Refunding Credit Card Sales

For stores operating under our shared Authorize.net account for credit card processing, refunds are subject to the following criteria:

• Refunds must be processed within 120 days of order completion.
• Refunds can be submitted partially, or for the entire amount of the order.
• Your customer should generally see a credit to their card within 2 business days of the refund request.
• The 4.5% account usage fee, as well as any fees incurred by our credit card processor are non-recoverable, and will not be redistributed to the store.
• After the funds are returned to the customer, we will then deduct the amount of the refund from your earnings in the next money management cycle.  If the refund is greater than your earnings, we will deduct the necessary funds via ACH.

To request a refund on a completed order, send an email to staff@bookweb.org, please be sure to include the following:

• Store name and web address
• Order number
• Name of customer
• Amount to be refunded

For stores operating on individual Authorize.net accounts- It is possible to refund a transaction under 120 days old, it is at your store's discretion to choose to decrease that window or not.  Refunds will be handled directly on Authorize.net's interface, and after a refund has been processed, the order status will remain in 'Completed' by default.  For reporting purposes, if you would like us to move an order into the cancelled state, please send us an email at staff@bookweb.org with the order number.

Returning Ingram Fulfilled Orders

Before sending an order to the wholesaler, please log in to your iPage account, and check the returnability of the books ordered.  If you do not have an iPage account, please feel free to send the ISBN to staff@bookweb.org.  If an item is non-returnable, it is suggested that you relay that information to the customer before ordering.

There are two ways to handle returns from Ingram-

• Have the customer send back the package to your store, and either resell the item on your shelves.
• Send the item back to Ingram using ABA's Ingram account, the directions must be followed exactly as indicated below.

Important Guidelines-

• Neither stores, nor customers should be in contact with Ingram regarding returns.  The customer service chain of command is: Customer contacts store > Store contacts IndieCommerce > IndieCommerce communicates inquiries to Ingram. 
• IndieCommerce will not reimburse customers, or your store for any shipping fees incurred on returns.
• Please keep any original invoices to include them in your return.

Initiating a return to Ingram-

1. Instruct the customer to return the package to your store directly.
2. Contact staff@bookweb.org to receive a return form, and our account number.
3. Include the form, original invoice, and items, then mail them back to the following address:
        Ingram Customer Returns Center
        1210 Ingram Drive
        Chambersburg, PA 17202
4. Once we have been credited by Ingram, we will then pass along the credit to your store via the next money management cycle.

Other Payment Methods

• Refunding orders purchased with a House Account, Purchase Order, Gift Certificate, or 'Pay at Store' will be handled exclusively by your store.
• Refunds via PayPal or Givex will be handled entirely on their interface.
• ABA does not have the capability to refund Kobo eBook order.  For quality issues with eBook content, Kobo customer service should be contacted directly.

Items to Consider When Creating Your Return Policy

We highly recommend posting a return policy on your website, it gives a sense of creditability to your store, and is something many customers review before placing an order online.

Below are some items to consider when creating your eCommerce return policy.  While your general in-store policy will likely be close to what you need, you may wish to make a few adjustments to account for differences in the online marketplace.  

• What is the window of time for a refund, or store credit?
• Will you be refunding any shipping costs?  Or just the cost of goods? Will you cover the return shipment, or is it the customer's responsibility?
• Are special orders returnable?  How about short discounts?