Refunds and Returns

Before it ships

Change your mind before your parcel is dispatched and we will cancel it and refund you in full, no questions asked. Email contact@tropesandlore.com as soon as you can. We usually dispatch within three to five business days, so the sooner you write, the easier it is.

After it ships

Because every parcel is a surprise, and because a book cannot be resold once it has been unwrapped, we do not accept returns or give refunds for a change of mind once a parcel is on its way. That is the trade you make for the surprise, and we would rather say so plainly here than bury it in the small print.

You can still exchange a book, and everything below is what we cover.

Damaged in the post

If your book or anything else in the parcel arrives damaged, email us within 14 days of delivery and we will send a replacement or refund you in full, whichever you would prefer. A photograph helps us sort it out quickly and helps us claim from the carrier, but we will not turn you away for lack of one.

Lost in the post

If tracking shows your parcel has not moved for 10 business days, or shows it delivered when nothing arrived, write to us. We will chase the carrier, and if the parcel cannot be found we will replace it or refund you.

If a parcel comes back to us because the address was wrong or nobody could take delivery, we will refund the price of the bundle less the postage already spent. We are also happy to send it out again if you give us a corrected address.

The wrong parcel

If we sent the wrong bundle, tell us and we will send the right one and cover the postage both ways. Hold on to the wrapping if you can.

A book you already own

It happens. A blind date is chosen from a description, and we cannot see your shelves. That is what Been There, Read That Protection is for: tick it against any bundle or box in your cart, for a small charge per bundle, or ask for it at the stall if you are buying in person.

If a protected bundle holds a book you already own, use Request an exchange on your order page (the link is in your order emails) within 14 days of your parcel arriving, or email contact@tropesandlore.com. We count that from a week after we post it, since we cannot see the moment it lands on your doormat; your order page shows the exact date your window closes. We will send you a prepaid return label, and once the book is back with us we will send you a different book from the same bundle. Postage both ways is on us.

Without protection, owning the book already is not grounds for a refund, but you can still exchange it as described below.

Exchanging a book

You can exchange a book for any other reason, too, within 14 days of your parcel arriving (counted from a week after we post it, as above). Use Request an exchange on your order page, or email contact@tropesandlore.com with your order reference or receipt.

Bought at a market? The exchange works the same way, except the 14 days count from the day of the sale rather than from delivery, since that is when the book changed hands. Go to Exchange a book and enter the email you gave at the till; if we have a recent sale for it, we will email you a one-time link, good for an hour, to request your exchange. That email is the only way we can find your sale, so do give one at the stall. Ask about Been There, Read That Protection there too, if you would like it: each one you buy covers one book from that sale, the same as it does online.

You pay the postage to send it back to us: we will email you a link to pay for a tracked return label, good for 7 days, and the label arrives as soon as it is paid. Once the book arrives we send you a different one from the same bundle, and that postage is ours.

Every exchanged book has to come back in like-new condition: unread and undamaged. Each book can be exchanged once, and Been There, Read That Protection covers one exchange per protected bundle (or, bought at a market, per protection item from that sale).

How refunds are paid

Refunds go back to the card or payment method you paid with, through Stripe. We issue them as soon as we have agreed one; your bank then usually takes a further five to ten business days to show it. We cannot refund to a different card.

How to ask

Email contact@tropesandlore.com with your order reference and what went wrong. Your order reference is at the top of your confirmation email, on your order status page, and on the screen shown when you paid. We answer everything. We would much rather you asked than assumed.