Blackwells.co.uk Reviews 

35,188
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.4

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 258 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the incredibly helpful customer support team, competitive prices, and the vast selection of hard-to-find books available across the global online marketplace. Many people also appreciate that shipping is frequently included in the final price and their packages arrive promptly in good condition. Some reviewers were not happy with delayed shipping times and expressed deep frustration over a total lack of timely updates regarding their recent orders. A few consumers mentioned that it took over a month to receive ordered items and that communicating with support representatives proved quite difficult.

What people talk about most

Order

People report ambiguous experiences with order processing and delivery times. While many customers praise the... See more

Product

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about product, noting that while many appreciate the wide selection of... See more

Delivery service

Customers had ambiguous experiences with delivery_service. While some reviewers praised fast international... See more

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be overwhelmingly positive, highlighting helpful, polite, and prompt... See more

Service

Users describe ambiguous interactions with service, reflecting a wide range of differing experiences. Many... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

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

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

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

  1. Book Store

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

4.4

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

35K reviews

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No recent history of asking for reviews

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Replied to 89% of negative reviews

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4.4

All reviews

(35,188)

258 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very good customer service

Had a query about the delivery of an order, spoke to customer service who was extremely helpful and they managed to provide me with more information. Thank you.

1 July 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear monica harvey,

Thank you for reviewing your experience of contacting our Blackwell's Customer Service team. We are very pleased that you felt supported with your query and that we resolved your question positively. Our Customer Service team are always delighted to assist with any book or order queries.

We hope to be of service again soon, thank you for placing your book orders with Blackwell's.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Ordering a script - Blackwells stepped up to the mark!

I wanted to order a script to be sent to France and tried various well-known bookshops and outlets - without success.
Just when I was about to give up I tried Blackwells and everything went completely smoothly and quickly - and the postage was cheaper than was being quoted elsewhere.
Really excellent website - and service - yippee!!

30 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear lesley,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. It is wonderful to learn we were able to support with locating the script you wished to purchase and that it arrived with you smoothly. Thank you for purchasing your book with us, we hope to be of service again in the future.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Top notch online book store

I've never had a bad service from Blackwell's. Great book selection, normally very competitive prices, quick delivery, great customer service when called on.

My go-to online book store.

29 May 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Damien,

Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We are thrilled that we are your go-to bookseller and that you would rate our service due to our competitive pricing, delivery and customer service. Thank you for choosing us as your bookseller of choice, we look forward to your next shopping experience with us.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Really slow dispatch

Really slow dispatch. A week later it hadn’t been sent. To be fair it said it could take up to seven days on website but I’d assumed they’d just turn it around (I don’t know of any online service that takes a week to send). In the end I had to cancel as it was for someone’s birthday, the customer service was helpful but it was an unnecessarily protracted process. Want to support bookstores rather than Amazon but won’t use Blackwells again.

20 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Z Levy,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. We apologise for the disappointment caused due to our dispatch periods advised and that on this occasion, it lead to the cancellation of your order with us, as the recommended dispatch did not work with your time requirements.

Each book on our website has a usually dispatched within period, as well as the usual 2-4 working days from dispatch to delivery for UK delivery. We advise of this time on the book page at the time of ordering, at checkout and in the confirmation email received. This timescale is required as we supply our books from a range of stock locations which require to travel in transit to our Distribution Centre before being dispatched out to the customer, which is why each book has it's own individual time. Using this method allows us to offer the 18+ million titles we are delighted to showcase across our website as available to purchase with us. If our Customer Service team can ever be of assistance in relation to advising of dispatch timescales or to support with any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We hope you will reconsider ordering from us again in the future and should you do so, we look forward to being of service.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I ordered a book for my sons birthday

