Help Center

Placing an order is easy and fun (because: books)! Here's how:

1. Browse the site and add your must-have books to your cart by clicking 'Add to Cart';
2. When you're ready, click the cart icon (top right corner) to review your selections;
3. Double-check your books and quantities. Have a coupon? Enter it in the 'Coupon Code' field;
4. Click 'Proceed to Checkout';
5. Account holders: Log in to earn Rewards points. Guests: Select 'Checkout as Guest' for a faster (but no points) experience; 
6. Enter your shipping and payment info; and
7. Once everything looks good, click 'Place Order'.
8. You'll see a confirmation message right away and we'll also email you all the details, including your tracking number once it ships.

Don't have an account yet? Create one to earn points on every purchase, track orders easily and enjoy faster future checkouts!

A quick heads-up: We have both a U.S. and Canadian site. If you're shopping on bookoutlet.com, your order will be charged in U.S. funds. Accidentally shop on the wrong site? Your bank may charge currency conversion fees and unfortunately, Book Outlet can't cover those charges. Please make sure you're shopping on the right version of the site for your location!
Book Outlet accepts:

* VISA
* Mastercard
* American Express
* PayPal
* Apple Pay
* Google Pay
When you place your order, we first run a pre-authorization on your credit card, kind of like a “hold” to make sure the funds are available. You’ll see this as a pending charge on your statement.

Once your order ships from our warehouse, the pre-authorization becomes a real charge and the payment is officially processed. Easy, secure, and straightforward.

We know — it’s frustrating when a card gets declined. Sometimes payments are declined for security reasons, even when everything looks correct.

Here are a few things you can check:
1. Make sure your name is entered as it appears on your card.
2. Double-check that your billing address matches the one your card is registered to (your credit card statement is a great reference).
3. If you’ve tried placing the order several times, your card issuer may have temporarily flagged the activity.

If your payment doesn’t go through, we recommend waiting a few minutes before trying again, or using a different payment method if available.
 
If everything looks right but the problem continues, it’s best to contact your credit card company directly, as they’ll be able to provide more details and help resolve the issue.
If your PayPal payment is showing as pending, it usually means PayPal charged your account, but we never received the order or payment on our end.

Since there’s no order tied to the transaction, PayPal will automatically refund the charge back to your account, typically within 1–5 business days. No action is needed on your part, but if you have any concerns, you can always reach out to PayPal directly.


We work hard to get your books out the door as quickly as possible. Most orders ship within 1–3 business days (excluding weekends and holidays). During busier times (like sales or holidays), processing may take 3–5 business days.

Once your order ships, we'll send you a confirmation email with your tracking number. If you have an account: You can also find it anytime under My Orders.

Quick heads-up: After your tracking number is assigned, it may take 3–5 business days for the carrier to start posting updates. For more shipping details, check out our Shipping page.

If you have an account:
Just head to your My Orders page in your account. There, you'll see a list of all your orders, along with their current status in the last column. If your order has shipped, you can click the status to view tracking details and follow your books right to your specified location.

If you checked out as a guest:
We'll email you updates at every step – order confirmation, shipping notification with tracking number and delivery confirmation. Keep an eye on your inbox (and check spam, just in case)!

Want easier access to your order history? Create a free account and if you do it from your order confirmation page, we'll automatically link that guest order to your new account!
UNF stands for Unable to Fulfill. This means that while your order was being processed, the items in your order unfortunately became unavailable. When this happens, your order is automatically canceled and any pre-authorized charge on your card will be released within 3–5 business days.

While this doesn't happen often, we know it's disappointing and we're always working to keep our inventory as up-to-date as possible!
Once an order is placed, we're not able to make changes to it.

If you have an account:
If your order hasn't started processing in our warehouse yet, you can cancel it and place a new one. Just head to your My Orders to check the status and cancel if it's still eligible.
If you checked out as a guest:
Please contact our Customer Service team as soon as possible with your order number (from your confirmation email). If your order hasn't started processing yet, we'll help you cancel it.

Already processing? At that point, cancelation won't be possible, but you can still reach out to our Customer Service team within 30 days of delivery to request a Return Authorization Number.

For more information, please send us a message and we'd be happy to guide you through the steps!


If your order hasn't started processing yet, reach out to our Customer Service team with your order number. We'll do our best to help update the address before it ships.

Once an order has shipped, we're no longer able to make changes.

If you have an account: You can check your order status anytime under My Orders.

If you checked out as a guest: Check your confirmation email for your order number and contact us ASAP.

If you received the wrong title or an incorrect ISBN, please contact our Customer Service team within 30 days of delivery. Be sure to include your order number, your contact info and a quick note about the mix-up – including which title(s) were affected.

We'll get things sorted out for you ASAP!


If your order arrives and something's missing or not quite right, we've got you covered. Please report any shortages or errors to our Customer Service Team within 30 days of your expected delivery date.

A few things to check first:

* Multiple packages: Some larger orders may ship in multiple packages, each with its own tracking number. Check your shipping confirmation email(s) to see if there are additional shipments on the way. Account holders: You can also check your My Orders.

* Short-shipped items: Occasionally, a book may be short-shipped. Because we sell publisher overstock, our inventory moves fast and in rare cases, a title that was in stock when you ordered may become unavailable before your order is packed. If that happens, you won't be charged for the missing book. Your pre-authorized payment will be automatically adjusted to reflect only the items that shipped.

Want to know when it's back? If you have an account, add the short-shipped title to your Wishlist and we'll email you when it comes back in stock – just make sure you're subscribed to Wishlist notifications in your email preferences.



If something's missing from your order, first check to make sure all packages have arrived – larger orders sometimes ship separately. Account holders: Check My Orders on the website. Guests: Review your shipping confirmation email(s) for multiple tracking numbers.

