AbeBooks UK Buyer Help: Ordering

How can I order books?

Placing an order on AbeBooks is easy and safe.

Please see below for step-by-step instructions:

Once you have performed a search for the item you would like to purchase click on the [Add to Basket] button on the right-hand side of the page

If you wish to continue shopping you can easily do so by clicking on the [AbeBooks Home] button at the bottom of the page

If you are on the search page and wish to view your shopping basket, you can click on the basket symbol at the top of the page

Once in your shopping basket you can [Proceed to Checkout]. After you proceed to checkout you will be requested to enter your Payment Details

From the Payment Method drop-down menu you are given several options. However, if you are ordering several items from various booksellers, then options provided will be those payment methods which all booksellers accept . For more information on payment methods please click here

After you have selected a payment method you will be asked to enter your shipping address. If you wish to ship to an address other than your billing address, you can change the address at this stage

Please note: If you have selected a preferred shipping address you will skip this step. You can edit your address on the order summary page. For more information about managing your shipping address please click here.

You will be then be presented with your order summary. Please check the details carefully. If you would like to update either the shipping address or the payment type simply click [Edit] next to the information you would like to edit. If you would like to change the shipping speed, you can do this from the drop down menu.

Tip: If you would like to remove an item at this stage, please click on the shopping basket icon at the top right of the page. You will then be able to add or remove any books.

When you have reviewed the details, confirmed your payment method, and ensured that your shipping address is correct you can click on [Place Order Now]

You will be redirected to a page thanking you for your order and an email confirming that your order has been successfully placed will be sent to you

Note: When using a credit card to pay for your order you are not automatically charged. Instead, your details are stored on our secure server until the bookseller processes your order; this is a maximum of up to 4 days. Please be assured that your card details are not shared with any third party.

Your credit card is only charged when the bookseller updates your order and marks it as Shipped. Each bookseller's portion of an order is charged separately so there can be multiple transactions for one order depending on how many booksellers you are ordering from. You can view the status of your orders in your account by clicking View My Orders.

If you have chosen a payment method other than credit card, the bookseller should contact you to arrange payment. The final status update in your AbeBooks order details will be Availability Confirmed.

If you have an AbeBooks voucher, please click here for instructions on how to redeem it.

For further information:

How can I track my purchases?

How can I find a book?

How can I browse for books?

How can I get more information about a book?

I was not able to find a book. How can I add a Want?

How can I pay and what payment methods do you accept?

On AbeBooks there are a number of payment methods which you can choose from.

I wish to pay with Credit Card

You can pay for all orders using the following cards:

Visa - MasterCard - American Express

When purchasing with a credit card, our external payment service provider processes the payment on behalf of the bookseller. This also means that should a refund be necessary our external payment service provider can also complete the refund.

Please be assured that you credit card information is secure. If you wish to review our credit card security in more detail please click here.

With your security in mind, we would like to note that you should not send your credit card information via email, and you should always log off after every session.

I wish to pay with an alternative payment method

In addition to the above cards, each individual bookseller can choose to accept alternative payment methods. For these payment methods, payment is arranged directly between yourself and the bookseller.

PayPal
Bank/Wire Transfer
Cheque (Check)
Bank Draft/Money Order
Invoice
Direct Debit
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Cash

From any search results, you can view the bookseller's accepted payment methods by clicking on the bookseller's name in the search results page.

To view a bookseller's Accepted Payment Methods click on the link "Bookseller & Payment Information" located below the book description on the search results page:

Then click on the left tab [Bookseller & Payment Information].

On the right side is a list of Payment Methods which that particular bookseller accepts.

For more information on ordering please click here.

When choosing one of the above payment methods, the bookseller will contact you to arrange payment. You can also contact the bookseller:

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

Overview of payment methods accepted

Below you can see a full overview of payment methods accepted by AbeBooks and the booksellers.

