Berkeley Review books

[BerkReviewTeach]

Due to a recent influx of messages and questions about our used books, I think it might be the perfect time to post about our books and what is out there in terms of used versions. When it comes to buying and selling used books, SDN is your safest bet (IMO). If you are a buyer looking to pick up used books and you are worried it's a scam, then don't buy. If you are a seller and think the buyer is trying to scam you, then don't sell.

I'm going to post some of the common questions I get.

Question: How can I tell which books are the latest?

Answer: We went to a different color scheme in late 2015. The newest physics have a green cover. The newest organic chemistry and general chemistry have a bluish-white cover. The psychology book has a purple cover. The biology books retained the traditional tan cover. All of these have been updated and should have a copyright date of 2015 or 2016. Only people who bought books in April 2016 or later could have our latest version of everything.

Question: How can I protect myself?

Answer: If you are a buyer, ask for pictures and page counts. This will help you avoid the pdf scam and allow you to make sure they are the latest ones. Know the prices for brand new books and use common sense about used prices. Used BR books are the most expensive; this has been the case for the last twenty years. If someone has a price that seems too good to be true or if they are willing to lower their price too easily, then be leery. If you are a seller, send pictures but be careful if you are asked for unusual personal requests. Hopefully your transactions are smooth, but sometimes they are not.

Because it is often our former students or people who purchased books directly from us that are selling books, we care about them not getting ripped off by a buyer. Paypal gives the buyer a chance to collect books and then reverse the charges, leaving the seller high and dry. Protect yourself as best you can, but you must have some trust at some point. They say "buyer beware", but you might also want to add "seller beware." Everyone be careful.

Question: How long have the new books been out?

Answer: The most up-to-date biology books were last modified in Summer of 2015 (in time for the Summer 2015 classes). The most up-to-date psychology books were last modified in late 2015 (in time for the Fall 2015 classes). The most up-to-date organic chemistry books were last modified at the end of 2015. The most up-to-date general chemistry books were last modified in February 2016. The most up-to-date physics books were last modified in April 2016. The CARS books is due out in June 2016.

Question: What is the best way to buy used books?

Answer: I cannot answer this for you. Everything is different. I personally would never trust Craigslist for MCAT materials. I'd be careful with Ebay because secondary sellers often have no idea what they are selling. You may think Ebay makes it reputable, but be careful with this reasoning. I'd trust SDN most of anywhere, because to find this place you must have some knowledge of pre health life.

Question: How much are the latest books used?

Answer: We do not sell used books. Brand new a full set costs $394 for the absolute latest versions. If I were selling a full set of the absolute latest books (and this is my personal opinion), I would take no less than $320, because I know they could use them and then sell them for at least $300. I would sell the absolute latest of organic chemistry, general chemistry, or physics for $60 each, because there are so few out there and they have so many more passages than the older ones.

I hope this reduces the number of messages I get, but somehow get a feeling it will lead to more questions.

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[joe7456]

I just received the Physics and General Chemistry books from The Berkeley Review. You guys need to be careful with shipping. The books sent arrived damaged. There was no bubble wrapping or any defensive material to protect the books in the box, and as a result they box and the books collided with damage.

I am reaching out to resolve this issue. I think it is only fair to receive a refund for the shipping and a partial refund for the damage of the books, which are not brand new and look like used condition. I will gladly show pictures of my receipt and the damaged books.

If this is not resolved, I will sing like Johnny Cash throughout SDN, Amazon, and any other social network I can describing the way TBR handled me as a customer, and the books sent to me.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I just received the Physics and General Chemistry books from The Berkeley Review. You guys need to be careful with shipping. The books sent arrived damaged. There was no bubble wrapping or any defensive material to protect the books in the box, and as a result they box and the books collided with damage.

I am reaching out to resolve this issue. I think it is only fair to receive a refund for the shipping and a partial refund for the damage of the books, which are not brand new and look like used condition. I will gladly show pictures of my receipt and the damaged books.

I am sorry this happened, as well as a little surprised. The boxes are precisely measured to fit the books so that there is no sliding whatsoever, so the person packing the books must have used the wrong box. The boxes themselves are plus grade for heavy durability during shipping, so I assume the box stayed intact and that you are saying that the corners of your pages got bent. I've seen the Post Office screw things up with their processing machines, but very rarely does FedEx do such a thing. You should submit a picture of the damaged books to the office, as they handle such problems. In general, they send a second set of books as opposed to issuing a refund for the books.

If this is not resolved, I will sing like Johnny Cash throughout SDN, Amazon, and any other social network I can describing the way TBR handled me as a customer, and the books sent to me.

The vast majority of students I deal with are very positive people who from deep in their heart want to go into medicine to help others. They are hardworking, good-natured people who are driven to do well in all aspects of academics. It is such an honor and pleasure to spend time around them. Unfortunately this has spoiled me over the years and in all honesty I don't really know how to deal with threats and vitriol as someone's first choice option. I have noticed this attitude in a few of your posts and I'm not sure why you have issued a threat in your first message. Let's try to resolve this damaged book issue first and foremost. If you are unhappy with the results, then you will opt to do whatever you opt to do. I sincerely hope you are happy with the results, but understand that there is the chance you won't be.

 

[joe7456]

Look, I'm sorry I come across abrasive. My intentions are meant well, but I am rough around the edges sometimes. I should be more understanding and patient, but I get impulsive sometimes. I am working on this and I appreciate the way you have addressed it with me. The issue has been resolved with TBR.

I would still advise TBR to package their books with bubble wrap, newspaper, or something protective as my books had a tumbly ride form CA to GA. I would suggest you encourage the wrapping of books in some way so that this does not occur in the future not only because of the way the books were damaged, but also it shows that TBR actually cares about the condition of an individual's books.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

We have experimented with bubble wrap, liner sheets, and padding, and after all the different trials, it ends up that the double thick boxes with precise dimensions actually work the best in terms of protecting the books.

I'm glad it worked out with the office. I assume they sent you a second set of books, which is generally the policy when books are damaged. I also noticed that you are now selling brand new BR books, so I assume that means you got the second set in pristine condition and decided to sell those new ones and use the first set for studying.