Policy Press

FAQs and customer service information

Contact us
Information for EU customers
Order confirmation 
Pre-orders
Changes to address information 
Receipt or invoice
Unavailable items 
Returns information 
Methods of payment 
Is it safe to pay online?
Why is the payment system loading, but not accepting payments?
Where should I order if I am ordering from Australia or New Zealand? 
eBooks and downloading eBook software 
Bulk orders and bulk order discounts 
How do I use a discount code?
As a member of staff/student at the University of Bristol, am I eligible for a discount on publications?
How can I request an inspection copy?
Will my private details stay private?
Where can I find out more about my royalty statements/payments?
Prices and title information
I'd like to use one of the images on your site, where can I find them?
Who should I contact with feedback on this website?

For information on delivery and delivery charges, please click here.

Contact us

If you have any further questions or queries not covered by this FAQ page, please don’t hesitate to contact us by emailing bup-sales@bristol.ac.uk.

If you are emailing regarding an order, please email bup-sales@bristol.ac.uk and do let us know your order number so we can locate this on the system as quickly as possible!

We are online between 9:00-17:00 on Monday-Fridays (apart from Bank Holidays and any University closure day) and will respond to your email as quickly as possible.

Order confirmation

On receiving your order, our system will send over an order confirmation. We don’t currently send another email on dispatch of the book, but please do feel assured that we have received your order and our processing via our distributor.

Pre-orders

If the print title you have ordered is not yet published at the time of your order, you will be charged at the time of ordering, we will record the pre-order for you and arrange for it to be sent on when stock has been received at our warehouse. For eBooks, you will receive a confirmation on ordering and then a follow up email with a download link when the eBook is available for download. Please note, our Open Access eBooks are not available for pre-order.

Changes to address information

Our orders are sent through to our distributor to process immediately so unfortunately, we aren’t able to change or edit any order information unless for a pre-order.

Receipt or invoice

If you would like a payment receipt or PDF invoice, please contact bup-sales@bristol.ac.uk and confirm if you would like a receipt or full invoice – unfortunately we can only provide full invoices for print books.

Please note, we cannot amend the information used on the order on the invoice, so please do include the correct information in the billing address. Please note, there may also be multiple invoices for an order of more than one product and invoices will show the full RRP of the titles ordered. 

For customers ordering to North and South America and the Caribbean, your order will include a packing slip rather than invoice which shows the full RRP of the titles ordered which may differ from the price paid. 

Unavailable items

If the title you have ordered is not in stock at the time of your order you will be charged at the time of ordering, we will record a backorder for you and arrange for it to be sent on when stock has been received at our warehouse. This will be sent separately if you have ordered other available titles in the same order.

Returns information

If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please email bup-sales@bristol.ac.uk to receive instructions on how to return the goods.

Unfortunately, we cannot cover the postage cost of returns or refund the delivery costs for an order unless the order is incorrect or damaged.

Methods of payment

We accept payment by Credit/Debit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express). Unfortunately, we cannot accept Maestro cards that don't have a CVC and expiration date. Please see our terms and conditions for further details.

Is it safe to pay online?

When you place an order online with Bristol University Press or Policy Press, your personal details are completely safe. We use the industry standard secure server software, which protects your information as it is transmitted over the Internet. Your order is encrypted so that no one else can read it and is not decoded until it reaches our secure server. When it reaches us, only authorised personnel will see it.

We do not store your credit card details online, so other internet users cannot access your details. In the event of fraudulent or unauthorised use of your card, most banks and card issuers will not hold you liable for the charges incurred - or will only hold you liable for the first £50. We are confident that whilst you are using our site, there is no chance of this happening. So, if through no fault of your own, unauthorised use of your card takes place through our secure server, we will cover your liability up to a maximum of £50. This guarantee is limited to purchases made through our secure server and is subject to notification of your card issuer in line with its regulations.

Why is the payment system loading, but not accepting payments?

As of 26th June 2023, our payment system for ebooks and orders in the US, Stripe, will not longer process payments on Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) or other legacy browsers. If you would like to proceed with your order, please update to a supported browser.

Where should I order if I am ordering from Australia or New Zealand?

Our distributor within Australia and New Zealand is NewSouth Books and you can order directly from their site. Please note, very occasionally the publication date of a title may be slightly later in Australia and New Zealand.

eBooks and downloading eBook software

If you want to find out more about ordering eBooks from our website, please see our eBooks page. If you need help downloading Adobe Digital Editions or are having problems with an eBook from our website, see our Adobe Digital Editions FAQ.

Bulk orders and bulk order discounts

If you are an institution with a campus bookseller, we recommend contacting them in the first instance.

For any other bulk orders, please contact bup-sales@bristol.ac.uk. We are happy to discuss discounts for bulk purchases of our titles.

How do I use a discount code?

Discount codes are available during selected promotions and will be highlighted either through the website, through exclusive offers on our email alerts service or through reader/member offers with related magazines, journals or organisations. Join our mailing list to make sure you’re the first to know.

Bristol University Press and Policy Press authors are entitled to 50% off all our books. This discount code is provided in correspondence from your marketing contact, but please contact bup-marketing@bristol.ac.uk for a reminder. Please be aware that as of Sep 2023 our author discount has been updated - please contact bup-marketing@bristol.ac.uk to be advised of the current discount code.

How can I request an inspection copy?

Please check out our textbook page for information on inspection copies.

Will my private details stay private?

Yes. For your convenience, we will keep a record of all the information you give us, so that we can make it easier for you to order in the future. We do not sell or rent your personal details to anyone. We also store your details so other internet users cannot access them.

Where can I find out more about my royalty statements/payments?

Please see Author Royalties: Frequently asked questions.

Prices and title information

All prices are currently correct but are subject to change without notice. Equally, information on titles not yet published is provisional and may be altered.

I'd like to use one of the images on your site, where can I find them?

We use a wide range of sources for the images on our website, including: iStock, Unsplash and Alamy. See our image credits page for image specific information.

Who should I contact with feedback on this website?

We welcome your feedback on our website. Please email any comments to: jessica.miles@bristol.ac.uk.