The TOP 10 Ethical Online Book Sellers
NB: This top 10 was carried out in 2017. See the up to date ratings here.
Contribute to the up to date ratings here.
The TOP 10 ethical book sellers for consumer satisfaction (2017)
1. Wordery (NB: Wordery have since been bought out and score so badly that we have removed them completely from the Ethical Bookseller Search Tool)
Total rating: 37/50 = 74%
2. Books Etc.
Total rating: 36/50 = 72%
3. Hive
Total rating: 35.5/50 = 71%
4. Guardian Bookshop
Total rating: 34/50 – 68%
5= Foyles (NB: Foyles have since been bought out and score so badly that we have removed them completely from the Ethical Bookseller Search Tool)
Total rating: 30/45 = 66%
5= Better World Books
Total rating: 33/50 = 66%
7. Near St.
Total rating: 27/45 = 60%
8= Blackwells (NB: Blackwells have since been bought out and score so badly that we have removed them completely from the Ethical Bookseller Search Tool)
Total rating: 28/50 = 56%
8= Oxfam Books
Total rating: 28/50 = 56%
10. The Book People
Total rating: 27/50 = 54%
The Method
Having identified the ten most ethical, non-tax avoiding online booksellers* using Ethical Consumer magazine’s Ethiscore system, I made purchases from each of them in order to rate the consumer experience.
I issued stars (0-5 for each of 6 categories) and then added the total stars (out of 30) to the Ethicscore given by Ethical Consumer Magazine (out of 20) to give a total score out of 50. Doubling that gives the overall percentage and from it I created my definitive TOP 10 list of the best places to buy books online without using Amazon and other tax avoiders.
*I’ve not included any book sellers who got an Ethiscore of lower than 8 out of 20 in Ethical Consumer Magazine’s rankings. I’ve also omitted Alibris, Waterstones and WHSmith as they all have likely involvement in tax avoidance strategies according to Ethical Consumer Magazine. So, the 10 in my list all have an Ethiscore of 8 or higher and are not likely to be involved in tax avoidance.
The 6 categories chosen for consumer experience
The 6 categories I have chosen to rate the book sellers for are as follows:
1. Website usability
1 star given for each of the following attributes:
– Website speed
– Modern site (mobile-optimised) with easy navigation (inc Quick add to cart option)
– Search bar available on all pages
– FAQs & delivery easily accessible with delivery options easily available on purchase
– Detailed & Accurate product description and user reviews
2. Delivery Charge
Free = *****
Under 50p = ****
Under £1.50 = ***
Under £2.50 = **
Under £3.50 = *
Over £3.50 = 0 stars
3. Delivery Time
Next day = *****
2 working days = ****
3 working days = ***
4 working days = **
5 working days = *
6+ working days = 0 stars
NB: Most of the book sellers offer guaranteed next day delivery for an extra charge, but I’ve focussed on the speed of their standard delivery rate.
4. Price Compared with Amazon
Cheaper than Amazon = *****
Same as Amazon = ****
Up to £1 more = ***
Up to £2 more = **
Up to £3 more = *
Over £3 more = 0 stars
5. Use of Packaging
Fully recyclable, recycled, protective & minimal = *****
As above but instead of being recycled the packaging is from a certified sustainable source = ****
Containing 3 of the 4 attributes from the 4 star line = ***
Containing 2 of the 4 attributes from the 4 star line = **
Containing 1 of the 4 attributes from the 4 star line = *
None of the attributes = 0 stars
6. Range of books
Tens of millions = *****
Millions = ****
Hundreds of thousands = ***
Tens of thousands = **
Thousands = *
Less than a 1000 = 0 stars
I carried this out over a period of 2 months. Every time I wanted a new book, or new a friend or family member wanted one, I searched for it the next platform along alphabetically. All prices referenced on the book sellers’ websites were correct at the time of purchasing (Spring 2017).
A Break Down of Each Book Seller’s Ratings
Better World Books
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. User reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
The description was poor. I was told the book was in ‘very good condition’ and it definitely wasn’t.