I ordered a book for my sons birthday, there ended up being a delay in delivery to Blackwells, they sent me an email explaining the situation and how sorry they were even though it wasn’t their fault. I explained about it been a gift for my son and they said they would send it as soon as they received it, their stock came earlier than they thought and that same day I got an email saying they had sent it out to me, so what should have been at least 4 days after my sons birthday on expected delivery I received it the day after his birthday.
Excellent customer service is an understatement. I’d never known about this business before researching for the specific book my son asked for, but from all this I won’t go anywhere else for books. Well done and thank you again Blackwells

11 May 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Theresa Pemberton,

Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We apologise again for the delay in receiving your book, especially as it was a gift for your son's birthday. It is great news that we were able to provide your order as quickly as possible and that it resulted in being received earlier than the updated time we advised. Thank you for purchasing your book with Blackwell's, we look forward to being of service again in the future for your next book shopping experience.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

great experience from the US

As a US custome, I'm especially impressed by how quick, effective, and affordable their service is. I put in the wrong delivery address at first, and they fixed it as soon as I told them and got back to me right away.

15 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Jesse,

Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We are pleased that you felt supported when requiring to contact our Customer Service team to update your delivery address, our team are always happy to be of assistance. Thank you for purchasing your book with Blackwell's, we hope to be of service again soon for your next book shopping experience.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Supposed to be reputable company

Supposed to be reputable company. I am now waiting 15 days for my book to arrive. They stated it would be sent within 7. This is second time I have had this problem with Blackwells. And I live in UK. But then they use that reliable company, Evri, for delivery. I will not be using them again. Ever.

11 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear patrick,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell’s. We apologise for the unexpected delay in receiving your order on this occasion and that it took longer than the usually dispatched within 7 days advised at the time of placing your order with us. Although we always aim to provide orders within the usually dispatched within timescales advised, we apologise on this occasion that your book experienced a delay in arriving into our Distribution Centre from our stock location. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused due to this unexpected delay in receiving your order on this occasion.

In regard to our delivery services who deliver our parcels within the UK, the final doorstep stage of delivery is completed by Royal Mail or Evri, with the route of delivery decided by multiple factors such as location, size of parcel and weight. It is unfortunately not possible to request the delivery service who complete the delivery due to these considerations.

We are sorry to learn you do not intend to use our service in the future and thank you for your past custom. Should you reconsider, if we can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you again for providing feedback on your experience, we value all feedback received.

With best wishes,

Blackwell’s Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

outstanding experience

the book was a great price, but the service received from Blackwell's was amazing; updates and tracking of the order were excellent and the actual delivery to NZ was fast and efficient.
They will be my go-to booksellers for books that are hard to find in NZ.

26 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear David Rix,

Thank you for reviewing your experience of ordering with Blackwell's. We are delighted that you were pleased with the service received when you placed our order with us and that from this, we have become your go-to bookseller for hard to locate books. Thank you for purchasing with Blackwell's, we look forward to being of service again soon.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Damaged book sent by Blackwell's

I'm very satisfied with the service they provide.

18 February 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Deepika Pathirana,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell’s. We apologise for the disappointment in receiving a book damaged in transit, we never wish for a customer to experience receiving a book that has been damaged and apologise that your book did not arrive safely on this occasion. We wish to assure that we would never send out a damaged item to a customer, we have diligent checks we perform within our Distribution Centre for each book before an item is packed, to ensure all books are in perfect condition before posting out to our customers. Should a book sadly arrive into our Distribution Centre from our stock location with visible damage, we will always request a replacement copy and update the customer that there will be a delay due to this.

In regard to your replacement copy not arriving, we are sorry that this copy was not received and apologise again for the delay in receiving a copy of the book you purchased. If a book sadly does not arrive, we request to be notified after 25 business days, so we can investigate the status of delivery. If we are not told within 40 days of dispatch, we are unable to request searches with the postal company due to the time that has passed and cannot support with a query. These terms are advised and agreed when placing an order with us in our terms and conditions at checkout. Further information about missing orders and our terms and conditions can be found on our help pages here: https://blackwells.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/articles/201578743-Where-is-my-book-my-order-has-not-arrived

We are pleased to have resolved this matter directly with you in the interim period and offered a positive solution since you wrote your review and your order has been received. If our Customer Service team can be of further assistance in any way further regarding your experience, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Thank you again for writing your review for Blackwell’s, we appreciate all customer feedback received and thank you for your time.

