Shipping policy

General information:

Orders are shipped out daily Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).  We ship directly from the College Store in Lewiston, ME and orders are handled and processed directly by College Store employees. Orders are shipped with USPS or UPS and are subject to carrier operations following their departure from our building. 

We strive to process and ship orders as fast as possible. Please note:

  • Orders received after 2:00 PM Eastern on Monday through Thursday may not be processed until the following day.
  • Orders received on Friday after 2:00 PM Eastern or on Sat/Sun will not be processed until the following Monday (excluding holidays).

While the carriers are responsible for final delivery, if you need to receive your order by a certain day, please let us know!  You can leave a note in your order during the checkout process, email us, or call us at 207-786-6121 during business hours.

Holiday Seasons (First Week of July & November/December):

We typically process and ship your order the same day it is placed (within the window described above). Due to increased order volume during holidays, orders may take an additional business day to process.

Commencement Season (May):

Similarly to the holiday season, orders may take an additional business day to process during the month of May.

International Orders:

Outside of the United States, we also ship to Canada*† using both USPS, FedEx, and UPS International Services. If you have a special need for an international order to another country, please email us for a quote prior to ordering.

*International shipping rates for Canada and other countries do not include taxes, tariffs, duties, or any other fees that may be required by destination country at time of delivery, and we are unable to estimate these extra costs at the time of the order.

†International orders also incur an additional handling fee of $5 USD in order to cover the additional requirements for customs inspection and payment processing.

Our international shipping rates reflect average order sizes and packaging requirements. Please contact us if you need a custom quote and include full shipping address and a list of the items you are interested in purchasing.

Promotions:

All shipping promotions are subject to possible exclusions - including but not limited to order destination, product availability, and other discounts. 

Order Pickup:

In-Store pickup is available during regular business hours (see home page footer for current hours)

Current students/faculty/staff:
  • Your order will be handed off to Post & Print for fulfillment (P&P Hours: 8am-4pm Monday through Friday)
All other customers:
  • Pickup is available during regular business hours only
  • Our store address is: 65 Campus Ave. Lewiston, ME 04240 (located on ground floor)

If you need assistance, please email bookstore@bates.edu or call 207-786-6121.

If you have any questions about these processes, please contact us at bookstore@bates.edu