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Security Tips

Secure_2 We encourage all of our booksellers to be informed of the potential risks that exist in the world of Internet commerce.

Indicators of fraud:

Although the majority of our buyers are undoubtedly honest and responsible individuals, the occasional order may prove to be fraudulent. We advise booksellers to carefully review all orders before processing, particularly those that display the following traits:

  • Orders from African and former Eastern Block countries
  • Orders placed by buyers with free email accounts (such as hotmail, yahoo, etc) or suspicious email addresses
  • Large volume of orders
  • Expensive orders
  • Large volume orders for popular items
  • Buyer's contact information, including name and phone number do not seem to correlate with the client's geographic location (i.e. Henry Smith, Nigeria)
  • Invalid shipping address (i.e. Nigeria, Denmark)
  • Invalid contact information

What you can do:

Check Shipping addresses: Does the zip code/postal code match up with the billing address? The post office of the jurisdiction you are sending to often has a list of zip codes or postal codes. See:

  • USPS: www.usps.com
  • Canada Post: www.canadapost.ca
  • Royal Mail (United Kingdom): www.royalmail.com
  • La Poste (France): www.laposte.fr
  • Deutsche Post (Germany): www.deutschepost.de

If you are not familiar with the name of the city, check that the city name exists in the country. Additionally, unless it is a gift purchase, the shipping address and billing address (if provided by the buyer in "Special Instructions") will be identical. Some fraudulent buyers will use obviously fake shipping addresses. Please take the time to check that the address is valid.

Another way to check the validity of the buyer's address is to research the phone number (if provided) with the address. To do so, you may find the following links helpful:

Track or Insure Your Packages:

Tip: Insuring or tracking your shipments will protect you against buyers who falsely claim their books have not arrived. Some booksellers consider it a small price to pay compared to the value of the potential loss. You may also have to contact the buyer to request additional charges to cover the cost of insurance. Many people committing fraud will not reply to the email.

Expensive Orders:

If you receive an order for an expensive book, you can contact the buyer using the email address displayed on the right-hand side of the order screen before you confirm availability of the item. Personal contact with the buyer also gives you the opportunity to make arrangements for special shipping and handling procedures. Again, if a buyer not responding to your queries may be indicative of a fraudulent purchase.

Notify AbeBooks Customer Support:

If you believe you have received a fraudulent order, please send the details to AbeBooks customer service. The AbeBooks Security and Trust team will investigate the issue and put steps in place to prevent future fraudulent incidents. Booksellers are financially responsible for the outcome of the order if they processed payment themselves.

To assist us with our investigation, please be sure to include:

  • The AbeBooks purchase order number
  • A description of the problem. (Why you think the client and order is fraudulent? For example, the credit card name doesn’t match the name of the person placing the order; the shipping address doesn’t match the billing address.)
  • The steps you have taken to investigate the order. (Have you verified the address/phone number and if so, how? Have you attempted to contact the buyer by email or phone? Did they respond to you? If so, what did they say? How did you verify the credit card number?)
  • Any relevant correspondence including faxes or e-mails that contain important details

Process a Refund for your Commissions:

If you have received a fraudulent order, you can process a refund for the commissions using the Returns process.

To request a return or refund:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.com bookseller account
2. Click [Process Your Orders] from the Quick Links
3. When the Order List appears, locate the order by either AbeBooks purchase order number
4. Click [List Orders]
5. Click [Request a return/refund]
6. Select the return reason [Incomplete Sale]
7. Click the [Initiate Return] button
8. Click the [Confirm] button to confirm that the details of the return are correct

Because the return reason is "Incomplete Sale", no action is required on part of the buyer. An email will be sent to the buyer including any comments you have entered.

Tracking Information:

What is Tracking Information?

Tracking information is purchased from the post office upon shipping orders.  When you purchase tracking information, you receive a tracking number that can be used to ensure the book arrived to its destination.  Please contact the post office for the exact cost of purchasing tracking information.

Why Should I Use Tracking Information?

When you process orders, you have the choice to send the books using a traceable method.  The use of a traceable means of shipment is highly recommended by AbeBooks for two reasons:

*  Using a traceable means of shipment reassures the buyer that the order has been shipped.  Should the order not arrive by the estimated delivery date, the buyer may initiate a refund for the book.  Having tracking information does not allow the buyer to initiate a return for the reason "Item Did Not Arrive".

*  Tracking information acts as insurance for you.  Should a book not arrive by the estimated delivery date, you can provide tracking information to the buyer and track the package yourself on the USPS Web site to determine why it did not arrive to the buyer.

What do I do with the Tracking Information Once I Have it?

After you process an order, and are provided with a tracking number by the Post Office, sign in to your AbeBooks account and insert the tracking number.

To insert tracking information to a previously processed order:

1. [Sign On] to your AbeBooks.com bookseller account
2. Select [Process Your Orders] from the Quick Links
3. You will see the Order List. Insert the AbeBooks Order Number in the space provided, or change the Status field to "Processed" and click "List Orders"
4. Locate the order you would like to review.  Click [Review] in the Review/Process column
5. In the Order Information box, there is a space provided to insert the tracking number
6. Click [Update] to save the inserted tracking information