If all packages have arrived and an item is still missing, please reach out to our Customer Service team within 30 days of delivery with your order number. We'll make it right with a replacement (if still in stock), refund or store credit.
Ah, coupons... a magic word for bookworms on a budget. Here's what you need to know:

*One Per Customer: Only one coupon code per person, per order. No stacking;
*Only: Codes work on BookOutlet.com or BookOutlet.ca (check your code to see which one);
*No Gift Cards or Extras: Most coupons won't apply to gift cards, sale items or specialty products;
*Doesn't Cover Fees: Coupons don't reduce taxes, shipping or handling. Leftover discount value doesn't carry over;
*Minimums Matter: If a code has a minimum purchase requirement, taxes and fees don't count toward it;
*Check the Expiry Date: Most coupons are time-limited – don't miss out!
*No Funny Business: Unauthorized or misused codes may result in order cancellation; and
*Zero Cash Value: Coupons save you money but can't be traded for cash.

Got a coupon code? Lucky you! Here's how to use it:

1. Add your books to your cart;
2. Click "View Cart" to review your order;
3. Look for the "Coupon Code" field;
4. Enter your code (watch for extra spaces!)
5. Click "Apply" – your discount will show immediately.

Coupon not working? Try these quick fixes:
*Check for extra spaces – copying and pasting sometimes adds sneaky spaces before or after the code;
*Make sure you clicked "Apply" – the discount won't show until you hit that button;
*Double-check the expiry date – most codes are time-sensitive;
*Verify minimum purchase requirements – some codes need a minimum spend (before tax and shipping); and
*Confirm you haven't used it before – most coupons are one per customer.

Heads-up: Coupons must be entered before you place your order. We can't apply them after the fact. One coupon per order.

Shipping rates and eligibility for promotional shipping offers are calculated based on your order subtotal after all discounts and/or coupons have been applied (before taxes). Gift card purchases do not count toward shipping thresholds. 

Shipping times depend on where you live and how fast your local mail carrier hustles. Most orders arrive within 3–15 business days after shipping.

During busy times (like major sales or holidays), carriers may experience higher volumes, which can add a few extra days to delivery.

For the nitty-gritty (including country-specific timelines), check out our Shipping page. It's got all the details.

If your order's gone MIA and it's been more than 15 days past the estimated delivery date, drop our friendly Customer Service team a line with your order number.

We know it’s hard to wait when a stack of epic reads is headed your way. But at the moment, we only offer standard shipping. 

We currently ship to all 50 states across the United States (including US domestic and overseas military addresses) and all provinces and territories across Canada.

International friends, we see you! But for now, our shipping stays within the U.S. and Canada.

For detailed shipping timelines and rates, check out our Shipping page.
Once your order ships, we'll email you a shipping confirmation with your tracking number. If your order has multiple packages, each one will have its own tracking number.

If you have an account: You can also find all tracking info anytime in your Book Outlet account under My Orders.

Heads up: It may take 1–3 business days for tracking updates to appear once your order is with the carrier.
Once your order ships out from our warehouse, it can take 1–3 business days for the tracking info to start doing its thing. Carriers need a bit of time to scan, sort and update, especially if your package hit the road near the end of the week.

If your tracking was created on a Friday, it might not update over the weekend. But don't worry – it's still on its way to you!
Sometimes tracking goes quiet for a bit (especially during busy shipping seasons), but that doesn’t always mean your package is lost. It’s usually still on the move.

If your order hasn’t arrived by the estimated delivery date (check our Shipping page for timelines), please get in touch with our Customer Service team within 15 days. We’ll help you figure out what’s going on and make it right.
Start by taking a good look around your home. Carriers sometimes get creative when hiding packages from porch pirates and the weather (behind a planter, next to the BBQ, or tucked into a bush—we’ve heard it all).

Next, check with your neighbors. Sometimes parcels take a little detour and end up on the wrong doorstep.

Still no luck? Give your local post office a ring. They may have more intel (like GPS delivery coordinates or a photo of where the package was dropped).

If all else fails and your books are still MIA, don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Just reach out to our Customer Service team, and we’ll help make it right.


Just get in touch with our Customer Service team within 30 days of receiving your order. They'll guide you through the process and hook you up with a Return Authorization Number (a must-have before sending anything back our way).

Be sure to have your order number handy (from your confirmation email or your My Orders if you have an account).

Once your items make their way back to our warehouse, we'll process your refund for the returned items pronto. Please note: original shipping fees and the cost of shipping the item back to us aren't refundable.

*If returns become a bit too frequent or, shall we say, suspicious, we reserve the right to limit or decline future return requests.



At Book Outlet, we love a bargain, but we never bargain on quality. That's where our Cover-to-Cover Guarantee comes in.

If you receive a book in a condition that's unreadable due to damage or defect, please contact our Customer Service team within 30 days of delivery with photos of the damage. Have your order number ready (from your confirmation email or your My Orders if you have an account).

We'll review your case to determine if it qualifies for our guarantee and make it right – whether that means a refund, replacement or store credit.

To learn more about our book condition standards and what's covered, visit our About Our Books page.

 

You'll need a Book Outlet account to register for tax-exempt status.

Once you've got one set up, log in & follow these steps:

1. Submit your tax exemption certificate here – upload your valid exemption documentation;
2. Give us 1–2 business days to review and validate your account; and
3. You'll receive a confirmation email once everything's approved and you're all set!

Heads-up: If you place an order before your tax-exempt status is validated, we can't refund any taxes charged. So let's get that paperwork sorted first!

Need help? Our Customer Service team is here to guide you through the process.