What is Hive?

Visit our 'What's Hive all about?' page to read more

We hope the list of questions and answers below will provide the information you’re looking for.  If not, don’t worry, please email us at customerservice@hive.co.uk and we’ll be in touch.

What products can I buy?

Hive customers can purchase books (including audiobooks, eBooks, and eAudiobooks), stationery, music (CDs and Vinyl), DVDs, Blu-ray, board games and other gift items. An independent bookshop will receive commission on every order, regardless of what is purchased. Find out more here.

Please note, Hive does not engage in any censorship of the stock catalogue available through its suppliers. As such, product availability does not indicate agreement with any subjects discussed.

Cover design images

The images supplied on our listings are intended as a guide only. Our products are sourced from various suppliers. The images are supplied by the publisher and studio directly who may have various cover designs under the same ISBN/EAN number. With this in mind it isn't always possible for us to guarantee that you will receive the cover shown on our website. If in doubt and you want a specific design, please contact us directly and we will endeavour to check our stock before you make a purchase to confirm what cover will be supplied

How do I find what I’m looking for?

If you have tried entering the ISBN/EAN and this doesn’t return the result you expect, it is possible that this item is not in our database.  It may not be listed or it could be out of print or discontinued.  Our customer service team – customerservice@hive.co.uk - will be happy to try to locate a copy for you.  All you have to do is let them have the details by email.

Can I provide feedback?

• On the site
• On the service
• On the products

We love to receive feedback from our customers.  Please send us your feedback by email – customerservice@hive.co.uk

My Account

What are the benefits of having an account?

We ask that all customers create an account and have made this process as simple and as quick as possible. When you place an order for the first time, we’ll ask for details of your email address, name and your choice of password.   Your account will enable you to:

• Edit and change the name on your account,
• Edit and change your contact details (for example, email address)
• Edit and change delivery address(s),
• View your order and email history
• Access your Digital Library (download links if you’ve purchased eBooks or eAudiobooks)
• Edit and change email newsletter preferences
• Edit and change your Password

It’s easy to do and once an account has been registered, click Sign in to reach your account.

What can’t I do in My Account?  When will I have to contact customer service?

You will have to contact customer service – customerservice@hive.co.uk - if you wish to cancel an order for an item which is showing as 'In stock' as it might not be possible to stop the order from being suppliled as orders are passed through to our fulfilment partner as soon as the order is placed. You can cancel oustanding orders (Backorders) via My Account

We don’t store credit card details, so you needn’t worry about updating credit card information.  Simply enter card details in our secure checkout each time you place an order.

Pricing

Are prices inclusive of VAT?

All selling prices include VAT where relevant.  Books are not subject to VAT but it is included in the selling price of eBooks, eAudiobooks, DVDs, Music CDs and other non-book products.

Why are online prices different from those in a shop?

The costs associated with an Internet business are different to those of a high street shop-based operation.  As a consequence, different prices can be offered. While we try to ensure that all prices on our website are accurate, errors may occur.  If we discover an error in the price of goods you have ordered we will inform you as soon as possible. You will then have the option of reconfirming your order at the correct price or cancelling. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for full details.

Do you offer bulk discounts?

For bulk orders we may consider offering additional discount, where possible. Please email your details and as much information as possible regarding the products you require along with their quantities, to our customer services team – customerservice@hive.co.uk

How do I redeem a discount code?

If you have a discount code, this should be entered in the basket. Only one voucher code can be applied to an order

Payment

Which payment methods do you accept?

We accept credit/debit cards issued by UK banks, the registered card address must be in the UK  and PayPal.

International customers who do not have a UK-registered credit/debit card are kindly asked to pay via PayPal using their PayPal account or as a guest.

What is 3D secure?

We want to protect you when you shop with us. 3D secure is an additional check when you enter your card details to help protect you against fraudulent use of your card.

There are two schemes: Visa's is called 'Verified by Visa' and MasterCard's is 'MasterCard SecureCode'. They are collectively referred to as 3D Secure.

3D Secure authentication requires the cardholder to register their card to take advantage of this service. This is a one-time process which takes place through the card issuer's website and involves the cardholder answering several security questions to which only the card issuer and cardholder will know the answer. The cardholder selects a password and agrees on a secret phrase, which will be used by the card issuer during each online transaction.

3D Secure can be thought of as an online version of 'chip and pin' technology. Instead of entering a pin number you will be asked to confirm the password registered to that specific credit card.

When will payment be taken?

When you pay by credit or debit card, the full amount of the order will be pre-authorised against your card - so you need to make sure there are sufficient funds in your account when the order is placed.  This pre-authorised amount does not leave your account but may show on your account as a 'pending' charge, this pre-authorisation will automatically time-out if payment is not taken within 5-7 days. We only take payment when your order is ready to be despatched.   

Payments made via PayPal are taken when the order is placed regardless of whether the order can be supplied immediately. 

Does Hive sell Gift Cards?

