FAQ
Here are answers to our most frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the information you need, reach out to our Customer Service team.
Shipping & delivery
For orders being sent within Australia, Readings charges a $9 flat rate on all online orders under $100, and free standard shipping for orders over $100. Please note gift cards and gift wrapping costs do not count toward the free shipping threshold.
We do ship internationally, with Australia Post. To find our costing for international delivery options, please clickhere.
We do ship internationally, with Australia Post. To find our costing for international delivery options, please clickhere.
At the moment,in-stock items are being dispatched in 1-3 business days. Delivery times will then vary depending on the location the package is being sent to.
If one of the items in your order isout of stock and needs to be ordered from the supplier, your order may take longer to be dispatched or be split into two shipments.
You can find more information about shopping online at Readingshere.
No, you don't need to be home – all Australia Post parcels are sent withAuthority to Leave, meaning that if the recipient is not home, the delivery driver will leave the parcel, provided there’s a safe place on the property to do so. If you don't want a parcel left unattended, let us know in the Notes field at checkout, and we'll send it with signature required.
Yes, we offer Express Post. Rates are calculated at checkout.
We are committed to limiting our carbon footprint. Where possible we use recyclable shredded paper and/or biodegradable cornstarch pellets for packing items to mail to our customers.
Payment
We accept VISA and MasterCard. Unfortunately we don’t accept American Express (AMEX) or Diners Club online, although American Express cards are now accepted in our shops.
Your credit card will be charged at the time of order. If there are any price changes we will contact you. If an item is unavailable we will refund the credit card used for the transaction.
No, for international orders GST is deducted from the total cost of your order upon shipping.
Please check in your spam or junk folder, because the tax invoice email may have landed there. If you still can’t find it, pleaseemail us.
You can read our Returns & Exchanges policyhere, to find out if you're elligble to return your order and get a refund.
If you have been approved to receive a refund, the credit card used for the transaction will be refunded. We cannot return funds to a card other than the one used to make payment.
Online membership
You have probably signed up previously, tryrecovering your password.
When you signed up as an online member you should have received an email from us with a verification link in it. You need to click this link in order to log into your online account. If you didn’t receive this email, check your spam or junk folders.
If you still have problems, pleaseget in touch with us.
With an online member account you can collect and build wishlists for future purchases, gift ideas, recommendations or whatever you like!
To make a wishlist:
- Sign up orlog in to the Readings website
- Click the heart icon on any product and select 'ADD' in the pop-up that appears. You can also create a new list for the item by filling out the 'Create a new list' field and pressing the '+' on the right.
- Alternatively, you can create a new wishlist in the Member Centre – click on the 'member centre' link at the top of the page and then select 'Wishlists'. You can there view and edit existing wishlists and create a new one.
- To share your wishlist with friends and family, or to make it private, select 'View/edit' on the list in the Member Centre and then 'Edit name/sharing'. You can then adjust the sharing mode as needed. All lists will default to being private when created.
About Readings digital gift cards
When you purchase a Readings digital gift card through our website you can have it sent directly to your recipient on a specified date or send it to yourself to be forwarded or printed at your convenience. All Readings digital gift cards can be redeemed on our website, or in one of our shops, and are valid for three years from their date of issue.
Please note, all Readings gift cards are not refundable.
Follow these steps to order a digital gift card:
- SelectCreate a digital gift card, or on one of the revolving images
- SelectIndividualorMultiplefollowed byContinue
NB: if choosingMultipleplease ensure the number of gift cards has been entered in the box below,Specify number of gift cards,before proceeding. When ordering multiple gift cards, all digital gift cards will have the same selected amount, design and message. Orders using theMultiplegift card function will be delivered to the email address supplied at checkout. - Select aCard design
- Select aColourfrom the choices below, followed byContinue
- Choosegift card amount from the set options in the drop-down menu
- Add Message if required (or leave this blank!)
- SelectSend to recipientorSend to me
- Fill out the form as required
- SelectAdd to cart and finalise the transaction
NB: If an order has a combination of gift cards and books the gift cards will be emailed separately, and the books shipped according to website timelines.
Our digital gift cards are sent as HTML email. You or your recipient will need to allow images to be downloaded on your/their email to view the card design. Additionally, if you are purchasing multiple digital gift cards, each one will be sent to you as a separate email.
If your digital gift card has not arrived in your inbox within 15 minutes of purchase, please check your junk, spam or promotional folders. Likewise, if you opted to have your digital gift card sent straight to the recipient, but they have not received it within 15 minutes of your purchase or after 9am on the date selected, ensure they've checked their junk, spam and promotional folders. If the digital gift card email still can't be found, please contact our web order team via[email protected] or call 03 9341 7729 between 9am and 4pm.
When redeeming a Readings digital or physical gift card online, simply tick the Readings gift card box in the Payment Method field, enter the full card number (including RCA) and the four-digit PIN. Then click Apply. The amount available on the gift card will then be redeemed from the order.
