FAQs

Shipping Rates and Speeds

AbeBooks bookseller members listing on our site set their own shipping rates and times. These rates will vary depending on the location of the bookseller in relation to you, the method of shipping the bookseller uses and whether handling charges are included with the shipping rates.

To view a bookseller’s shipping rates select [Rates & Speeds] from the search results page. If you have specific questions about a book, please contact the bookseller directly. To contact a bookseller:

1. Click on the [Ask Bookseller a Question] link in the search results
2. Enter your inquiry and click [Send Question]

You will be sent an email confirmation of your inquiry. AbeBooks will also retain a copy.
The bookseller will receive your question and reply to you via email.

To obtain additional information about a bookseller:

1. Click the [Bookseller & Payment Information] link in the search results
2. On the right of the screen you are also presented with links to:

         • Search this specific bookseller’s inventory
         • Browse the bookseller’s inventory
         • Ask the bookseller a question
         • View the bookseller’s homepage

Note: If you are in a country where internal customs fees are applied on books this fee is usually covered by the importer of the book.

I do not have a credit card, how can I pay?

We understand that you may wish to pay via a method other than credit card. We would like to explain that booksellers have the option to accept other payment methods such as cheque, bank transfer, PayPal, money order and more..

Tip: Simply click on the bookseller name to view their payment details. This can be done from the search results.

Should you choose to pay by credit card, AbeBooks accepts your payment on behalf of the bookseller. We store your credit card details on our secure server, and they are never shared with anyone.

PayPal Orders:

You may wish to use PayPal to pay for an order. Once you have ordered from a bookseller who accepts PayPal, the bookseller should then contact you with their PayPal details. PayPal is not integrated into the AbeBooks system, so once you have the bookseller’s details, you will need to make the payment through your PayPal account.

Alternatively, you may wish to contact the bookseller directly and ask them to give you the details necessary for making the payment. To contact the bookseller once you are signed onto your AbeBooks account:

1. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
2. Find the book in question and then click [Item Details]
3. Click [Ask the bookseller a question] to enquire. AbeBooks will also have a copy of your enquiry

Please do pay using the payment method which best suits you. However, if you pay via credit card, AbeBooks can assist you more quickly in obtaining a refund if the book is lost in the post.

How can I cancel my order?

Occasionally, you may need to cancel your order after you have placed it online. You can cancel your order before the bookseller has indicated that the book has been shipped.

To cancel your order:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account
2. Select [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
3. Click on the link [Item Details] next to the order that you wish to cancel
4. Here you can cancel the order. Ensure that you click [Cancel] then [Verify]

If the status is ‘Shipped’ you may be able to contact the bookseller before they ship the book. If the status of the order is ‘Shipped’ or ‘Availability Confirmed’ you will no longer be able to cancel the order via your AbeBooks account.

Tip: If the status of the order is ‘Availability Confirmed’ and you have not paid for the order the seller is unlikely to have shipped the book to you. Simply let the bookseller know that you wish to cancel.

1. Click the [Item details] button located to the right of the item
2. Click the [Ask a Question] button
3. On the Book Inquiry page:
   • Ensure your email address in the From text box is correct
   • Enter the subject of your inquiry
   • Type your question to the bookseller
4. Click the [Inquire About This Book] button

An email is sent to the bookseller on your behalf, and a copy is saved in your AbeBooks online account.

My credit card was rejected!

Occasionally, you may find that your order has been cancelled due to the reason ‘Credit Card Rejected’. We would like to kindly reassure you that this decline may be due to many reasons and is no way a reflection of your credit rating.

A credit card can be declined because:

· During the transfer of funds, there was an Internet connection problem

· Your bank or credit card company was having technical issues

· The company that processes credit cards on our behalf was having technical issues

· The credit card number or the expiry date you provided us was incorrect

· Your credit card expired

Click here to search for the book again on AbeBooks and place your order again.

After the credit card is declined for an order, the book is returned to the search results so you can place your order again. It may take us a while to make the book searchable again so please be patient.

If you find your credit card is declined we would appreciated it if you check your details and place the order again. Thank you for using AbeBooks!

I have not received my book – what can I do?

If you feel that your book should have already arrived, please sign onto your account and check the estimated delivery date of your order:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account
2. Select [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
3. Click the [Item details] button located to the right of the item

Here you can view the estimated delivery date of your order. If the order date has passed it would be wise to contact the bookseller, the bookseller can let you know exactly when the book was shipped and if tracking information is available.

If the book was sent without tracking you can request a refund from your AbeBooks account. To allow for postal delays we ask that you allow an additional 7 days after the estimated delivery date before you request your refund.