With best wishes,

Blackwell’s Online Customer Service

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ordered book as a birthday gift well in…

Ordered book as a birthday gift well in advance. Didn’t arrive, no email update. Chased up to be told it was delayed - so why not email me to let me know. Absolutely useless. Cancelled & had to buy elsewhere.

23 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear J.Hartley,

Thank you for writing your review on your experience of ordering with Blackwell’s, we appreciate all customer feedback and thank you for your time.

We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused in your order being delayed in dispatching on this occasion, especially as it was required as a gift. We are sorry for your order taking longer than the usually dispatched within timescale advised at the time of ordering. Although we will always aim to dispatch an order within the usually dispatched within timescale, due to items requiring to travel in transit from our stock locations to our Distribution Centre, we apologise that an unexpected delay occurred in transit for your order which regretfully resulted in cancellation on this occasion. If we can be of further support in relation to your experience, please do not hesitate to email us on blackwell.online@blackwell.co.uk and our Customer Service team would be pleased to be of service.

Please accept our sincere apologies again that we were unable to provide your order and for the inconvenience caused due to this cancellation.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Baking book arrived oversea safely

I ordered baking book and it arrived oversea quickly within a week's time. Although the book itself was not wrapped with plastic wrap, the carton envelope kept the book safe and sound.

18 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Jan,

Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. It is great to hear you were pleased with the speed of your order arriving, especially with it being received within a week for international delivery on this occasion. We hope you enjoy your purchase and look forward to being of service again in the future for your next book shopping experience.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great customer service

Great customer service. Fast, responsive, helpfull and generally nice to talk to. When a parcell arrived opened with a book missing, offered me a replacement immediately.

18 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Ronen,

Thank you for reviewing your experience of Blackwell's. Although we are very sorry again for your order not arriving safely with you, we are pleased to have resolved it as quickly as possible by sending a replacement book to you. We hope this arrives safely with you soon and you are pleased with your order upon arrival. Thank you for purchasing with Blackwell's, if we can be of further support in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we will happily assist.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic service & value

I received a book in Melbourne Australia within a week of ordering with free shipping & the price was better than I can get here too. Fantastic service & value.

2 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Andrew Juryszkewycz,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. It is amazing to learn your book arrived with you so quickly in Australia and that you were pleased with the level of service received and the price paid. We hope you enjoy your purchase and look forward to being of service again in the future for your next reads. Thank you for purchasing with Blackwell's.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Customer service was excellent

Customer service was excellent, quick and helpful. My book was sent back due to some complication, which I explained and they offered me a full refund or a replacement copy. 10/10 experience, I recommend buying from them .

18 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Kristóf Zsidei,

Thank you for reviewing your experience of ordering with Blackwell's. Although we are sorry that you did not receive your order smoothly initially, we are pleased to have assisted with resolving this matter with you swiftly upon being notified. We are pleased that you felt supported and that from this experience you would recommend our service to others. Thank you for purchasing your books with Blackwell's, we look forward to welcoming you again for your future book shopping.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

fast shipping to the US and great…

fast shipping to the US and great service.

18 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Nate Bolduc,

Thank you for reviewing your experience of ordering with Blackwell's. It is great to hear you would rate our service due to speed of delivery to the US and the service received. We look forward to providing books to you again soon, thank you for purchasing your books with Blackwell's.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Stellar Customer Service

In several years of ordering books from Blackwells London to be shipped to Los Angeles, I have never had a problem. Hardcovers arrive undamaged in a sturdy book package. But their customer service is really the crown jewel of this company: Just a couple of weeks ago, they informed me that they were sending another (John of John) because during packing they didn't like the condition the original book was in.
Any other company would have just sent out the imperfect conditioned book without giving it another thought.
All customer emails are answered promptly and I am seriously impressed with the way all of Blackwells employees conduct themselves:
With professionalism and love for books.

