AbeBooks Help Center

Extra Charges:

There are a few reasons why you may use the Extra Charges function when accepting an order:

1. If you receive an order for a heavy or oversized item.
2. If you need to add additional tracking or signature confirmation to a specific order.
3. If you need to collect sales tax that was not included in the original order costs.

By the same token, you can reduce the shipping charges if you receive an order for a small or light item, or if you would like to reduce the additional item charge for a multi-item order.

All sellers must process requests for extra charges via their AbeBooks accounts, even those using those using our bulk order processing services and those using third-party services. After the buyer has accepted or rejected the request, the order must also be processed via the seller’s AbeBooks account within 96 hours; otherwise the order will be cancelled.

Access the order:

1. Click the [New Orders] link in the ‘My To-Do List’ section of your [My Account] page.
2. Click [Process Order] for the order you’d like to process.

Note: You can use original shipping, request Extra Charges, or Reduce Shipping for different items within the same order.

Follow these instructions to request extra charges:

1. Select [Extra Charges] in the status column.
2. Click [Save Order Changes].
3. Enter the extra charges amount in the [Increase By] text box.
4. Enter an explanation of the extra charges in the [Explanation for Extra Charges] text box. This message will be included in the notification email sent to the buyer.
5. Click [Proceed to Next Step].
6. Review your change and click the [Send to Buyer] button.

The buyer has four days to accept or reject the shipping charges. If the buyer indicates directly to you that they accept the charges, ask them to click the link in original email from AbeBooks.

If the buyer does not accept or reject within the 4 days, we will assume that the buyer does not accept the charges and you will be notified by email. You will then have the option to ship the item(s) at the original shipping charge or reject the order.

Once the extra charges have been accepted or rejected, the entire order, (except for items marked ‘previously sold’ or ‘rejected’ earlier), must be processed again.

If the buyer has rejected the request for extra charges and you choose to reject the order, it will have no impact on your completion rating. If you choose to ship the order at the original shipping charge, all AbeBooks Return Polices will apply, including the buyer’s right to a refund for ‘Item did not arrive’ if they do not receive the item.

Whether the buyer accepts or rejects the request, you will receive an email notification, which will direct you to process the order online. If accepted, you can then change the status to ‘Will ship’ and deliver the item.

Follow these instructions to reduce shipping:

1. Access the order, as above.
2. Select [Reduce Shipping] in the Status column.
3. Click [Save Order Changes].
4. Enter the amount you would like to reduce shipping by in the [Decrease By] text box. Enter the amount you want subtracted from the original charge, e.g. if the original charge was $4.00, enter ‘Decrease By: $1.00’ to reduce it to $3.00.
5. Click [Proceed to Next Step].
6. Review your changes and click [Submit].

You do not need to wait for the buyer to confirm this change. The order is processed and the amount charged to the buyer will reflect the reduced shipping amount. We suggest you send an email to the buyer explaining the reduction in shipping – AbeBooks does not notify the buyer of the reduction.

To reduce the shipping on multiple items in one order, you will need to reduce the shipping for each ordered item. You cannot reduce the shipping cost of any one item to precisely zero.  One penny/pence is the lowest acceptable shipping amount when reducing shipping.

Important Notes about Extra Charges:

If you find you are requesting extra charges often, you may want to update your shipping matrix to reflect more accurate costs.  You can also include shipping costs into the price of a heavy or oversized item if you know ahead of time that you will require extra funds to ship this.