To request a refund for a book that has not arrived:

4. Click on [Request to Return a Book]
5. Select a reason for the return from the drop-down list (Item did not arrive)
6. Add any additional comments. These comments are displayed to the bookseller
7. Click [Initiate Return/Refund]

Both you and the bookseller will receive confirmation via email that your refund has been initiated. Should the bookseller not be able to provide you with a replacement copy or tracking information within 7 days the refund will be processed automatically.

Should you need to cancel the refund, this can be done within 7 days of initiating it. Sign on to your account and follow the above instructions to cancel your refund.

If you find that the link [Request to Return a Book] is no longer available it is most probably due to the fact that the returns period has passed. You can only request a refund up to 30 days after the estimated delivery date. If this date has passed we kindly ask that you contact the bookseller. The bookseller can still process a refund for you. If you have paid the bookseller directly via debit card or PayPal you may wish to contact your bank/PayPal to dispute the payment.

If you have paid via credit card, please contact us if the bookseller does not reply or resolve the issue for you.

Tip: Always check the estimated delivery date, after one week if the book has not arrived you can request a refund in your account. Within the 7 days, you may wish to check with your local post office to see if delivery has been attempted.

Common Technical Issues

I cannot find some of my orders on my tracking page.

If you are unable to view some of your orders on your Order Tracking Page, it is possible you will need to change the amount of orders that are being shown. The default is for it to show 10 results at a time. Changing the Orders per page to show 25 or 50 orders can assist in locating an order.

Additionally, if you know the Sales Order Number (provided in the email confirmation) of an order, you can enter this at the top to see the items included in that order only.

For further information regarding the order tracking page, click here.

I have not received my Email Confirmation for my order.

If you do not receive an email confirmation after placing your order, there are several things you can do.

Occasionally, automated emails are filtered by your email provider into your SPAM/Junk folder. You may wish to check your SPAM/Junk folder to see if email is there.

AbeBooks email confirmations are stored in your account for up to 30 days and other AbeBooks emails are stored for up to 90 days. You can always check emails we have sent to. To do this simply:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account

2. Click [View My Email]

Here you can view all emails that AbeBooks have sent. You can check a date range or search for emails with a specific word in the subject line. You can also see how much longer the email will be stored in your account.

To check if an order has been placed successfully, check your Order Tracking Page. For further information regarding your order tracking page, click here.

The book price/shipping rate changed when I placed the item in my basket.

If you notice that the item price or the shipping rate change when placing an item into your shopping basket, this is because the bookseller recently updated the price or shipping rate and the changes have not yet been completely updated on the search results. Please be assured that all prices reflected in the shopping basket are the correct and current price.

I cannot proceed to the checkout; I am stuck in a loop.

If you find that when you try to place your order, the page keeps looping back to your shopping basket, this can be caused by your firewall or security software.

To resolve this:

· Add AbeBooks as an exception to your firewall

· Ensure that your browser is set to accept our secure pages

Instructions for the above depend on your operating system and your software.

Alternatively, you could use a different computer to sign on to your account and place your order.

Christmas Shopping Tips

It is never too early to start preparing for Christmas. Below we have provided some tips for your Christmas Shopping on AbeBooks.

Ensure your order arrives before Christmas:

With thousands of member booksellers worldwide, you have great flexibility in choosing which bookseller to purchase from on AbeBooks. To ensure you receive your orders in time for Christmas, the sooner you order the better. As postal services worldwide experience an increase in volume during the Christmas season, you may wish to select the quickest shipping time. You can easily check any bookseller’s shipping rates and times by clicking [Rates & Speeds] from the search results.

Send a book as a gift directly to another person:

On AbeBooks it is easy to have an order shipped to a friend or family member as a gift. Simply follow our step-by-step instructions available on our help pages.

Find booksellers with higher ratings:

You may wish to narrow your searches to only include booksellers with a 4 or 5 star Bookseller Rating. You can do this by using the drop down menu at the top for the search results.

Bookseller Ratings are based on a bookseller's "Completion Rate" which represents the number of successful orders. Booksellers with higher ratings have received fewer returns and have cancelled fewer orders.

Read the item’s description fully before ordering:

AbeBooks booksellers write their own item descriptions. By clicking on the title, you can view the full description plus any bibliographic data that was provided. If you are not sure what a term means you can look it up in the AbeBooks Glossary!

If your order is incorrect, damaged or does not arrive:

Our member booksellers try to ensure the prompt delivery of the correct item in the condition that was stated. If there is an unfortunate situation where this is not the case, we have all the information you need on requesting refunds and returns.

We hope the above will assist you in finding and buying those special gifts for your friends and family this Christmas. Further information can be found on our Help pages.

If you need ideas for your Christmas preparations, take a peek at our Christmas Bookshop!

AbeBooks UK Buyer Help