Marketplace Seller Terms and Conditions

Introduction

All Marketplace Sellers must agree to the existing Agreement in order to sell on BooksRun.com. By accepting this agreement upon registration as a Seller, you accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement and willingly choose to become a member of this Site. BooksRun reserves the right to modify this Agreement and said revisions will be effective immediately. All Marketplace Sellers will be notified about revisions to the Agreement and continued use will constitute acceptance of the revised Agreement by the Seller.

Becoming a Marketplace Seller

• To deter fraud, all Sellers are required to become registered members of the Site. To register, you must provide your legal name, address, phone number, and active email address, as well as your financial information. Your personal registration information is confidential and will not be transmitted to any third parties in accordance with BooksRun policy. By accepting this Agreement, you authorize the Marketplace and its agents to make necessary inquiries to establish the validity of your user information. This may take the form of a credit check, credit card authorization, and/or some form of address verification.
• Outside BooksRun.com, it is your responsibility to keep your username and password secure in order to protect yourself. You are solely responsible for any actions taken under your username and password.
• After completing the user registration process, you need to request approval to become a Seller. When you get approved as a Seller on the Marketplace, you will get instant access to all seller tools. Within the account, the Seller has the ability to edit account information, view and confirm orders, upload and manage inventory, view payment details, and monitor their performance. The Seller should navigate to the Inventory tab of the account to get started with listing their items. When listing the item(s), the Seller assigns a price and describes the quality of each item. As a Seller, you agree to sell your listed items at the prices you set and to provide complete and accurate descriptions of the condition of the items listed for sale, including edition.

Responsibilities of the Marketplace Seller

• Accurate listing
  The Seller agrees to accurately list all book information and descriptions, including but not limited to the proper categorization of international editions, instructor editions, sample editions, and annotated instructor's editions using book traits. The Seller will make note of any differences regarding content (including exercises and problems) when listing international, instructor's, or annotated editions. The Seller also will not misrepresent different editions, publication years, or other information with the intent of misleading buyers to a version other than what they are searching for. Proper usage of book traits is critical.
• Order shipment
  Orders will be confirmed no later than 3 business days (excluding holidays) from the time they are placed. Orders that are not confirmed within this timeframe are subject to cancellation at BooksRun discretion. It is the Marketplace Seller's responsibility to log in to their account and verify that each order has been confirmed within 3 business days, regardless of the method you use for confirming orders, or the order will be canceled. Repeated neglect regarding order confirmation could result in account suspension until the problem is resolved. In extreme cases, account termination could result. For all purchase orders, the Seller must provide the exact shipping method chosen by the customer directly in the order placed, which means that in the case of Standard Mail, the delivery of the order must be no more than 8 business days, while Expedited Mail must take up to no more than 5 business days. Otherwise, the Seller is to compensate the customer for the late shipment or late delivery at his own expense.
• Commissions, compensations, and payments
  By default, Marketaplace Seller account is set up with the following shipping rates: $3.99 for standard and $6.99 for expedited method of shipping. Seller has the option to modify these values in their Marketplace Seller Account bearing in mind that the set shipping fees will be displayed to a buyer. It's Markeplace Seller's responsibility to keep shipping fees competitive and up-to-date. The shipping compensation, as well as the total products price, are both subject to 15% commission. The Seller’s payment is issued once per 2 weeks via the payment method chosen: either via check or PayPal. Check delivery takes from 3 to 20 business days; PayPal is instant. The order is eligible for payment only if the Seller provides the valid tracking information to the order details; otherwise, such orders are considered as not complete and are not subject to payment until the tracking number is specified. The payment for such orders will be added to the next scheduled mass payout. The Seller is obliged to reimburse his customer for any damage to the item, order loss, late shipment or late delivery, or any other issues that occurred with the order.
• Returns
  Sellers are able to define their own returns policy in their settings, but the policy must allow returns within at least 14 days of delivery. Any buyer who returns a book due to an error on the Marketplace Seller's part (i.e., wrong book shipped, faulty packaging resulting in damage or loss, item not as described, item shipped past deadline, etc.) shall not be charged shipping, handling, or restocking fees and will be issued a full refund. However, modest restocking fees no greater than 15% of item cost may be charged when the reason for return is no fault of the Marketplace Seller (i.e., buyer changed his or her mind, buyer ordered an incorrect book, class cancellation, etc.) Marketplace Sellers may not assess additional shipping charges for the original shipment of the order. Marketplace Sellers may not impose additional shipping fees for the original shipping charge if an order is returned. Buyers must request permission to return a book within 30 calendar days from its receipt, and the Marketplace Seller must respond within 2 business days of the request. The return rate is calculated by dividing the number of returns by the total number of orders placed. Excessively high return rates could negatively impact a Marketplace Seller's account status, which may lead to the account suspension.
• Fulfillment requirements
  Markeplace Seller must make every effort to maintain a fulfillment rating of at least 80% of total orders received. If this expectation is not met, it will be at the discretion of the Marketplace to review the Marketplace Seller’s account for possible suspension, or inactivation. BooksRun Marketplace may immediately suspend or terminate the selling privileges of any Marketplace Seller required to ship with tracking who stops supplying tracking information for orders placed with them.
• Communication requirements
  All Sellers are required to list a valid customer service email and a valid phone number. All communication with buyers is expected to be professional and courteous. Any disrespectful remarks to customers and/or BooksRun staff will be taken seriously and may result in a refund/cancellation of an order, account suspension, or other action.