No, we're sorry but we don't offer the ability to buy pre-paid Gift Cards, only the option to place a gift order for delivery to another person.

Why don’t you accept Book Tokens any longer?

Due to the high processing costs associated with National Book Tokens and our ongoing commitment to ensuring our prices are as competitive as possible, it isn’t possible to continue to accept or sell National Book Tokens.  However, they will continue to be available from all good Bookshops.  A full list is available from the National Book Tokens website -  www.nationalbooktokens.com

Delivery

Where do you deliver?

We deliver within the UK, Europe and to many countries across the world. For full details of costs and delivery times, visit our delivery information page.  We offer a tracked delivery service to most countries and will only deliver to those countries where this service is available.  Please contact us if a specific country is not listed.

Which address will my order be sent to?

Your order will be dispatched to the delivery address entered when you placed your order as confirmed in your order confirmation email.

Can I change the delivery address for my order?

Your order will be dispatched to the delivery address entered when you placed your order.   We’re sorry but this can’t currently be amended.  If you would like to change the delivery address you will need to cancel your order and place a new order with us.

Where is my order?

You can track your order via the order history section of  My Account. From here you can check the status of your order including whether it has been dispatched. If your order has not yet been dispatched you can email us to obtain an update from our customer service team on its progress.

Once your order has been dispatched it should arrive within 3-5 working days or within 1 working day for Premium delivery if you live in the UK.  If the order was for delivery outside the UK delivery times will be longer.  Typically orders should arrive within 5-7 working days within Europe and 7-10 working days for the Rest of the World. Please note: this does depend on product availability, your location and delivery selections. For more information on this, visit our delivery information page.

If your order has not arrived within the expected time frame and was sent via Royal Mail, please allow 10 working days for it to arrive before contacting Customer Services.  If it was sent on a trackable service and there are issues with delivery, please contact us so we can resolve this for you.

How long will my order take to be delivered?

In stock items are usually despatched within 24 hours, you will then need to add on the delivery time depending on the delivery service chosen.   Pre-orders will be despatched as soon as the item has been published or released. Please see the delivery information page for detailed information on delivery times and costs.

If an item is currently unavailable at our supplier we will endeavour to source it as quickly as possible.  We will update your order history with the latest information if information is available.

Your credit card will not be charged until the order is despatched. If you paid by PayPal, payment is taken when the order is placed.

How will you let me know my order is ready for collection?

If you have opted to have your order delivered to a bookshop, we will send you an email advising you when it will arrive. Once your order has arrived at your chosen shop, a member of the staff there will contact you to advise that it is ready for collection.

Order cancellation

How do I cancel an order?

To request cancellation of an order please email customerservice@hive.co.uk giving your order number. Please note: if your order is for a title which is available for immediate despatch (In Stock) these orders are sent to our fulfilment partner as soon as the order is placed and in most cases cannot be cancelled. However, please do contact us as whilst we might not be able to stop the order from being despatched we will try to accommodate your request.  Please note emails received outside of normal working hours will be answered the next working day.  

Why has my order been cancelled?

Occasionally, a supplier informs us that an item is no longer available.  This means they then have to cancel the order. This could be due to a book title going out of print, or a DVD or music CD that may have been deleted.   Before we cancel an order, we will make every effort to contact you to advise which items from your order have to be cancelled.

Refunds

How can I get a refund for a product bought online?

Items must be returned within 30 days of receipt and returned to Hive and not to a Hive Network retailer, even if the order was originally delivered to a bookshop for collection.

Please see our Returns and exchanges section for full returns information and instructions as well as our terms and conditions. Some items (DVDs and Music CDs) cannot be returned once the security seal has been broken, unless the item is faulty. Digital items, eBooks and eAudiobooks, cannot be refunded once downloaded.

If we've made an error, supplied the wrong item or the item is defective, we're very sorry, and we'll refund the cost of any return postage as well as replace the item free of charge. 

If you've changed your mind and don't want to keep the items received, you'll need to pay the cost of return postage.  We don't currently don't offer a free returns service or the option to exchange unwanted items. 

Please refer to our Returns and exchanges section for more information on what you need to do.  Please note that eBooks cannot be returned or refunded.

Author/publisher/studio

How can I get my products listed on Hive?

The titles listed on Hive are based upon the stock catalogue of our suppliers, so may not cover everything available in the UK and with so many titles published each year, we are unable to list them all. If you would like to have your title(s) considered for listing on Hive,  you will need to contact Gardners.  Please see the “selling to us” section of their website, www.gardners.com for details of how to submit a review copy. Titles submitted directly to Hive cannot be considered and may not be returned.

If you have any issues with how your product is listed on the website please contact nikki.daigneault@gardners.com with full details of the issue.  

Stores

How do I join the Hive Network?

If you are an independent bookseller or have an existing business and are considering selling books or DVDs, we would love to hear from you. Please see our Join the Hive Network page for more information.

Where will I find a list of participating bookshops?

Visit our Hive Network information page and search either by postcode or bookshop name.