If there is an outstanding balance on this order, enter your credit or debit card details and it will be charged for the difference. If not, skip this step and your order will be placed.
Please note: you can’t use a gift card to purchase other gift cards.
Shopping with a gift card
Yes, you can use digital gift cards and physical gift cards from our shops when ordering online. At checkout, simply enter the gift card code (for physical gift cards this is the barcode on the back of your card) and the PIN.
If your order value exceeds the amount on your gift card, you can apply multiple vouchers to the order, or enter credit card details to be charged for the remaining balance.
Gift cards bought at Readings are valid for three years from their date of issue.
No, our online checkout requires a billing address for every order, but digital gift cards are always sent via email.
If your order included physical items as well a digital gift card, then the voucher will still be emailed and the other items shipped to the address provided.
Please check in your spam or junk folder, because the email containing the gift card may have landed there. If you still can’t find the voucher email, pleaseemail us.
If a refund is requested for an order where a gift card was used for, or as part of, the payment, once the return is approved the refunded amount will be credited to a new gift card. It cannot be returned to the original gift card.
Books & content
If an item is marked as 'low stock', it means there were less than 5 copies in stock at the last check. Stock availability and prices shown on our website are updated periodically and can be subject to change without notice.
When buying an item marked with 'low stock', we recommend calling your local shop to check availability before visiting. You can find the contact details for each of our shopshere. If you want to order a low stock item online,contact our online team to confirm availability.
Of course! Give the shop that has it in stock a call, and one of our booksellers will arrange to have it transferred to your local shop, so you can go in and purchase it there.
Note, online orders cannot be collected from Readings shops.
If it’s not a recent release, the book you are looking for may no longer be available or may be out-of-print. To find out-of-print and second-hand books, we recommend using Biblio, a US-based company that offers a huge range of used, rare, and out-of-print books worldwide.Click here to search on Biblio.
If the book you are looking for is a new release, or if you believe it should be available to order online at Readings, pleaseget in touch.
Check in with your publisher or supplier. Most of the information on our product pages comes through data feeds, using data supplied by publishers. The best way to fix an error is to make sure the data being sent out to us is correct.
Our online shop has over 30 million entries which are automatically uploaded to the website via a number of local and international data feeds. These include some self-published and print-on-demand titles. Due to the sheer volume of products we are unable to vet each one individually, so please note that a book appearing on our website does not mean that Readings endorses any views or opinions expressed in the book or those involved in its production.
If you’ve seen something you believe shouldn’t be there you are welcome tolet us know and we will assess the item. Products can take up to 48 hours to be removed from the website.
Readings Monthly
Readings Monthly is our free, independent monthly newsletter. Each issue features a range of new books, as well as reviews, interviews and feature articles.
You can subscribe to theReadings Monthly by subscribing toour e-news and you'll be emailed a digital copy ofReadings Monthly every month. You can also view the digital copy on our websitehere at any time!
You can unsubscribe from the e-news at any time through the link in the email footer.
If you prefer a hardcopy, you can pick up a free paper version in our shops.
If you prefer to read the latestReadings Monthly as a PDF, you can download it by clicking the ‘Read here’ button onthe Readings Monthly page, and then selecting the cloud icon on the bottom-left of the screen. That will download a copy that you can then view offline.
For issues in the archive, from March 2025 or earlier, you’ll find the download icon on the bottom-right of the screen, once you open the digital version.
Stocking self-published and small press books at Readings
Yes, we do. At Readings, we consider supporting small publishers and self-published authors to be an important responsibility, and we offer the opportunity for titles to be left on a consignment basis at our shops.
Selling titles on a consignment basis means that authors leave books with us for an agreed period and we put the stock on our shelves to sell on their behalf. At the end of the agreed period, we pay the authors for any copies that we sell, and we return any unsold stock to them.
Staff at each of our shops curate a selection of books kept under the above terms, with attention to the specific customer base in each location. We also take into account subject matter, author profile, market trends, planned publicity, and book design. Read morehere.
During the consignment period (March – September) you can find instructionshere for how to submit your book to Readings.
Please note that we do not accept titles after 30 September as we’re unable to give the program our full attention during the busy festive season.
Website problems
Try refreshing the page, that can often fix any display issues. If the problem persists, please make sure your browser is up-to-date. We recommend using Safari, Google Chrome or Firefox (not Internet Explorer).
If you are still experiencing problems, pleaseemail us.
Events at Readings
You can contact our programming and events manager, Christine Gordon, at[email protected] with any questions about organising an event.
See our current program of eventshere.
Schools & libraries
Once you’ve setup an account with us for your institution, your discount will be automatically applied when shopping online. Simply log in with your account details and you’re ready to go.
Readings is proud to offer institutions a generous 20% discount off eligible trade books.
All business accounts are setup with 30-day credit terms and order payment is processed via invoice.
Reach out through the details provided above, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Please note our on the floor shop teams are not able to setup business accounts for institutions.
Looking for something in particular?
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