Your warranties to the Marketplace

• For all items you list as a Seller, you guarantee that your item descriptions and quality ratings accurately represent the condition of items offered for sale.
• You guarantee that the information you provide to us and other members is accurate, legal, and contains nothing that can be interpreted as pornography, does not violate copyright law, and contains no viruses and/or other destructive electronic devices. Items must be listed by the ISBN printed on the product by the publisher. An item may not be listed if it is described in a "materially different" way from its ISBN product information, except as it applies to the quality of the item. An item is considered “materially different” if the ISBN is in any way different from the ISBN product information listed on BooksRun.com. Some types of material differences include but are not limited to: international editions; softcover books listed under hardcover ISBNs/editions; pdf files; scanned textbooks; instructor/teacher editions; instructor solutions manuals; test banks; solutions manuals with no ISBN; older editions listed under newer ISBNs, book club editions; uncorrected proofs; advanced reading copies of books; and out of print books with no ISBN.
• You agree to indemnify the Marketplace and all its associates guiltless against all costs and expenses incurred by the Site and its associates that arise from any claim by third parties related to your actions or omissions.

Warranty

• The Marketplace provides its services on an "as is" basis and makes no warranties of any kind.
• The Marketplace claims no responsibility for any damages which may result from the purchase, sale, distribution, or use of items sold through the Marketplace.
• You agree that the Marketplace is not responsible in any way for the accuracy or suitability of any payment of taxes to any entity on your behalf. You shall indemnify and hold the Marketplace and its associates guiltless against all liabilities that may arise out of any third party or governmental claim that concerns (a) any federal, state, or county tax obligation, (b) any dispute concerning the tax status of a Marketplace member as a reseller of books or other items.
• BooksRun reserves the right at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site or any part of the Site with or without notice.

Results of violations to the Agreement

• Investigations. In the event of complaints or violations, we may conduct an extensive investigation. You agree to cooperate fully and without reservations with such investigations.
• Violations, Termination, and Suspension. We may suspend or end your access to this Site, and remove your listed items if you (a) violate this Agreement; (b) do not cooperate with an investigation of a reported violation; (c) we are unable to verify your personal and/or financial information; or (d) we believe you are involved in illegal activity. Payments due to you may be suspended while an investigation takes place. We are not obligated to pay you for any sale if we have good reason to believe the items sold were in violation of this Agreement.
• Disclosure of Information. Unlawful conduct may be reported to law enforcement officials in accordance with the BooksRun Policy, and, as previously stated, we will cooperate fully in order to ensure prosecution of offenders.
• Making Adjustments. You authorize us to withhold payment for any money owed to BooksRun.com if one of the following situations is true: (a) a sale is canceled for any reason; (b) a cancellation or refund is issued according to our Marketplace Buyer Protection Policy; (c) we have reason to believe you committed an illegal act during the buying or selling process; or (d) you owe us a specific amount for any sale made through your Seller account.

