polite and incredibly friendly which makes it feel like i am talking with real people (real real, as in people worth of praise) which makes me want to come back and buy more books for it being such a pleasant experience!
23 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Spam Account,
Thank you for reviewing your ordering experience with Blackwell's and for your time in providing feedback.
Although we are very sorry to learn your recent order with us took longer than the usual 10-15 business days for international delivery on this occasion, we are pleased that you felt supported when contacting us for assistance. We are delighted to have helped with your query and that from this experience, you would order with us again in the future.
We look forward to providing books to you again soon, thank you for purchasing with Blackwell's.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Terrible customer service do not buy…
Terrible customer service do not buy from them
9 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear cc,
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your experience of ordering with us, we appreciate your time in providing your review.
We are terribly sorry to learn you would not rate the service received, we always aim to provide a high level of customer service to all of our customers, from the process of ordering to the delivery of an item, through to contacting our Customer Service team. It is regretful to learn this was not the experience you felt was received and for this we apologise. If we can be of assistance further in relation to your review or order, please do not hesitate to contact us on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk with the subject matter ‘Trustpilot review – cc’ and we will happily discuss this in further detail and offer relevant support.
If we can be of assistance, we look forward to hearing from you. We hope you will consider ordering with us again so we can showcase the level of service we always aim to provide, thank you again for your feedback.
With best wishes,
Blackwell’s Online Customer
Highly Recommend Blackwells
Blackwells is amazing. Excellent purchase experience and lightning fast shipping. I ordered from the USA and couldn’t believe how quickly I received my book. Packaged very well and arrived intact. I’ll definitely purchase from Blackwells again and can’t recommend them more! Exceptional company.
1 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Lora Moore,
Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We are thrilled to learn you are pleased with the speed of arrival of your order and the book received with you in the USA. Thank you for purchasing with us and for recommending our service to others, we look forward to being of service again soon for your next reads.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Overall a good experience for an International transaction
Dispatch was a little slower than I expected, but response to my email inquiry was prompt. I was assured all was well - and it was!
My book arrived here in Australia in about 12 days.
The tracking process was very good.
4 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Doug Mulley,
Thank you for reviewing your ordering experience on this occasion, for delivery to you in Australia. We are always pleased to assist with any queries and thank you for contacting us to enquire. It is great to know your book arrived with you in 12 days, which is quick as our international deliveries usually take 10-15 business days (term does not include weekend days). We hope you are pleased with your purchase and that you will consider us again in the future for your book purchases. Thank you for shopping with Blackwell's.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Reliable Supplier of Quality Books
I've ordered a few times and had no problems ordering or with the condition of the books. I did have a problem with the delivery this time and while this was not the fault of Blackwell's whatsoever, it's worth mentioning that when I did contact them they responded quickly and politely. They are often the most competitive on price too.
14 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Jill Carter,
Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's, it is great to learn you have ordered with us a few times and due to the service received, are continuing to choose us for your book purchases. Our Customer Service team are always delighted in assisting with any queries and were pleased to have assisted with your last order delivery. We hope to be of service again soon for your next book shopping experience, thank you for purchasing with Blackwell's.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Excellent bookshop
Excellent bookshop! I send books to the EU regularly and the service was efficient and reasonably priced. I’ve recommend it to friends and relatives, who also use it now.
15 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Diana,
Thank you for writing your review for Blackwells. We are delighted to assist in your book purchases, especially sending to the EU, thank you for choosing us as your bookseller of choice. Thank you for also recommending us to your friends and relatives too! We hope to be of service again soon for your next book shopping experience.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Fast response and order was delivered…
Fast response and order was delivered earlier than expected. Thank you <3 will be purchasing more books here.
23 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Liz,
Thank you for reviewing your ordering experience with Blackwell's. We are delighted that you were pleased with the speed of arrival with your order and that due to this, you would think of us again for your next book purchases. Thank you for shopping with Blackwell's, we look forward to being of service again soon.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
No information update on despatch delay unless chased for one
Placed an order for a book which took several weeks to arrive despite being told weekly the book was being despatched after the weekend I made the enquiry. If the shipment is delayed just say, just send me an update just let me know instead of my having to chase the order.
4 February 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Karen Martins,
Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell’s and for providing feedback on your experience of placing your order with us. We apologise for the delay in your order dispatching on this occasion and for taking longer than the usually dispatched within period advised when placing your order with us. We will always aim to dispatch an item within the usually dispatched within time and apologise that your order experienced an unexpected delay in transit to our Distribution Centre. We wish to assure this is not the level of service we aim to provide and apologise for the inconvenience caused in the delay in receiving your purchase.
If we can be of support in relation to your order or you review further, please do not hesitate to contact us on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk and we will happily be of assistance with any queries. Thank you again for your time in providing your review, we appreciate all customer feedback and they are helpful in guiding future improvements.
With best wishes,
Blackwell’s Online Customer Service
On-line book order.
I had been trying to obtain an elusive book for some time. I had logged an inquiry with Blackwell's over a year ago. Last week I received a message informing me that the title was now available and was invited to confirm an order. I placed the order and received the item four days later. The package arrived in perfect condition and everything was to my entire satisfaction. Overall a very pleasant customer experience and excellent service.
20 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear D. G. Woodhouse,
Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. It is wonderful to hear you used our notify system, to be updated if the book you wished to purchase came back in stock again and we were able to update you when it did. We are pleased to have provided this hard to find title to you and that it arrived with you quickly after purchasing. Thank you for ordering with Blackwell's, we hope you enjoy your purchase and look forward to being of service again in the future for your book shopping experience.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Good Customer Service
I had an issue with a book that had not arrived. After contacting customer service at Blackwells, and speaking with Arwa, all was sorted promptly.
I received the book within the next few days. Thank you.
24 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear MOP,
Thank you for reviewing your ordering experience with Blackwell's. Although we are sorry that you required to contact us regarding a book that had not yet arrived, we are delighted to have assisted in supporting in ensuring your book was received as quickly as possible. We hope to be of service again in the future for your book purchases, thank you for placing your order with Blackwell's.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
Great Customer Support!
I had an issue with my order & Menna was so quick & efficient to assist me, going above & beyond to help me out!
Great customer service :)
1 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Blackwells.co.uk
Dear Ana Mendonca,
Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We are pleased you felt supported when needing assistance with your order, our Customer Service team are delighted to support in answering and assisting with any queries.
Thank you for ordering with us, we look forward to being of service again soon for your next book shopping experience.
With best wishes,
Blackwell's Online Customer Service
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