Payment Method	How to Pay?	Notes
Credit/Debit Cards*	Cards which have any of the above logos on them are accepted. When purchasing select "Credit Card" and enter your card details via our secure server. Card payments are process by our external payment service provider. Should payment be declined for whatever reason we will notify you and restore the book online for you to re-order	Unfortunately at present we are unable to accept Maestro and Solo cards. Accepted cards are only charged when an order has been processed by the bookseller.
PayPal	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 our external payment service provider system, so once the bookseller processes the order, you will need to make the payment through your PayPal account
Bank/Wire Transfer	After order placement the bookseller will provide you with their bank details and confirm the total order value	Shipment will take place after payment has been received. It usually takes 5-7 days for a transferred amount to show as a credit
Cheque (Check)	After order placement the bookseller will provide you with their postal address and confirm the total order value	Shipment will take place after payment has been received
Bank Draft/ Money Order	After order placement the bookseller will provide you with their postal address and confirm the total order value	Shipment will take place after payment has been received
Invoice	After order placement the bookseller ships the order and an invoice bill in the package, which needs to be settled upon receipt	If booksellers offer this payment method it is usually only for national shipment
Direct Debit	After order placement the bookseller will confirm the total order value. You then need to arrange with your bank the direct debit setup and then notify the bookseller who then makes the charge	If booksellers offer this payment method it is only for national shipment
Cash On Delivery (COD)	After order placement the bookseller ships the order and upon delivery the order amount is paid in cash to the postal delivery service	If booksellers offer this payment method it is only for national shipment
Cash	After order placement the bookseller will provide you with their postal address and confirm the total order value	This payment is usually chosen if no other method can be used

* Please be assured that our credit card server is completely secure and your credit card number is deleted once your payment has been processed, unless you have stored it on your account. For details regarding AbeBooks security please click here. If you are not comfortable using a credit card online, please use one of the bookseller's other acceptable payment methods.

Important notes:

Once you have completed your order, it is not possible to change your payment method. If you have selected to pay by credit card, you will need to cancel your order and reorder selecting a different payment method.

If you have chosen a payment method, that is not credit card, you can arrange directly with the bookseller to pay by different means.

How can I send a book as a gift to another person?

On AbeBooks you may wish to place an order and have it shipped to a third party as a gift. To send an order to an alternative shipping address simply follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. Once you have located the book that you would like to purchase, click [Add to Basket] from the search results page
2. To purchase the book click [Proceed to Checkout]
3. Select a payment method and click [Save and Continue]

4. After you have selected a payment method you will be asked to enter your shipping address
5. You will be now presented with your order summary. Please check the details carefully. If you would like to update either the shipping address or the payment type simply click [Edit] next to the information you would like to edit. If you would like to change the shipping speed this can be done from the drop down menu
6. To place your order select [Place Order now]

You will be redirected to a page thanking you for your order and an email confirming that your order has been successfully placed will be sent to you.

Note: This information is also helpful if you wish to place an order whereby you need to use a different billing and shipping address. Follow the steps above to have your book shipped to you at a different location to your billing address.

How can I get an invoice for my order?

We understand that you may need an invoice or statement for your order. The email confirming that the bookseller has processed the order is stored in your account under [View My Emails]. As the bookseller is your legal trading partner AbeBooks can only provide you with this email confirmation.

Tip: When you place the order, there is an option to enter the special instructions, state here that you would like to receive an invoice with the book when it is shipped to you.

If you have already received your book and need an invoice please contact the bookseller directly. To contact the bookseller from your AbeBooks account:

1. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
2. Find the order in question and then click [Contact Bookseller]
4. 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
5. Complete the form and click on the "Send" button. An email is sent to the bookseller on your behalf, and a copy is saved in your AbeBooks account.

What are your shipping rates?

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 the buyer, 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 seller’s inventory
         • Browse the seller’s inventory
         • Ask the bookseller a question
         • View the Bookseller’s homepage

Some booksellers offer free shipping within the UK.
Visit our Free Shipping Room!

Extra Shipping Requests

Occasionally a bookseller may find that the shipping fee quoted on AbeBooks will not cover the costs of shipping your order to you. This may be for a number of reasons; the item may be heavy and cost more to ship, the seller may need to insure the book if it is expensive.

