Bookseller Terms and Conditions

* All Booksellers must agree to these terms and conditions in order to sell on Bookstores.com.

1. Responsibilities of the Bookseller

   1. Accurate listing The Bookseller agrees to accurately list all book information and descriptions including, but not limited to the proper categorization of international editions, instructor editions, and annotated instructor editions using book traits. The Bookseller will make note of any difference regarding content (including exercises and problems) when listing international, instructor’s, or mannotated editions. The Bookseller also will not misrepresent different editions, publication years, or other information with the intent of misleading buyers to a version other than what they are searching for. Proper usage of book traits is critical. We are not responsible for inventory uploads to websites that do not permit the sale of instructor’s, international, etc., when they are mislisted in your inventory. It is the Bookseller’s responsibility to ensure proper usage of book traits!
   2. Ownership of items The Bookseller warrants that the Bookseller owns all items listed in the Bookseller’s inventory and they were legally obtained.
   3. Order confirmation Orders will be confirmed no later than 2 business days (excluding holidays) from the time they are placed. Orders that are not confirmed within this time frame are subject to cancellation at Bookstores.com’s discretion. It is theBookseller’s responsibility to log in to their account and verify that each order has been confirmed within 2 business days, regardless of the method you use for confirming orders, or it will be canceled. Repeated neglect regarding order confirmation could result in account suspension until the problem is resolved. In extreme cases, account termination could result.
   4. Order processing The quick and accurate fulfillment of orders is required within 2 business days of order confirmation. Booksellers are required to log in to their accounts everyday to check for new orders. The minimum requirement for order processing is the fulfillment of 85% of orders placed.
   5. Cancellations Orders that cannot be fulfilled must be cancelled within 2 business days. A refund must be issued immediately to customers who have had their orders cancelled. An excessive amount of cancellations may result in account suspension until any issues are resolved.
   6. Returns Although the Bookseller determines the return policy for their sales, there are some restrictions to the Bookseller’s returns policy meant to safeguard the buyer and prevent punitive charges. All return policies (even if the policy states that no returns are permitted) must be posted in the Customer Service and Return Information. Failure to post a policy will result in a standard 14 days return policy, no exceptions. Any buyer who returns a book due to an error on the Bookseller’s part (i.e. wrong book shipped, faulty packaging resulting in damage or loss, item not as described, item shipped past deadline, etc.) shall not be charged shipping, handling, or restocking fees and will be issued a full refund. However, modest restocking fees no greater than 15% of item cost may be charged when the reason for return is no fault of the Bookseller (i.e. buyer changed mind, buyer ordered incorrect book, class cancellation, etc.) Booksellers may not assess additional shipping charges for the original shipment of the order. Credits are $2.99 or $5.49 are the original shipping charge. Booksellers may not impose additional shipping fees for the original shipping charge if an order is returned. Buyers must request permission to return a book within 14 calendar days from its receipt and the Bookseller must respond within 2 business days of the request. Any fees deemed excessive by Bookstores.com may be charged back to the Bookseller and a refund in part or whole given to the buyer. The maximum restocking fee permitted is 15% of item cost.
   7. Return rate The return rate is calculated by dividing the number of returns by the total number of orders placed. Excessively high return rates could negatively impact a Bookseller’s account status. The target return rate for all Booksellers is less than 12%. Booksellers that have a significantly higher return rate than 12% may face account suspension or other corrective actions.
   8. Responsiveness to buyers and Bookstores.com The Bookseller is expected to answer all pre-purchase and post-purchase buyer inquiries in a timely manner (within 48 business hours) and resolve all issues to the best of their ability. Additionally, the Bookseller agrees to answer all communication from Bookstores.com within 2 business days to remain in good standing with Bookstores.com. Failure to do so could result in account suspension and other actions.
   9. Communication requirements All sellers are required to list a valid customer service email. In addition, all sellers must include a valid phone number. The phone number will not be shared with customers, it is for use by Bookstores only. All communication with buyers and Bookstores.com staff is expected to be professional and courteous. Any disrespectful remarks to customers and / or Bookstores.com staff will be taken seriously and may result in a refund / cancellation of an order, account suspension, or other action.
   10. Feedback Any manipulation of feedback is prohibited. Any replies to comments left must be respectfully crafted in a professional tone. Any attempt to bribe a customer to leave positive feedback will result in an immediate suspension and possible termination of your account. Absolutely no personally identifiable information may be posted. This includes, but is not limited to customer's name, address, other contact information, order number, and other identifying data. Violations may result in account suspension and payments held for 120 days. Bookstores.com has the final word regarding feedback and any resulting actions.
   11. Drop shipping Drop shipping is not authorized on Bookstores.com and action taken will be at the sole discretion of Bookstores.com to prevent drop shipping orders and Bookseller accounts that drop ship orders.