SPEED: **
It arrived in 4 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: *****
Free delivery
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£5.96 v £6.99)
PACKAGING: *
No protection. Dark plastic wrapping. Neither recycled nor recyclable. One star as the packaging used was ‘minimal’.
RANGE OF BOOKS: ****
‘Millions’ according to their homepage.
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 12/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 33/50 = 66%
——
Blackwell’s
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
No reviews section for individual books.
SPEED: ***
It arrived in 3 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: **
£2.50
BOOK PRICE: ****
Same as Amazon (£6.99)
PACKAGING: *
Plastic bubble wrap used, which is not good for recycling. Not recycled. Envelope larger than necessary. Only one star gained, for being well protected.
RANGE OF BOOKS: ****
9 million
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 10/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 28/50 = 56%
——
BOOKS etc.
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
The site is not quite as slick looking as some others but in terms of speed and functionality it works perfectly on desktop. However, it is the only site of the ten not optimised for mobile devices so loses a star for that.
SPEED: ***
It arrived in 3 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: *****
Free delivery
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£12.32 v £13.40)
PACKAGING: ****
Lil Packaging used = Recyclable. Minimal. Well protected. Not recycled card but it is PEC certified from sustainable sources.
RANGE OF BOOKS: ****
Over 8 million
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 11/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 37/50 = 74%
——
Foyles
WEBSITE USABILITY: *****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
SPEED: *****
It arrived in 1 working day
POSTAGE PRICE: *****
Free delivery
BOOK PRICE: **
More expensive than Amazon (£12.99 v £11.43)
PACKAGING: ***
Card. Minimal. Protective. Recyclable. Not recycled nor stamped as certified sustainable.
RANGE OF BOOKS: n/a
At the time of writing there was nowhere on their website or social media that gave a figure. I tried contacting support twice to find an answer but they didn’t respond to either of my queries. I have therefore left this category out of their rating. Their total score has been adjusted to be out of 45 instead of 50 as a result.
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 10/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 30/45 = 66%
——
Guardian Bookshop
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
No quick add to cart option.
SPEED: *****
It arrived in 1 working day
POSTAGE PRICE: **
£1.99
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£8.99 v £10.49)
PACKAGING: ***
Card. Minimal. Protective. Recyclable. Not recycled nor stamped as certified sustainable.
RANGE OF BOOKS: ***
200,000
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 12/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 34/50 – 68%
——
Hive
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive
No reviews section for individual books.
SPEED: ***
It arrived in 3 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: *****
Free delivery
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£7.15 v £8.99)
PACKAGING: ****
Lil Packaging used = Recyclable. Minimal. Well protected. Not recycled card but it is PEC certified from sustainable sources.
RANGE OF BOOKS: ****
They are connected to 100s of independent book shops (with “over a million products at competitive prices”)
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 10.5/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 35.5/50 = 71%
——
Near St.
NB: This website only serves people in London because their stock is independent bookstores in the capital, and they deliver by bicycle.
WEBSITE USABILITY: ***
+ive:
Fast. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews.
-ive:
Minus 1 star for the map function not working properly on website. This is quite an important part of this site as it locates books closest to you and displays them on the map. When I clicked on the location of a shop I got a map of the whole of London with no location pinpoints. The map was also larger than my screen size, meaning that the ‘X’ to close it was not visible, so I had to zoom out in my browser in order to do make it smaller so that I could find the ‘X’ and close it. Also minus 1 star for the delivery info: General info on the delivery options and costs were not easy to find on the website. Essentially this site is geared towards a click and collect format from a book shop nearby your location. However, they do offer delivery by bicycle courier for all items, so the info should be clear to see.
SPEED: *****
They offer delivery within hours via bicycle courier!
POSTAGE PRICE: 0 stars
The closest book available was a 75 min walk away from the location I chose in Ealing and that was going to cost an extra £8 to be couriered by bike, almost doubling the cost of the book.
BOOK PRICE: ****
Same as Amazon (£8.99)
PACKAGING: n/a
As I don’t live in London I didn’t go through with a purchase so don’t know about the packaging. Their total score has been adjusted to be out of 45 instead of 50 as a result.
