Free international shipping
Rare and Antique Books are happy to offer free shipping across the world. Internationally, items are sent by courier in the majority of cases, with tracking as standard. Within the UK, books are sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Please note that free shipping applies to the transportation costs only. Import duties, taxes, and fees that are beyond our control may apply to our international deliveries. In addition customs processes may also cause delays in delivery of our books.
As of 1st January 2021, the rules for exporting from the UK to the EU have changed. Shipments to the EU will now attract import charges. These are usually VAT applied by the government of the recipient country and collected by the courier or postal service that is transporting the package. In the UK, books are zero-rated for VAT but in most European countries VAT is charged at between 5-20%.
Rare & Antique Books EU customers will be responsible for paying VAT on books in accordance with their country’s laws. Please note, for shipments to Ireland, there is no VAT on books. This means that shipments to Ireland under €150 (~£130) should not be charged customs duties. We have been made aware that some customers have received VAT charges despite there being no VAT on books in either the UK or Ireland, this can and should be challenged.
International customers should also be aware that admin fees can sometimes be charged in addition to the above because many governments have asked couriers to collect on their behalf and the couriers have chosen to pass this cost on at the point of delivery. Rare and Antique Books urge all international customers to check their own country’s rules and regulations prior to purchase, as we cannot take responsibility for taxes and charges beyond our control.
Our return and refund process
Rare and Antique Books have have made every reasonable effort to ensure that the books conform to illustrations, photographs and descriptions provided. We cannot, however, guarantee that all photographs will be precisely accurate due to discrepancies arising from differences in the colour reproduction of electronic displays. If you receive any books that do not conform to the description or images we offer a refund from the date of receipt, for the full value of the book at the time of purchase. The refund will be made to the same PayPal or credit card account used to make the initial payment.
Contact Us to inform Rare and Antique Books about any problem you have with a sale and the reason for the return of the purchase within 14 days of receiving it. Return the book to us in the exact state that you received it and notify us. Rare and Antique books will cover the cost of shipping the book if the item has not arrived as described on the website. For all other returns the expense of postage is covered by the customer. These shipping costs will include tracking and/or insurance if required. Once Rare and Antique Books have received the returned item the refund will be processed.