2. Consequences for non-performance

   Violations of the policies above may result in any or all of the following actions:
   1. Listing cancellation
   2. Temporary account suspension
   3. Account termination
   4. Limits on account privileges
   5. Account balance adjustment
   6. Loss of Bookseller privileges
   7. Referral to law enforcement
   8. Withholding of pending payments until issues are resolved. Payments may be withheld for up to 120 days if your account is permanently suspended. This is to make sure all pending returns, refunds, and chargebacks are addressed before payment is issued and adjustments are made to your account.

3. Prohibited items

   The following items cannot be sold on Bookstores.com:
   1. Pornography. All items of an adult themed nature are prohibited.
   2. Illegal or stolen items. This includes items obtained unlawfully as well as books that violate U.S. copyright laws.
   3. Electronic versions of textbooks, solution manuals, PDF files, or other study aids (including, but not limited to electronic versions listed under the paper version’s ISBN).
   4. Any item without an ISBN
   5. Advanced reading copies or uncorrected proofs
   6. Counterfeit, pirated, scanned, or knockoff versions of textbooks and other books.
   7. Defective and / or misprinted books
   8. Books that are missing pages, have torn / missing covers, or are otherwise damaged.
   9. Books that are water / liquid damaged.

4. Bookseller performance

   Customer service is the highest priority for Bookstores.com and we expect the same to be true for all Booksellers on our marketplace. It is the Bookseller’s responsibility to accurately identify items through book traits and clear description, quickly and accurately confirm orders, ship items in a timely fashion as outlined in these guidelines, and resolve customer issues in a courteous and professional manner. Failure to adhere to the highest standards for customer service and efficient fulfillment may lead to a Bookseller’s suspension pending the resolution of any issues.

5. Bookseller payments

   We offer several payment options for Booksellers:
   • Check (by mail)
   • PayPal (Deposited into any PayPal account)
   • ACH (Direct Deposit available to US bank accounts)
   Please note that we will default PayPal and ACH payments to Check if the Bookseller's financial information is returned to us as invalid.

6. Chargebacks and Bookseller responsibility

   Booksellers are responsible for all chargebacks related to non-delivery, quality of goods, or shipment of an incorrect item. Booksellers will be held responsible for any chargeback where the Bookseller fails to respond to any and all information requests, or if the response is insufficient to fight the chargeback. Booksellers will be held responsible for the amount of the order (including shipping costs), as well as all fees assessed by the bank for the issuance of the chargeback. These fees are not assessed nor covered by Bookstores.com and are the Bookseller’s responsibility. It is the Bookseller’s responsibility to ensure delivery of the item or issue a refund when one is due; to accurately represent the item for sale; and to ensure shipment of the correct item. If a chargeback is issued and covered by the issuer’s protection policy, you will not be held responsible for the monetary amount. However, all chargebacks are closely monitored. A high number of chargebacks for your Bookseller account will result in further action by Bookstores.com.

7. Miscellaneous

   1. Bookstores.com will make every effort to contact the Bookseller prior to taking action for violations of Bookseller terms and conditions.
   2. Customer information, including email address, may only be used in the context of fulfilling orders on Bookstores.com. Use of any customer information for purposes outside of Bookstores.com's order fulfillment is strictly forbidden.
   3. Other violations of Bookseller terms and conditions include:
      • Listing inaccurate or incorrect book information using book traits or item description descriptions (including ISBNs) resulting in the misrepresentation of inventory.
      • Failure to deliver an item for which payment was accepted.
      • Non-shipment of book orders within two days of processing
      • Failure to respond to all customer inquiries pre and post order
      • Non-response to Bookstores.com Customer Service staff inquiries
      • Unclear pricing - descriptions include instructions to contact Bookseller for pricing details or to negotiate a price (even though the book does have a valid price attached to it)
      • Canceling an order on bookstores.com and redirecting a customer to pay you via PayPal or any other means.
      • The redirection of orders in any manner, including but not limited to having a customer reship an order to another customer.
      • Stating that returns are permitted, and then telling customers they must wait until another buyer is found.
      • Not offering a refund for incorrectly described books
      • Not offering a refund for orders that were shipped passed the posted guidelines
      • Not processing a refund for returned books or a refund promised to a customer for other reasons.
      • Listing stolen items
      • Threatening or abusive language or attempts to intimidate Bookstores.com's staff, fellow Booksellers, or buyers
      • Inclusion of personal or political commentary that may be considered defamatory in book descriptions
      • Attempting to bribe a customer with benefits in exchange for positive feedback or other similar actions