RANGE OF BOOKS: **
The range of books available to you from Near St. depends where in London you live. I searched for books near Ealing and the closest book shop associated with them was a 75 minute walk away.
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 13/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 27/45 = 60%
——
Oxfam Books
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Detailed product descriptions. (Reviews not applicable as their stock is always different depending on donations received.) All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
No quick add to cart option
SPEED: **
It arrived in 4 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: 0 stars
£3.95
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£1.49 v £6.94)
PACKAGING: *
One star for being minimal. Black plastic used. Not protective. Not recycled or recyclable.
RANGE OF BOOKS: **
60,000+
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 14/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 28/50 = 56%
——
The Book People
WEBSITE USABILITY: ****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
-ive:
No quick add to cart option
SPEED: ****
It arrived in 2 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: *
£2.95
BOOK PRICE: ****
Sam as Amazon (£3.60)
PACKAGING: ****
Lil Packaging used = Recyclable. Minimal. Well protected. Not recycled card but it is PEC certified from sustainable sources.
RANGE OF BOOKS: **
Tens of thousands (“over 100,000 books, toys, gifts & stationery”)
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 8/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 27/50 = 54%
——
Wordery
WEBSITE USABILITY: *****
+ive:
Fast. Easy navigation. Search bar available on all pages. Modern site. FAQs, delivery info easily accessible. Quick add to cart option. Detailed product descriptions and user reviews. All delivery options available on purchase.
SPEED: ****
It arrived in 2 working days
POSTAGE PRICE: *****
Free delivery
BOOK PRICE: *****
Cheaper than Amazon (£6.97 v £7.23)
PACKAGING: ***
Cardboard. Well Protected. Minimal. Recyclable, not recycled.
RANGE OF BOOKS: *****
Over 10 million!
Ethiscore from Ethical Consumer Magazine: 10/20
TOTAL STAR RATING: 37 out of 50 = 74%
————
This tool for buying books ethically is very useful; thank you for all the hard work and care that has gone into its creation. It would be even more useful if one could search by ISBN as well.
Thanks Philip. I’m glad you’re finding it useful. The tool does work when searching via ISBN as well. Simply enter the 13 figure ISBN number in to the search bar and the book should appear. I just tried searching for Kate Humble’s latest book (because I’m in it!) via the ISBN 9781783253425 and it does indeed give the correct result. If there’s something in particular not working for you please do let me know the details and I’ll investigate. Cheers, Sam
What about world of books? I notice that they are a b corp but I don’t know much more about them? Any thoughts?
Hi Elise. World of Books are included in my ethical bookseller search tool. You can read more about them on my Amazon Alternatives page.
Hi Sam, thanks for doing this. I used to buy some books I could not get in New Zealand from Amazon but stopped when I read about the horrible treatment of their workers. I would suggest adding worker conditions as one of theethical areas you take into consideration.
Hi Peter,
Worker conditions are very much one of the areas taken in to consideration. This along with other ethical factors comes under the Ethical Consumer rating taken in to account already. I then added the customer satisfaction on top of these.
Cheers,
Sam
Hi Sam, both Wordery and Waterstone is owned by Elliott Advisors – an American investment management firm. Its founder is Paul Singer. So, I suppose, one thing is that they pay all their taxes – as they should do as a given – but another thing is that when I buy a book through them I support a company as Elliott Advisors. Just a little research on the internet shows that they are not the most benign of investment firms! So, I’d be interested to hear if you know what book sellers avoid being in the hands of such companies. What booksellers are truly independent, and not part of bigger whole that does great damage to the earth – even if one specific bookshop branch of the company does pay their taxes. Thank you, Charlotte
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for getting in touch and expressing your concern. These were my ratings from 2017 which included Ethical Consumer Magazine’s research and rating for ethics. You can see my up to date ratings here, which include Ethical Consumer’s heavily researched rankings as 50% of the score. (This was only 40% of the score in my 2017 ratings). The remaining 50% is based on consumer satisfaction from readers who submit ratings on the criteria in this form. I also don’t include any bookseller who score less than 7 in Ethical Consumer magazine’s score table of the leading booksellers. Sadly no company is perfect so there always has to be a bar set somewhere – or a cut-off point.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Sam