Returns, Refunds & Cancellations
Updated October 29, 2026
Check the title, edition, binding and listed collection contents before ordering. This policy explains returns for physical books and accessories, help with an order problem, and cancellation requests. Your non-waivable legal protections continue to apply.
Request a return within 7 days
Contact us within 7 days after delivery to ask for return authorization. Include the order number, the item you wish to return and the reason. For damage, a defect or an incorrect item, a short description and photographs help us assess the issue. We will provide the mailing address, instructions and any agreed return deadline when we authorize the request. Please obtain those instructions before sending anything back.
For a change of mind or an incorrectly selected book, the item must remain unused and suitable for resale, with its original packaging and all supplied components. A partial collection, missing accessories, personal notes, installed index tabs or customer-caused damage can make that type of return ineligible. These conditions do not prevent you from inspecting an item or making a valid claim about a fault or our error.
Return postage and the 20% handling fee
For an approved change-of-mind return or a book you ordered incorrectly, you pay the return postage. We deduct a restocking and handling amount equal to 20% of the purchase price actually paid for the returned items. Original shipping charges are normally not refunded once the delivery service has been provided, unless the law requires a different outcome. Keep the return postage receipt and tracking details.
Wrong, damaged or defective items
Tell us promptly if the item received does not match your order, arrives damaged or has a defect. The preferred 48-hour damage report helps with carrier evidence; it does not shorten the 7-day request window or any longer protection the law gives you. The 20% handling deduction does not apply to our mistakes or valid fault claims.
Approved replacements are provided without an additional item charge. For an approved return caused by our error or a defect, we cover the reasonable return postage through the instructions we give you. Where a refund is appropriate or required, we refund the affected purchase and any associated charges that must be returned. We will explain the proposed resolution before asking you to mail the item.
Refund timing
We submit approved refunds to the original payment method. For an ordinary returned-item refund, processing generally takes 7–10 business days after we receive and inspect the return and approve the refund. Your payment provider may take additional time to show the credit.
Different timing applies when we cancel because merchandise cannot be shipped or you exercise a shipment-delay cancellation right. For standard third-party payment methods, we issue the required refund within 7 working days after that cancellation, or sooner if applicable law requires it. For this deadline, working days mean Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. An order we cannot ship is not subject to the change-of-mind handling deduction.
Cancelling before dispatch
Contact us as soon as you need to stop an order. We can accept a routine cancellation before order processing begins. Once preparation has started or the parcel has been dispatched, we may be unable to stop it; eligible return options can still apply after delivery. This limit does not remove the delay-cancellation or unfulfilled-order remedies described above.
Orders over $1,000
For orders with a total above $1,000, discretionary returns and refunds for a change of mind are unavailable after shipment. Damage, defects and incorrect items still receive the remedies described in this policy, including approved replacements and refunds where required. Mandatory rights continue to apply regardless of order value.
Start a request
Caelum Books · 1116 Corrinne Terrace, Mountainside, New Jersey 07092, United States.
Email support@caelumbooks.com or call (908) 232-3847. You can also use our contact form.
