Category: IngramSpark

When setting up your title on Ingram Spark, have you found yourself confused about the return options and their associated costs?

First, let's understand what book returns are and why they exist. Ingram Spark has the option to allow booksellers to return books. The book seller buys books to sell and if those books aren't selling, they need to be able to return them.

As a business owner they make calculated risks when determining which books to stock. A new or unknown author is more of a risk than an author with an established repertoire. Booksellers are more likely to take that risk on a new author if they can return those books if they don't sell.

If you, the publisher, choose to allow returns, please note that there are costs associated with that option. Therefore, it is very important to understand each option so you can make the right choice for your situation.

When you opt to allow returns IngramSpark will charge you for the wholesale cost of returns plus any applicable shipping and handling fees.

The three choices for book returns available to you on IngramSpark are:

1. No or Non-Returnable: IngramSpark will not accept returns from booksellers.
• Cost to you: none.
• IngramSpark will not accept returns from booksellers.
2. Yes – Deliver: Your titles will be sold on a returnable basis. If the book is returned it will be shipped back to you. (This return option is only available for books sold in the United States or Canada).
• Cost to you: Wholesale cost of the book + $2.00 per book shipping and handling charge (when returning to a US address) or $20.00 per book shipping and handling charge (when returning to a non-US/international address) Be careful with this option as the costs can potentially add up quickly.
• Book returns will be deducted from your publisher’s compensation for sales in the month that the return is shipped to the publisher.
3. Yes – Destroy: Your titles will be sold on a returnable basis. If the book is returned they will be shipped back to IngramSpark and destroyed.
• Cost to you: Wholesale cost of the book. No shipping & handling. This is the preferred choice of many authors.
• Book returns will be deducted from your publisher’s compensation for sales in the month that the returns are received from the retailer.

The opportunities and risks that these options enable should be weighed out with your goals for your book. Some say that if you are not marketing heavily to bookstores they will be less likely to order a book from a new author and in that case, it may not be worth the financial risk to allow returns. On the other hand the much larger reach that a bookstore will most likely have over yours may be worth lowering their risk to carry your book by allowing returns.