AbeBooks UK Seller Help

Processing returns, refunds and cancellations

• How can I cancel or refund a direct payment order?
• How can I cancel or refund a credit card payment order?
• Quick returns and refunds guide

Quick returns & refunds guide

AbeBooks facilitates the return process with links on the Website and in email notification and confirmation messages sent to both the book buyer and bookseller. The following section outlines the tools and rules for returns on the AbeBooks Website.

The "Process Your Orders" screen:

Each order item has options to [Request a Refund] or [Review/Update a Return]

There is an option to provide "Feedback" to buyers explaining details of the reason for the return

For those items where AbeBooks processes the payment:

Partial Returns: Booksellers have the option to refund up to 75% of the book price or 100% of the shipping cost

If a buyer initiates an "item not as described" return, you have the option to refund the book price and original shipping costs or the book price and all shipping amounts

Schedule processing of refunds: Booksellers can select when AbeBooks process a refund; upon receipt of the book or immediately

Cancel a refund: In those instances where a resolution has been met with the buyer, you have the option to cancel a bookseller-initiated refund

Timely completion of refunds: We will send you a reminder (21 days for domestic orders, 71 days for international orders) after you have initiated the return to go online and process the refund. If we have not received an update from you on the return within the next 7 days, we will automatically complete the return and process the refund

Types of Returns:

On occasion, a refund or return is initiated for an order. AbeBooks collectively terms refunds and returns as "Returns". Returns can be initiated by buyers or booksellers for orders where payment is by credit card. Orders where the buyer selected a different payment method accepted by the bookseller are cancelled by the bookseller upon request of the buyer or for a reason determined by the bookseller.

The AbeBooks returns process requires actions from both the buyer and the bookseller. The AbeBooks system facilitates the process through email notifications and links on our Websites that take both parties through the process until a return is completed.

When you process refunds the reason code that you select determines the amount refunded to the buyer. Please view the table below for further information on the reason codes and how they alter the refund.

Definitions of Return Reasons and Corresponding Reimbursement Amounts:

Return Reason	Description	Reimbursement
Item did not Arrive	The order did not arrive and is past the estimated delivery date	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Order Accepted in Error	The seller agreed to send a book, but then found the book condition was not as described on AbeBooks, or that the book had been previously sold	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Buyer Cancelled before Shipping	The seller agreed to send a book but was contacted by the buyer prior to shipping. Buyer requested order cancellation	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Item was Damaged	Item was damaged in transit For advice on packaging click here	If initiated by buyer: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If initiated by seller: Seller can choose whether to refund the return shipping costs. For instance if the buyer is to keep the book as well as a full refund Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Incorrect Item Delivered	The book sent to the buyer was not the item the buyer ordered	If initiated by buyer: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If initiated by seller: Seller can choose whether to refund the return shipping costs. For instance if the buyer is to keep the book as well as a full refund Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Item not as Described	The book is shipped to the buyer and buyer claims it does not match the description on AbeBooks. If the seller does not agree that the item was "not as described" they are not required to refund Return shipping, but must accept the Return.	If seller agrees: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If seller disagrees: Full refund = Book price + shipping charged Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Partial refund*	The buyer and bookseller have agreed to a partial refund amount. The buyer is refunded only the amount specified	Specified by bookseller Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Buyer does not want item**	Buyer received item, but does not want the item	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged Direct Payment Credit Card Payment
Incomplete Sale***	Buyer failed to pay for item	Refunds commissions charged to bookseller Direct Payment Credit Card Payment

Reimbursement amounts are for Ecommerce orders only.

For Bookseller Direct orders, the buyer must be refunded directly.

*Orders where payment is processed by AbeBooks (Credit Card) only

**Orders placed on AbeBooks.com will be refunded only the book price

*** Orders where payment is processed by the bookseller only

Not all refunds count against your Bookseller Rating, click [here] for our online overview.

Reporting a Missing Shipment:

If you do not receive a book back from the buyer within 28 days for national, or 77 days for international orders, you will need to report a missing shipment online. The time-line for a national order is as follows:

14 days after the return is initiated, the [Notify AbeBooks of Missing Shipment] button is available in the Bookseller Return screen; at 21 days, you will receive an email reminder about the return; at 28 days, the return automatically completes.

Please ensure that you let us know if a book is not returned to you as we cannot reverse refunds. When a missing shipment is reported, AbeBooks Customer Service will follow up with the buyer to ask for tracking information. If none is provided, the return is cancelled. We recommend that you wait at least 21 days before notifying AbeBooks of a missing shipment in order to allow the book adequate time to arrive.

 

How can I cancel or refund a direct payment order?

To cancel an order:

The cancellation procedure differs between orders where the payment is processed by AbeBooks (Credit Card) and those where the payment is processed by the bookseller.

If you have not yet processed the order, you can choose to 'reject' the order or select 'previously sold'.

To cancel an order when payment is processed by bookseller:

• [Sign On] to your bookseller account via AbeBooks.com
• Click [View and Process Orders] from the "My Sales" menu
• Enter the AbeBooks Purchase Order number
• Click the [List Orders] button
• Click [Cancel Order] for the order you need to cancel
• Select the appropriate reason for the cancellation
• Enter comments for the buyer
• Click [Cancel Order] to complete the cancellation
  

  Cancelling the order ensures that you are refunded the AbeBooks commissions as the order was not successful. For refunds, after initiating online you then need to make the refund transaction via the same payment method used for the original order payment.

