Buying on this website

How do I start buying?

Every item on our site includes an Add to Basket button that once clicked will add the item to your shopping basket, which will then appear in the top right hand side of your screen. You can add as many items as you like before clicking Check Out to complete your order.

The Basket will provide an ongoing list and the 'View Basket' option allows you to see more detail and amend your order, including saving items for later purchase or removing them if you no longer wish to buy them.

Alternatively, customers can use the Buy-Select Store button on the Click & Collect line to see which stores have stock at that time. If there are no copies in any store this will be stated.

When you click Checkout or Use Click & Collect you will need to Login to your account, Register for a new account or use our Guest Checkout login if this is your first order. All these pages are secure to protect your personal information.

The price of post and packaging depends on where you are and how many books you are ordering. Please select the post and packing option relevant to the speed of service you require. There are no despatch options provided for our Click & Collect or Deliver to Store service.

You will need to provide credit/debit card, PayPal, Foyalty card or Foyles Gift card information to Foyles during this process. If you are happy with the items and the price in your basket, click the 'Place Order Now' button.

Do I have to register on your website to buy?

You do not need to create a login to buy from us if you do not want your personal details held on file. Instead you can choose the Guest Checkout option during checkout.

This option will not create a login for our website. Instead your contact details will be held only within this order. You will be updated on the order status by email but will need to create a login in order to; view a full order history, keep billing or delivery addresses, keep payment details, leave reviews or enter competitions. There are no other restrictions on the services we offer you.

When do I pay?

Your card or PayPal details will be checked at the point you click Place Order Now and the value of your order pre-authorised, but NOT charged. Then the order will be sent to our Customer Services team for processing and a confirmation email sent to your registered email address.

If you have signed up for Verified by Visa or Mastercard Securecode you go through an additional security check but this does not affect when you are charged.

If you use PayPal as standard for this service you will have to enter your username & password to authorise the initial order transaction.

The final payment is taken when the goods are ready for despatch or collection.

Responsibility for Local Taxes and Duties

The UK sales tax of Value Added Tax (VAT) is not payable on books, but is applied at 20% to DVDs, videos, software and other non-book material. In the UK VAT applies to eBooks. Our eBooks are sold at 19% VAT which is the German rate due this being the base of txtr our eBooks partner.

VAT is only charged on deliveries within the European Union. If you are within the EU and have at VAT code that means you are VAT exempt please include this in your Gift Message and our staff will amend your order accordingly. There is no tax chargeable to customers outside the European Union.

When we ship books for delivery outside the United Kingdom, the recipient is liable for any local taxes or import duties that may be payable. Foyles can take no responsibility for this and if the goods are returned due to unpaid tax the costs will not be refunded as the sale has been completed. Although the goods can be re-despatched with only a further charge for dispatch at the customers request.

Where goods are imported from abroad on the customers behalf and sent directly to the delivery address the cost of tax is also included in the purchase price. However in some circumstances customs may require payment of the tax by the receiving party before the delivery can be completed. In this case the buyer should pay the customs agent, keep proof of payment and contact Foyles Web Team who will refund any tax paid.

What is Pre-Authorisation?

This is also called a reserved transaction by the banks. On the Foyles website when you place an order by credit or debit card we contact the bank to authorise the card. This confirms that the card is valid and that there are funds available to eventually pay for your order. The bank reserves the order value from your available balance but does not charge your card and no monies are taken until your order is ready for despatch. Should the order not proceed for whatever reason, the bank will cease to reserve the funds, although the expiration period varies from bank to bank and Foyles has no influence on this.

When the order is completed and your card is charged, the Pre-Authorisation code is quoted back to the bank and the order is completed. Foyles only charges your card when the goods are ready for despatch or collection.

When you are paying by Foyles Gift card or Foyalty card the process is the same but instead of a bank our own records on the cards are being checked and funds reserved.

What are my payment options?

We accept payment by Foyles gift card and the redemption of Foyalty points. With Foyalty points this acts as a discount off the order value but is simplest terms can be viewed as a method of payment.

We accept PayPal.

The following credit and debit cards are accepted:

• Visa
• Visa Debit
• Mastercard
• American Express

As well as card type, you will need to fill in your card number, name and address of the cardholder, card expiry date and, if you have one, start date and issue number. (NOTE: some credit cards may not have an issue number or start date. If yours doesn't, don't worry, simply leave this field blank).

Most credit and debit cards now also include a security code that is listed on the signature strip of your card. This will need to be input each time you use the card as, in keeping with credit card security rules, this data is not held on our systems but deleted after each use.

What is the reference number on my order?

This is the unique number relating to your order and should be used in any correspondence with the Foyles Customer Service team so that we can identify immediately which order you are wishing to discuss.

Can I change the details on my order or cancel?

You can cancel your order up to 7 days after the book has arrived with you but obviously if the book has already been despatched then the cancellation wil involve the return of the book and a refund to you. See our Returns and Refunds Help page for how to return.

If we have not already despatched your order then we can normally make changes to it, so the sooner you contact us the better. We recommend replying to the Confirmation email you will have received to warn us of any changes you want to make and we will confirm whether or not the changes are possible. Please note that there can be a gap between despatch & us charging you and sending a despatch notification email. So just because you haven't received the email yet ,does not guarantee we can cancel or amend at this stage. If you have already been charged but the order has not left us, then we will refund on your original payment method.

For both Deliver to Store and Click & Collect items we will definitely be able to intercept your order and issue a refund.

If the order has already been despatched to you then you can still cancel - we will refund upon receipt of the goods back at Foyles. See below.

Can I return a book after I've received it?

If for any reason you are not satisfied with your books, you can return most ordered items to us within 30 days of receiving your despatch or collection notification email, as long as it is in re-saleable condition for a full refund or exchange (excluding the cost of the return postage). Always include a copy of your receipt/invoice with the parcel or at least your original order reference. For full information including details of non-refundable items and circumstances where return postage will be paid see our Returns and Refunds Help page.

Can I have my order Gift Wrapped?

You can choose to have your order gift-wrapped during the checkout process. The cost is £2.50 per order.

If you would like to include a message with your gift order, please enter this in the Gift Message field during checkout. We will then transcribe this onto a card and enclose with the goods. If the goods are coming directly from one of our suppliers the message will be printed on the delivery document instead.

Can I order but not via your website?

If you do not feel comfortable buying online or wish to use different methods of payment, then you can phone or email our stores directly to place your order, but please note they will not match any online or reservation prices.

Can I check the progress of my Order?

You can check your order's current status in your Order History section of your website login. We will send you a despatch notification email and contact you about any delay that we are aware of.

If your books have not arrived within the estimated delivery times please check Our Delivery help for when you can receive a refund or replacement.

You can inquire into the status of your order by e-mail to orders@foyles.co.uk, by fax to (44) (0)207 434 1574 or by telephone to (44) (0)207 440 1557. When contacting us please use your order reference and clearly mark the nature of the enquiry in any subject line.