AbeBooks UK Buyer Help

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.

How do I change my email address?

To change your email address, simply follow the steps below:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account with your previous email address

2. Click [My Account Information] under My Information on your Members Menu

3. Enter your new email address in the fields marked with asterisks

4. Make sure you click [Update Details] to submit your changes

View further details about updating your account information.

How do I change my order details?

Should you wish to change any details of your order, such as the shipping address or payment method, you will first need to check the order status.

If your order has not yet been processed by the bookseller, then you cancel the order by following these instructions and place it again with the correct information.

If the status of your order is [Shipped] or [Availability Confirmed] it indicates that it has already been processed by the bookseller and you can therefore no longer change or cancel the order via your AbeBooks account. You may wish to contact the bookseller directly as it may be possible to stop the shipment of your order if necessary.

To contact the bookseller once you are signed onto your AbeBooks.co.uk account:

1. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
2. Find the order in question and then click [Contact Bookseller]
3. Complete the form and click on the "Send" button

For future reference, if you need to update your shipping address in your AbeBooks.co.uk account, either click on the following link or select “My Address Book” on your account members menu.

How can I contact the bookseller about an order already placed?

Should you need to contact the bookseller about an order you have already placed you can do so via your Abebooks account as follows:

1. Click [View My Orders] under My Orders on your Members Menu
2. Find the order in question and then click [Contact Bookseller]
3. Complete the form and click on the "Send" button

You will be sent an email confirmation of your inquiry. AbeBooks will also retain a copy. If you are contacting a foreign bookseller we recommend that you write in English.

AbeBooks would also like to explain that we guarantee the condition of every book as it is described on our website. You are eligible for a refund within 30 days if dissatisfied due to a bookseller error or if your book fails to arrive.

Learn more about our returns policy

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

AbeBooks gives you the opportunity to add a free "Want" when you are unable find an item you are searching for. Our Wants system is an easy and effective automated matching process for finding books. You can also add a Want to the AbeBooks system if you do a search, but find that the results do not meet your requirements. There is no limited period for the storage of a Want and you can store up to 500 Wants in your AbeBooks.co.uk account.

To add a want from the Search:

1. Complete a search for the book you are looking for:

2. Click [Create a Want] in the column on the right hand side of the page:

3. Type the details of your Want in the appropriate fields and click [Add Want]

To add a want from your account:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.co.uk account
2. Click [List and Maintain My Wants]
3. Then click [Add new Wants to your want inventory]
4. Enter your search criteria and click [Add Want]

Overview of the Wants system

You will receive an email as soon as a matching copy is listed for sale on AbeBooks. The email will contain a link to the listing. Thousands of fresh books are uploaded to our site each day so Wants can be very useful.

If you would prefer to view recent matches online as opposed to via email notification, you can do so in your Abebooks.co.uk account:

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

2. Click [My Recently Matched Wants]

* If you would like to only view your Want matches through your account as opposed to receiving the email notifications, simply contact our Customer Service.

To update a Want from your account:

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

2. Click [List and Maintain My Wants]

3. Then locate the Want and click [Update this Want]

4. Make the desires changes

5. Click the [Update Want] button

To delete a Want from your account:

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

2. Click [List and Maintain My Wants]

3. Then locate the Want and click [Delete this Want]

In the event that a Want match item has already been sold by the time you click on the link contained in the email notification, a "Want match not found" will be displayed. If you decide to purchase a Want match item please follow the instruction above to delete the Want.

To set email preferences:

When adding a new Want or editing an existing one, you will see an option in the lower right-hand corner with the text “Receive email notifications when items matching this Want become available.”

By removing the checkmark and clicking [Update Want], you will no longer be emailed matches for this Want. Instead, you can review your Want Matches by clicking My Recently Matched Wants in the Member Menu.

A Guide to Creating Wants

The Wants system is very specific. It matches exactly to your criteria so it is important to carefully enter what you need. Use distinct terms and do not add too much detail. Your Want is not viewed by a human so so please do not enter instructions such as reading copies only or any title. Do not enter N/A.

If you enter Thomas into the author field then it will match to any book that has Thomas somewhere in the author's name. If you enter Thomas Hardy then it will match to instances where the words Thomas and Hardy are used, including Hardy, Thomas.

Double-check your spelling - a single incorrect letter could mean your request is never matched.

If you are unsure about the title or the author's name, do not guess. Use the AbeBooks' BookSleuth service to find the exact details.

Capitalisation does not affect matching.

There is no need to use punctuation (commas, colons, question marks etc) with the exception of apostrophes and quotation marks where specificity is required. If you use quotation marks around your search term such as "Thomas Hardy" the system will match to exactly Thomas Hardy and not Hardy, Thomas or even T. Hardy.

If you know the book's ISBN (International Standard Book Number) and you just require a reading copy (and not signed copies or first editions) then enter only the ISBN. Books published since 1970 have ISBNs and it is a 10 or 13 digit number.

Avoid entering too much information - use clear, distinct terms especially if you use the keyword field to find books of a particular genre or about a certain subject. If a book has an exceptionally long title, select some key terms from the title.

Avoid using initials - for william T. Vollmann use Vollmann - and try to avoid using a book's sub-title. For instance to find The Gourmet Gardener: Growing Choice Fruits and Vegetables With Spectacular Results by E. Annie Proulx, enter Gourmet Gardener into the title field and Proulx into the author field. That will be sufficient for an accurate match.