Book conditions

• New. The item in “New” condition implies that its condition is exactly the one in which it was initially issued and sold by the publisher. Moreover, such an item may be shrink-wrapped and include supplementary materials missing in other conditions if such information is stated in the item's description directly by the publisher.
• Used - Like New. The product has minimal to no signs of wear, no visible cosmetic imperfections, but kindly note that such books may come without any packaging or shrink wrap. Even if the original protective wrapping may be missing, but the original packaging is intact and in good condition with minor damage possible. Please note that supplementary materials may be missing (such as dust covers, cardboards, access codes, toys, etc.) if there is no special comment stated in the item's description directly by the publisher or by the seller.
• Used - Very Good. This particular condition implies that there may be minor signs of wear; however, all the text should be legible and all pages included. A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use and remains in good working condition. Pages with slight markings and/or highlighting may be present. Please be kindly advised that supplementary materials are not guaranteed to be included in used items unless the seller provides special comments regarding the presence of supplements in the product description directly.
• Used - Good. This particular condition implies some general signs of tear and wear, some markings, highlighting etc.; however, all the text should be legible and all pages included. The item might show wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and functions properly. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media. Please be kindly advised that supplementary materials are not guaranteed to be included in used items unless the seller provides special comments regarding the presence of supplements in the product description directly.
• Used - Acceptable. This particular condition implies a certain degree of tear and wear, some markings, highlighting, stains, bent corners, etc. However, all the text should be legible and all pages included. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media. Please be kindly advised that supplementary materials are not guaranteed to be included in used items unless the seller provides special comments regarding the presence of supplements in the product description directly.

Prohibited items

• Pornography. All items of an adult-themed nature are prohibited
• Illegal or stolen items. This includes items obtained unlawfully as well as books that violate U.S. copyright laws
• Electronic versions of textbooks, solution manuals, PDF files, or other study aids (including, but not limited to, electronic versions listed under the paper version's ISBN)
• Any item without an ISBN
• Advanced reading copies or uncorrected proofs
• Counterfeit, pirated, scanned, or knockoff versions of textbooks and other books
• Defective and/or misprinted books
• Books that are missing pages, have torn/missing covers, or are otherwise damaged
• Books that are water/liquid damaged

Other violations of Marketplace Seller terms and conditions include:

• Listing inaccurate or incorrect book information using book traits or item descriptions (including ISBNs) resulting in the misrepresentation of inventory
• Failure to deliver an item for which payment was accepted
• Non-shipment of book orders within two days of processing
• Failure to respond to all customer inquiries pre- and post-order
• Non-response to BooksRun Customer Service staff inquiries
• Unclear pricing; descriptions include instructions to contact Marketplace Seller for pricing details or to negotiate a price (even though the book does have a valid price attached to it)
• Canceling an order on BooksRun and redirecting a customer to pay you via external means
• The redirection of orders in any manner, including but not limited to having a customer reship an order to another customer
• Stating that returns are permitted, and then telling customers they must wait until another buyer is found
• Not offering a refund for incorrectly described books
• Not offering a refund for orders that were shipped past the posted guidelines
• Listing stolen items
• Threatening or abusive language or attempts to intimidate BooksRun's staff, fellow Marketplace Sellers, or buyers
• Inclusion of personal or political commentary that may be considered defamatory in book descriptions
• Attempting to bribe a customer with benefits in exchange for positive feedback or other similar actions

The INFORM Consumers Act Compliance

The INFORM Consumers Act takes effect on June 27, 2023. To learn more about the INFORM Consumers Act, read the full text at the Congress website. This bill requires online marketplaces to collect, verify, and disclose certain information from high-volume, third-party sellers. High-volume, third-party sellers include online marketplace participants that conduct 200 or more transactions resulting in total revenues of $5,000 or more during a continuous 12-month period. If you fall under these requirements, you are obliged to provide us with:

Identity: (a) For individual sellers, the name of the individual legally authorized to act on the sellers’ behalf. (b) For business sellers: the business name and name of a business point-of-contact; Bank account information;

A working business phone number;

Business address;

Tax identification number;

A working email address.

There are limited exceptions to the disclosure requirements where a seller certifies that it has only a personal address and/or phone number. Verification process shall be repeated annually. The Act requires that sellers provide requested information and certifications and disclose required information within 10 days of receiving such requests from an online marketplace. If a seller does not comply within 10 days, the marketplace must suspend the seller’s account from any further sales activity pending the seller’s compliance. The sellers are required to update information provided to the marketplace if there are any changes and provide electronic certifications that the information on file is accurate and up-to-date.

Updated on January 8th, 2024