Marketplace Seller Policy and Agreement
Marketplace Seller Terms and Conditions
* All Marketplace Sellers must agree to these terms and conditions in order to sell
on Bookstores.com
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- Accurate listing The Marketplace Seller agrees to accurately list
all book information and descriptions including, but not limited to, the proper listing
of international editions, instructor editions, and annotated instructor editions
by ISBN. The Marketplace Seller will make note of any differences regarding
content (including exercises and problems) when listing international, instructor’s,
or annotated editions. The Marketplace Seller 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.Different versions including but not limited to international,
instructor’s, or annotated editions must be listed under their proper ISBN. Any products uploaded under the US student
edition ISBN will be promptly removed.
- Ownership of items The Marketplace Seller warrants that the Marketplace
Seller the legal owner of all items listed in the Marketplace Seller’s inventory.
- 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 the Marketplace Seller’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 the order 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.
- Order processing The quick and accurate fulfillment of orders is
required within 2 business days of order confirmation. Marketplace Sellers are required
to log in to their accounts every day to check for new orders. The minimum requirement
for order processing is the fulfillment of 85% of orders placed.
- 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.
- Returns Marketplace sellers are required to accept returns within 14 days of delivery. Any buyer who returns a book due to an error on the Marketplace Seller’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 Marketplace Seller (i.e., buyer changed his or her mind, buyer ordered incorrect book, class cancellation, etc.) Marketplace Sellers may not assess additional shipping charges for the original shipment of the order. Credits are $2.99 or $5.49 of the original shipping charge. Marketplace Sellers 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 Marketplace Seller must respond within 2 business days of the request. Any fees deemed excessive by Bookstores.com may be charged back to the Marketplace Seller and a refund in part or whole given to the buyer. The maximum restocking fee permitted is 15% of item cost.
- 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 Marketplace Seller’s account status. The target return rate
for all Marketplace Sellers is less than 12%. Marketplace Sellers that have a significantly
higher return rate than 12% may face account suspension or other corrective actions.
- Responsiveness to buyers and Bookstores.com The Marketplace Seller
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 his or her ability.
Additionally, the Marketplace Seller 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 or other actions.
- 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.com
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.
- 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, as well as order number or 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.
- 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 Marketplace
Seller accounts that drop ship orders.
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Violations of the policies above may result in any or all of the following actions:
- Listing cancellation
- Temporary account suspension
- Account termination
- Limits on account privileges
- Account balance adjustment
- Loss of Marketplace Seller privileges
- Referral to law enforcement
- 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.
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The following items cannot be sold on Bookstores.com:
- Pornography. All items of an adult-themed nature are prohibited.
- Illegal or stolen items. This includes items obtained unlawfully as well as books
that violate U.S. copyright laws.
- 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).
- Any item without an ISBN.
- Advanced reading copies or uncorrected proofs.
- Counterfeit, pirated, scanned, or knockoff versions of textbooks and other books.
- Defective and/or misprinted books
- Books that are missing pages, have torn/missing covers, or are otherwise damaged.
- Books that are water/liquid damaged.
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Customer service is the highest priority for Bookstores.com and we expect the
same to be true for all Marketplace Sellers on our marketplace. It is the Marketplace
Seller’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 Marketplace Seller’s suspension pending
the resolution of any issues.
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We offer several payment options for Marketplace Sellers:
- Check (by mail)
- PayPal (Deposited into any PayPal account)
- ACH (Direct Deposit available to US bank accounts)
Please be advised that sellers switching from ACH or check to PayPal may have to wait an additional 2 weeks for payment to be made.
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Marketplace Sellers are responsible for all chargebacks related to non-delivery,
quality of goods, or shipment of an incorrect item. Marketplace Sellers will be
held responsible for any chargeback where the Marketplace Seller fails to respond
to any and all information requests, or if the response is insufficient to fight
the chargeback. Marketplace Sellers 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 Marketplace Seller’s responsibility. It is the Marketplace Seller’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 Marketplace Seller account
will result in further action by Bookstores.com.
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- Bookstores.com will make every effort to contact the Marketplace Seller prior
to taking action for violations of Marketplace Seller terms and conditions.
- 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.
- Other violations of Marketplace Seller terms and conditions include:
- Listing inaccurate or incorrect book information using book traits or item
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 Care staff inquiries
- Unclear pricing; descriptions include instructions to contact Marketplace Seller
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 past the posted guidelines
- Listing stolen items
- Threatening or abusive language or attempts to intimidate Bookstores.com's staff,
fellow Marketplace Sellers, 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
- Bookstores.com reserves the right to make final decisions regarding disputes for all orders that occur on the marketplace.
- Attempting to defraud or mislead by masking billing location, shipping location, name, identity, or by other methods will result in account closure and forfeiture of all pending payments.
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Bookstores.com reserves the right to delay initiating a Payment Transaction transfer to a Seller's Account (regardless of method of payment) pending an investigation if Bookstores.com, in our sole discretion, believes the buyer or the seller may have breached this Participation Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Participation Agreement, if Bookstores.com determines, in its sole discretion, that the seller has breached this Participation Agreement, Bookstores.com may refuse to transfer any Payment Transactions to the seller and may instead maintain such amount in a trust account or may return such amount to the buyer. Bookstores.com will not be liable to a seller if Bookstores.com acts in this manner.
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Bookstores.com, in its sole discretion, may terminate this Participation Agreement, access to our Web Site or the Services, or any sales or purchases or offers for same, immediately and without notice, for any reason (including but not limited to repeat infringements). Although Bookstores.com reserves the right to terminate this Agreement, access to our Web Site or the Services at any time for any reason, you agree that Bookstores.com may treat you as a repeat infringer if Bookstores.com receives more than 3 notifications of alleged legally improper behavior.