You can cancel orders for the following reasons:

• Incomplete Sale
• Item did not arrive
• Order Accepted in Error
• Buyer Cancelled before Shipping
• Item was Damaged
• Incorrect Item Delivered
• Item not as Described

-Please note that for some refunds and returns you are required to refund the return shipping, equivalent to the original shipping. These include:

• Item was Damaged
• Incorrect item Delivered
• Item not as Described

For a detailed overview of the return reasons and how the reason alters the amount please click here.

How can I cancel or refund a credit card payment order ?

On occasion, you may be required to initiate a refund or return on an order. "Returns" collectively refers to refunds and returns, and the returns procedure is also used to process a refund for an order that has been accepted in error. A buyer may also contact you to request a return, in which case you can initiate a return on the buyer's behalf.

To cancel a credit card order before it is processed:

The cancellation procedure differs between orders when payment is processed by AbeBooks (credit card) and those where payment is processed by the bookseller.

If you have not yet processed the order, you can choose to 'reject' the order or select 'previously sold'.

To request a return or refund:

• [Sign On] to your bookseller account via AbeBooks.com
• Click [View and Process Orders] from the "My Sales" menu
• On the Order List screen, enter the Order Number and click [List Orders]
• Click [Request a Refund] or [Cancel Order]
• Select Appropriate Reason and Comments (see definitions below)
• Click [Initiate Return/Refund]
• Using the radio buttons, you can choose to have the refund processed immediately, or to wait until you receive the book back from the buyer. (This is a mandatory field.)
• Select whether return shipping will be refunded or not. (This is a mandatory field.)
• Click [Confirm] to confirm the return or [Edit Return/Refund] to make changes to the return

An email is sent to both you and the buyer as notification of an initiated return.

You can refund the buyer for the following reasons:

• Item not as Described
• Order was Accepted in Error
• Buyer Cancelled before Shipping
• Item was Damaged
• Incorrect Item was Delivered
• Item not as Described
• Partial Refund

Please note that for some refunds and returns you are required to refund the return shipping, equivalent to the original shipping. These include:

• Item was Damaged
• Incorrect Item Delivered
• Item not as Described

When you process refunds the reason code that you select determines the amount refunded to the buyer. Please view the table below for further information on the reason codes and how they alter the refund.

Definitions of Return Reasons and Corresponding Reimbursement Amounts:

Return Reason	Description	Reimbursement
Item did not Arrive	The order did not arrive and is past the estimated delivery date	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged
Order Accepted in Error	The seller agreed to send a book, but then found the book condition was not as described on AbeBooks, or that the book had been previously sold	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged
Buyer Cancelled before Shipping	The seller agreed to send a book but was contacted by the buyer prior to shipping. Buyer requested order cancellation	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged
Item was Damaged	Item was damaged in transit For advice on packaging click here	If initiated by buyer: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If initiated by seller: Seller can choose whether to refund the return shipping costs. For instance if the buyer is to keep the book as well as a full refund
Incorrect Item Delivered	The book sent to the buyer was not the item the buyer ordered	If initiated by buyer: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If initiated by seller: Seller can choose whether to refund the return shipping costs. For instance if the buyer is to keep the book as well as a full refund
Item not as Described	The book is shipped to the buyer and buyer claims it does not match the description on AbeBooks. If the seller does not agree that the item was "not as described" they are not required to refund Return shipping, but must accept the Return.	If seller agrees: Full refund + return shipping = Book price + shipping charged + return shipping equal to original shipping If seller disagrees: Full refund = Book price + shipping charged
Partial refund*	The buyer and bookseller have agreed to a partial refund amount. The buyer is refunded only the amount specified	Specified by bookseller
Buyer does not want item**	Buyer received item, but does not want the item	Full refund = Book price + shipping charged
Incomplete Sale***	Buyer failed to pay for item	Refunds commissions charged to bookseller

Reimbursement amounts are for orders where payment is processed by Abebooks (Credit Card) only. For orders where the payment is processed by the bookseller, the buyer must be refunded directly.

* Orders where payment is processed by Abebooks (Credit Card) only

** Orders placed on AbeBooks.com will be refunded only the book price

*** Orders where payment is processed by the bookseller only

Not all refunds count against your Bookseller Rating, click [here] for our online overview.

Notes:

AbeBooks requires booksellers to accept all returns. The price of the book, as well as original and return shipping costs should be returned to the buyer upon receipt of the book except in the case of buyer changed mind. In addition, booksellers may dispute "Item not as Described" returns, in which case return shipping will not be refunded to the buyer.

Extra charges or changes to the shipping amount (this may also be reduced via our "reduce shipping" option) are included within the shipping costs and will be returned to the buyer. There is no separate category for these adjustments.

Books are deleted from the AbeBooks inventory after purchase, but are not re-listed when a return is requested. Please, remember to re-list your returned books through your inventory management software after you have received the book/books back.

For a quick overview of returns and refunds please click here.