1 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Monika Reasoner,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's, we appreciate all customer feedback and thank your time in providing. It is lovely to hear you have been a customer with us for years and that you have always been pleased with your books purchased. Although we are sorry for the slight delay in receiving your copy of 'John of John', we would never wish to send out a book that has been deemed damaged by our colleagues in our Distribution Centre. Thank you for your patience and understanding whilst we arranged a replacement copy to be sent out to you. We hope you enjoy reading upon arrival soon.

Thank you for purchasing your books with Blackwell's. We look forward to being of service again in the future for your next book shopping experience.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I made a mistake with my email address...

I was alarmed when I got no confirmation email for my order, and guessed I must have made a mistake with my email address. When I contacted Blackwells I got a very reassuring email back confirming the mistake I had made and giving me all the information that I would have got had I not made the mistake, and explaining that they couldn't resend the confirmation email. The way they handled it was excellent and everything went smoothly from there.

2 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Angela,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. Our Customer Service team are always delighted to assist with order queries and it is our pleasure in resolving your email address typing error. We hope your order arrives safely with you soon and you are pleased with your purchase. Thank you for shopping with Blackwell's.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had a query about availability of a newly published book

I had a query about availability of a book for which I as getting conflicting publication dates from various booksellers. I contacted Blackwells to confirm that they did indeed have the most recent edition available for sale.
My query was promptly responded to (thanks Arwa Deif) explaining that Blackwells were indeed selling the most recent edition and also received an explanation of what the various publication dates actually mean.
I have placed my order and am looking forward to receiving the book in due course.
Great customer service.

12 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear David French,

Thank you for writing your review for Blackwell's. We are always happy to support with any book queries and it is great to hear we helped with ensuring you purchased the correct edition to your needs. Thank you for placing your order with us, we hope your book arrives safely with you soon and you are pleased with your purchase. If our Customer Service team can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The costumer service is outstanding as…

The costumer service is outstanding as the reply to a question email was quick, helpful and polite. The books are furthermore in great condition and feel very high quality. Definitely recommended for everyone intersted in reading

10 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Justus Borchers,

Thank you for sharing your review for Blackwell's. We are thrilled that you felt supported when contacting our Customer Service team and that you were pleased with your books upon arrival. Thank you for purchasing your books with us and for recommending our service to others. We hope to be of assistance again soon for your next reads.

With best wishes,

Blackwell's Online Customer Service

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Books never arrived, worst shipping updates - repeatedly lied to

I was told repeatedly that the shipping was on track - even though the status showed an error. Only to check again nearly 15 days later to see that the package never left the country and there was processing issues. I cannot even put into words how horrific this experience has been.

10 June 2026
Unprompted review
Blackwells.co.uk logo

Reply from Blackwells.co.uk

Dear Madina Yari

Thank you for reviewing your experience of ordering with Blackwell’s, we appreciate all feedback received from our customers and thank you for your time.

We apologise profusely for your experience on this occasion and that there was an error with the delivery, this is a highly unusual event and we are sorry this this happened with your order. We wish to assure this is not the level of service we expect from our postal services and it is a rare occurrence for parcels to be returned to sender. If a parcel is returned to sender, it normally means there is either sadly damage to the parcel itself or an error with the address provided to us. With international deliveries, we will always advise to please allow time for tracking to update, with deliveries usually taking 10-15 business days to arrive, up to 25 business days. It is regretful that your order upon updating on the tracking advised that it was being returned to sender and we apologise for the upset and inconvenience this occurring caused. Our Customer Service team have supported and resolved this matter directly with you upon this notification being advised but if we can be of further support in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

We hope you will consider ordering from us again in the future, so we can showcase the level of service we always aim to provide. Please accept our sincere apologies again for your order not being successfully delivered on this occasion due to a postal return to sender by the postal services

With best wishes,

Blackwell’s Online Customer Service

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