Alibris Policy Changes for Sellers

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Seller policy improvements mean more freedom and lower costs for you

    * Five "freebies" a year give you more protection: Occasionally, Alibris will absorb the cost of refunding a buyer without debiting the seller; it's what we call a "freebie." Effective immediately, sellers will be allowed up to five of these freebies per year for refunds under US$100. Freebies include seller denial of a return (where Alibris ends up refunding the customer anyway) and "lost by carrier" claims. If you'd like a debited item to count as one of your freebies, e-mail Alibris Client Services and we'll credit your account. Alibris will continue to absorb the entire cost of returns for books whose prices are less than US$5 and not debit sellers for "lost by carrier" claims where valid delivery confirmation has been provided, regardless of price.

    * Fewer content violations for more descriptive freedom: As of mid-May, we've dramatically shortened the list of phrases that violate our content guidelines. Now, sellers can include phrases such as "fast delivery," "satisfaction guaranteed," and "heavy book, requires extra shipping for expedited and Canadian orders" when listing books. That said, sellers are still not allowed to direct buyers to other sites, include prices in listings, or mention payment options accepted.

    * New commission-cap limits the amount you pay: Beginning in July, we'll cap the total commission charged at US$60, both on the items sold via Alibris as well our partners' sites. So now you can list your expensive items knowing the highest commission you'll pay on any single item is US$60. Keep in mind that, as always, Alibris doesn't have separate fees for credit card processing or fraud protection either. Read the next Seller Newsletter for more details.

    * Your Storefront enhanced for closer customer connections: Later this summer, all sellers will have more details about them and their Alibris history displayed on their Storefront pages, along with improvements to those pages that will help drive sales. Additionally, Alibris Gold sellers will have the option to provide a picture, description, and phone number to be displayed on their seller Storefront, enabling more direct contact with buyers. We will also be augmenting direct buyer-seller contact throughout the Alibris site experience.

Buyer policy changes designed to keep customers happy—and coming back

    * More time to make returns: Effective May 29, we'll extend the window for returns on all orders from 45 to 60 days, giving buyers up to 60 days to initiate a return. If customers have reasonable cause for the return (the item was wrong or not described correctly), the seller will be debited, as is the case today. Returned items must be received by the seller within 75 days. This new policy is retroactive, meaning orders placed 46-60 days before May 29 will be eligible for returns.

    * Extended "lost by carrier" limit: Also effective May 29, we'll widen the window for our buyers' "lost by carrier" claims from 45 to 90 days. Buyers used to have only 15 days (between day 30 and day 45) to claim an item was "lost by carrier." Buyers now have up to 90 days to claim they never received an item a seller marked as shipped, claims for which sellers will be debited as usual. This new policy includes orders already placed within the 90-day window. Again, if you have valid tracking that proves delivery, you will not be debited for these claims.

    * More and more visible ways to reach sellers: We'll soon increase the number and visibility of "contact the seller" links in our communication with buyers to make it easier for them to contact sellers directly with questions or concerns about an order.

    * Discretionary return requests: Beginning in July, buyers will be able to request a discretionary return via our Web site, not just via direct e-mail contact, and sellers will have the option of accepting them and issuing an item-only refund. If sellers accept a discretionary return, they will only be debited for the item price, and their seller rating will not be adversely affected. We'll provide more details on this change later this summer.

    * Return shipping costs offset: Starting May 29, Alibris will offer a US$3 coupon to some buyers to help cover the cost of return shipping for direct-to-seller returns. As before, sellers will not be debited for any return shipping costs.

    * Promised delivery dates with every order: We currently include a promised delivery date during the checkout process and with each order confirmation e-mail to buyers. By the end of June, this promised delivery date will also appear on our Seller Hub and on the order detail page of our Web site.

    * Full shipping refunds under certain circumstances: Starting May 29, if an item has not been received by the buyer by the promised delivery date, Alibris may refund the buyer their full shipping costs and debit the seller their shipping credit for the order, up to 90 days after shipment.