Get an "A" in Listing Textbooks 101

Back-to-school textbook season is a busy time of year! Save yourself the hassle of cancelled listings and returned orders by following a few basic rules when you list your textbooks.

List your textbook by ISBN, not by title

Avoid listing your textbook against the wrong detail page by using the ISBN and not the title. One title can have several editions, and each one could have a detail page in our catalog. You'll need to match the book to the exact ISBN, title, author, edition, binding, publisher, and publication date that is listed on the detail page. Even if the title and author of your book appear on a detail page, you will be listing the wrong edition or cover type if the ISBN of your book does not match the one on the page. Learn more about Listing Items.

Use the search fields on the main Textbooks store page on Amazon.com to find the right detail page for your textbook. If you search for your book's ISBN and don't find an exact match, you can create a new catalog page for your book (Pro Merchants only). If you are an Individual seller and cannot find a detail page for your book, you may not sell that book on Amazon.com.

Describe your book accurately

Check each book you list for wear, such as marks, highlighting, worn binding or jackets, and so on. Use the listing comments to add notes about the book's condition. When you describe your book’s condition accurately, you reduce the chances of buyer disappointment and returns.

Don't list prohibited editions of textbooks

Most editions of textbooks are fine to sell on Amazon.com, but some are prohibited. For example, teacher's editions and international editions of textbooks are prohibited. Listings for prohibited textbook editions will be cancelled by Amazon and can result in the suspension or removal of your selling privileges. Learn more about our Textbook Selling Policies.

 

Am I required to include tracking information?

Delivery confirmation or tracking information, while not required, is beneficial to buyers. Including tracking information for your shipments can help buyers verify the status of their packages and anticipate the delivery of their items. If you use tracking information, be sure to enter it when confirming the shipment of your items.

 

Signature confirmation is encouraged for high-value items because it helps verify the items reached the buyer. If an A-to-z Guarantee claim is filed for non-receipt, and signature confirmation verifies your item was delivered to the buyer or another recipient on behalf of the buyer, the A-to-z Guarantee team may deny the claim.

Textbook Selling Tip: List your book by ISBN

Students will search for textbooks by ISBN. Before listing, make sure the ISBN of your book matches the Amazon page.

You must list your item against a product detail page in our catalog for that exact item. If you enter your book's ISBN into our system and cannot find an exact match, it means that Amazon.com does not currently have that item in the catalog.

Important announcements for sellers: Where to find them

Occasionally we hear from sellers who aren't aware of an update for seller accounts, so here's a quick how-to for finding our announcements and technical notifications:

Announcements of changes

Scroll through the center section of your seller account home page to find the "Headlines" section, or just search (Ctrl/F) on "headlines" to get right to the announcements.

We leave most announcements up for two weeks, but for staying on top of the news, we recommend scanning the headlines for new announcements once or twice a day.

Technical notifications

If we have a technical issue to report, or if something else is happening that could affect sellers (extreme weather, for example), we post technical notifications near the top of your home page.

Checking for a technical notification can help you save time, sidestep worry, and take effective action in these and other types of situations: 

• You experience a technical problem while using your seller account and you wonder if the problem is based in your seller account or in your own system
• You hear of a situation that could affect shipping, and you wonder if Amazon has provided any related information

We update technical notifications as a situation changes, and we remove them when the issue is resolved.

Buyer Feedback Removal How-to

If you have received negative feedback from a buyer, you may ask them to remove it. Buyers have 60 days from the date of the order to remove feedback. (They cannot edit the feedback or leave new feedback on the same order.)

First, contact the buyer and do everything you can to address any problems. Once you've done that, you can ask the buyer politely if they would feel comfortable removing the feedback. You can provide the buyer with these step-by-step instructions:

1. Go to www.amazon.com/your-account.
2. Under "Personalization," in the "Community" column, click "Seller Feedback Submitted By You."
3. A list of all of the feedback left by you will display. Click the "Remove" link next to the feedback you would like to remove. If there is no "Remove" option next to a comment, this means the 60-day removal period has expired.

Note: Be aware of Amazon's policy regarding buyer contacts. You may request feedback removal from a buyer, however you may not coerce or offer payment or other incentive to a buyer for removing feedback.

Are you taking some time off for the holidays?

Whenever you take time off, you can set your listings to inactive until you are ready to fulfill orders again.

This prevents customers from placing orders that might not be fulfilled right away. Not only is this the right customer experience, it can also help you relax and enjoy your time off.

When you are ready to sell again, just set your listings back to active. Within an hour your listings will again be available for sale on Amazon.com.

To learn more, search "vacation" in Seller Help.

Happy selling (and resting up) as the year comes to a close!

Winter weather and shipping complications

Severe winter weather
can suddenly complicate
shipping and delivery.

 

If you think you can't reliably meet your current delivery promises due to severe weather, consider following one or more of these 4 tips:

1. Check your shippers' websites frequently and keep buyers informed about possible delivery delays. Informed buyers are less likely to leave negative feedback about their orders.
2. Temporarily remove the option to have orders shipped internationally. For more information, search on "shipping settings" in seller Help.
3. Temporarily remove your products from the website by setting all of your listings to "Inactive" status. See Taking a break after Christmas?
4. If your power goes out and you can't ship orders, telephone buyers at your first opportunity.