If you do not wish to receive matches for print on demand (P.O.D) books, use

the Boolean search. Turn on Boolean, use the keyword field and use NOT to exclude PODs. For instance, enter Gourmet Gardener Proulx NOT print on demand NOT printed on demand.

For examples see below:

Avoid using just a single field unless you have a very distinct term. It could generate too many matches. For instance, inserting a common word like biology into the title field will generate multiple matches on a daily basis.

Be careful with publisher names. For Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, just use Thomas Nelson or even just Nelson. For University of Washington Press, just use Washington. Do use NOT terms like Press or Publishing if possible.

Avoid title like Rev or Sir in the author field. Also avoid jr or Jnr.

Watch our video tutorial:

Searching for Multiple Books from one Seller

Purchasing multiple books from one bookseller can help you to save postage as most booksellers have reduced postage on additional items.

Most booksellers offer this automatically.

From your shopping basket you can search for more books from the same bookseller by clicking the [Browse Books] or [Search Books] links above the book's title in your shopping basket.

In the search results you can view the additional book shipping rates by simply selecting [Rates & Speeds].

You can also search and browse the inventory of just one bookseller at a time. You can choose a bookseller whose name you already know, or search for one by their location:

1. From any AbeBooks page, click [Booksellers] in the red banner
2. Search or browse for a bookstore by name or location
3. Click the [Browse their books] or [Search their books] link next to a bookstore's name to view just their inventory

If you have any further questions regarding the books or about shipping rates you can contact the bookseller directly:

Click the [Ask Bookseller a Question] link from the search results
Click on the link Bookseller’s Name to view their Storefront

For more information on searching please click here.

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?

Identifying AbeBooks Emails

If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from AbeBooks which is requesting personal information, such as your credit card details, or that asks you to verify or confirm your AbeBooks account information by clicking on a link, then that email was sent by a " phisher " or "spoofer" and not by AbeBooks.

AbeBooks will never ask for this type of information in an email. Do not send any confidential information or click on the link.

Please note that if you did not click on the link in the spoofed email, your account with AbeBooks is fine.

Even if you did click on the link and go to the forged Web page, but did not enter any personal or login details, then the phishers will not have your account information.

Please report any suspicious emails that you receive to AbeBooks.

Here are some key points to look for in order to identify phishing emails:

In email communication AbeBooks will not ask you for :

Your social security number or tax identification number
Your credit card number, PIN number, or credit card security code (including "updates" to any of the above)
Your mother's maiden name or any other password hint
Your AbeBooks password
AbeBooks will not request you to verify or confirm your account information
AbeBooks will not ask you to verify or confirm your AbeBooks account information by clicking on a link from an email

Attachments on suspicious emails

AbeBooks does not send order confirmations or other unsolicited requests that require you to open attachments, nor do we permit our booksellers to do so.

We recommend that you do not open any email attachments from suspicious or unknown sources. If you do receive a suspicious email allegedly sent from AbeBooks that contains an attachment, we recommend you do not open the email, and contact us.

If you opened an attachment in the email, we recommend running anti-virus or anti-malware software.

Grammatical or typographical errors

Be on the lookout for poor grammar or typographical errors. Some phishing emails are translated from other languages or are sent without being proofread, and as a result, contain bad grammar or typographical errors.

Check the return address

We recommend that you check that the email is from AbeBooks.

While phishers often send forged emails to make it look like they came from AbeBooks, you can sometimes determine whether or not they are authentic by checking the return address.

If the "from" line of the e-mail looks like "abebooks-security@hotmail.co.uk" or "abebooks-fraud@msn.co.uk" or contains the name of another Internet service provider, you can be sure that it is a fraudulent email.

Check the Web site address

Genuine AbeBooks web sites are always hosted on the "AbeBooks" domain:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/. . . or http://www.abebooks.co.uk/. . .

Sometimes the link included in spoofed emails looks like a genuine AbeBooks address. You can check where it actually points to by hovering your mouse over the link. The actual Web site where it points to will be shown in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window or as a pop-up.

We never use a web address such as:

http://security-abebooks.co.uk/. . .
IP address (string of numbers) followed by directories such as http://123.456.789.123/abebooks.co.uk/. . . .

Alternatively, sometimes the spoofed email is set up so that if you click anywhere on the text you are taken to the fraudulent Web site.

AbeBooks will never send an email that does this. If you accidentally click on such an email and are directed to a spoofed Web site, do not enter any information and just close that browser window.

Do not "unsubscribe"

Never follow any instructions contained in a forged email which claim to provide a method for "unsubscribing". Many spammers use these "unsubscribe" processes to create a list of valid, working email addresses.

Protect your account information

If you did click through from a spoofed or suspicious email and you entered your AbeBooks account information you should immediately update your AbeBooks password. You can do this through 'Your Account' by choosing the option [Update My Password] under 'My Personal Info'. For detailed steps on changing your password please click here.

Even if someone has been able to look at your account, they are still not able to see your full credit card information. However, orders can be sent from your account using your credit card so please contact us immediately if you notice any orders that you do not recognise.

However, if you did submit your credit card number to the site linked to from the forged email message, we advise that you take the requisite steps to protect your personal information.

You may wish to contact your credit card company, for example, to notify them of this matter.

Finally, you should delete that credit card from your AbeBooks account to prevent anyone from improperly gaining access to your account. To do so, click [Manage My Credit Cards] under 'My Personal Info' in Your Account. You can find more information on updating your credit card details here.

If in doubt, contact us

We encourage you to report any suspicious emails that you receive by contacting us.