This is subject to your agreement, if the seller requests extra shipping we will notify you via email. You can accept or reject the extra shipping costs by clicking on the link in the email, alternatively you can accept/reject via your AbeBooks account. To do so:

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

2. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu

3. Follow the link [Click here to update the extra charges]

We will then let the bookseller know your decision. If you accept the charges the bookseller will process the order which will charge your credit card once for the full amount (amount you agreed to originally plus the charges). Then the seller will ship the book to you.

If you reject the extra shipping we let the bookseller know, they can either accept the order and make a loss on the postage or cancel the order. As soon as the seller updates the order we will again let you know via email.

How can I track my order?

Thank you for ordering on AbeBooks.co.uk. Once you have placed your order successfully, we notify the bookseller. The bookseller will then update the order online or contact you via email if you are paying via a method other than credit card. When the order is updated to “Shipped” or “Availability Confirmed”, or if it is cancelled, we will notify you via email. However, we also suggest that you track your order online via your AbeBooks account.

To Track Your Orders:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account
2. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu

For your reference, we have provided the definitions of the different statuses displayed with orders:

Ordered - an email request has been sent to the Bookseller on your behalf to order the book
Availability Confirmed - the bookseller has confirmed your order and will ship it upon processing or receipt of payment; the status of this order will not change to "Shipped". If payment details need to be arranged, the bookseller will contact you.
Shipped - the book has been shipped to you
Cancelled - you or the bookseller has cancelled the order
Item Unavailable - the book was no longer available when the Bookseller received your order

If you are unable to locate your order via your list of purchases it is most likely that the order was not placed successfully so we recommend that you check your shopping basket as the item will be stored here if your order was not successful. You can then attempt to place your order again.

For further details about your order, please contact the bookseller:

3. Find the book in question and then click [Contact Bookseller]

4. 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

5. Complete the form and click on the "Send" button

Your enquiry is then sent via email to the bookseller on your behalf, and a copy is saved in your AbeBooks online account.

How can I contact the Bookseller?

AbeBooks provides an online marketplace for booksellers and book buyers and the means for them to interact with each other. We do not actually own books ourselves. We encourage you to communicate with the bookseller.

If you have specific questions about a book that is listed online you will need to contact the bookseller, who will best be able to answer your questions.

To contact a bookseller from the search results:

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

You will be sent an email confirmation of your enquiry. AbeBooks will also retain a copy.

If you are contacting the bookseller about a book that you have already purchased, please contact the bookseller from your AbeBooks account.

To contact a bookseller from your order tracking page:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account
2. Select [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
3. Find the order you are looking for
4. Click [Contact Bookseller] to enquire

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

Have an AbeBooks voucher?

Redeeming your Voucher

You can save on your AbeBooks.co.uk purchase by redeeming an AbeBooks voucher code that has been provided to you.

To redeem your voucher:

Add all books you wish to purchase to your shopping basket
Make sure to verify the title, price, and quantity are correct for each item
Select your preferred Shipping Speed from the drop-down menus below each item
At the bottom of the shopping basket, you will see a field where you must enter your coupon code, the click [Update]

Please note that if you have several books in your shopping basket you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page.

Ensuring your voucher has been applied: Once you have entered your voucher code, you will see the savings applied to your order below the order total.

IMPORTANT NOTE: On the Order Summary screen, you will be given the opportunity to verify your order details, including whether or not your voucher discount has been applied to your order total.

If you do not see your voucher discount applied on this page, do NOT click the [Place Order Now] button - instead, go back and enter your voucher code again by clicking the [basket] link at the top right of the page.

As you shop, please bear the following important information in mind:

Purchases must be made via AbeBooks.co.uk
Acceptable payment methods for voucher discounts are Visa, MasterCard, American Express & JCB.
Voucher are applicable to the book cost only; the discount cannot be applied to shipping costs.
Due to legal restrictions in some countries, certain items may not be eligible for coupon discounts.
Read our Voucher Terms and Conditions
AbeBooks offers vouchers for promotional purposes to select groups of customers only. They are not available for purchase and we do not issue them on request.

For more information:

How can I find a book?

How can I browse for books?

How can I get more information about a book?

I was not able to find a book. How can I add a Want?

How can I pay and what payment methods do you accept?