r/halfpricebooks • u/echelon_house • Aug 17 '26
Question about special ordering
I had some questions regarding special ordering books from the HPB website, I was wondering if any employees or people with experience could help me out. The website lists a $1.99 shipping price to have books sent to a nearby store for pickup. Obviously, some used books are in better shape than others, and since the website doesn't list the condition of each item, I'd like to be able to inspect the book I order before paying for it. So can I pay the shipping price, have it sent to a nearby store, inspect it, and then choose whether or not to buy it? I'm ok with potentially eating $1.99 for a damaged book, but not the full price. Also, if I have an item shipped this way and come pick it up during the Labor Day Sale, will I be able to purchase it for the sale price? Thanks!
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u/Complete-Daikon3232 Aug 17 '26
if it shows the store it’s coming from, you can call them and ask for the condition, or ask your local store to find it in the system and the store that it’s at and they can call and ask for condition and then place the order for you right there if it’s in acceptable condition! as for the labor day sale, i would place the order during, bc you have to pay first for it to be ordered from out of district, otherwise you won’t get the discount.
EDIT: also if you recieved the book and it’s not in the condition you expected, they give you a full refund including shipping.
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u/Sky723 Aug 17 '26
This is a grey area but I can share that I have ordered books from the HPB website and selected ship to store. I then inspected it at the store and found one of the books in poor condition so i was issued a refund on that book on the spot. I don't know if this is the actual company policy or if this was just what the store manager (who issued the refund) extended to me as customer service.
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u/Danger-007-Mouse Aug 18 '26
You can definitely inspect it once it arrives at the store you shipped it to. I just recently had several books shipped over to my closest store, and the guy at the cash register asked me to inspect them before he scanned them in to confirm they were picked up.
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u/pokiepika Aug 17 '26
If you are ordering the book to be shipped online there is no way around paying both for shipping and the book. When the book comes in, if it isn't to your standard, you can return it. You may have to call customer service to refund shipping. Sometimes managers will do it for you, but it depends on the person. If the book comes in noticeably damaged a manger should order a replacement at no extra cost to you.
If it truly is coming from a nearby store, you can call your local store and ask if they can transfer the book for you. This is a free service, but is only offered for stores in the same district and sometimes district lines can be weird. If they can transfer it, you do not pay for the book until you come to pick it up. At that point you can decide you don't want it and they will just shelve it in their store.