Frequently Asked Questions

Bahá'í Distribution Service
1233 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201  

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Bahá'í Distribution Service
1233 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201  

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It's possible that the item is out of stock. Products sold by some international vendors can take over three months or more to arrive. These items are temporarily removed from the website and will be placed back on the website when they are back in stock. If you have further questions regarding the availability of a title please call us.

There are multiple ways to search for items on our website. You need to start from our Homepage to SEARCH our entire online catalog for an item; if you are browsing any of the Product Categories when you attempt a SEARCH, it only searches items within that category and thus may not return a "hit".

By key word, title or author
You may search by key words that might be found in the title, author name, or description of the item. The more precise your search entry the more narrow and well-defined will be your search results. For example, searching on the key word “Bahá’í” returns more than 800 possible items while “Bahá’í prayers” narrows that to about 100 items.

By ISBN or our product code
If you know the ISBN number of the book you’re searching for or are very familiar with our titles and product codes, you may search for them just by entering the ISBN number or code in the search box.

Browse the web subject catalog
On the left hand side of our home page you will find a column with the heading, “PRODUCT CATEGORIES”. These categories include such topics as, “Bahá’í Introduction” and “Sacred and Authoritative Text”. When you hover over these they will reveal subcategories. Each subcategory will open a list of books or in some cases another series of subcategories.

Call Us
If you still need help please call us with questions, Monday through Friday, during our regular business hours of 8:00AM to 5:00PM CT at 1-800-999-9019. If you are calling from outside of the United States or wish to use a non-toll-free number call us at 847-425-7950. We will be happy to help you find what you are looking for. We are closed on Bahá’í Holy Days and U.S. federal holidays.

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Most orders are packed and ready to leave our warehouse within one to two business days. Please add this processing time to the shipping time for each method to calculate when your package will arrive. All orders ship from the Chicago, IL area and are picked up directly from our warehouse by your selected carrier. Our warehouse is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours. The warehouse is closed on U.S. federal holidays. Orders placed over the weekend will be processed and shipped the following week.

Our shipping charges are based on the actual amounts charged by UPS and the US Postal Service, plus $1 handling fee per order. Shipping charges are calculated, based on the weight of the products, when you place your order. In the event that the website cannot calculate the charges, the following protocols will be used by our staff.

U.S. and International Shipments (Manual Calculations)
The websites for UPS and USPS will be consulted for the weight of your order and a $2.00 shipping and handling fee will be added. Final international order shipping cost will be calculated and communicated to customers before orders are shipped. 

The following shipping methods are available for your convenience.

For domestic shipments within the United States and US Territories, including military addresses:

UPS Ground
1 – 6 Days Shipping Time: Guaranteed delivery to all addresses, with the exception of PO Boxes and military addresses (APO/FPO), in the 48 contiguous states. No weekend delivery. For shipments to PO Boxes, military addresses, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other US territories, please see Priority Mail.

UPS 2nd Day Air
2 Days Shipping Time: Guaranteed delivery to all contiguous 48 states by the end of the second business day (not including the day the order is shipped). No weekend delivery. UPS does not normally leave 2nd Day Air packages “at the door”; a signature is required at delivery. For shipments to PO Boxes, military addresses, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other US territories, please see Priority Mail.

UPS Next Day Air
1-Day Shipping Time: Guaranteed delivery by 10:30 am, 12:00 noon, or end of the next business day, depending on location, to all 48 contiguous states. No weekend delivery. UPS does not normally leave Next Day Air packages “at the door”; a signature is required at delivery. Note: For shipments to PO Boxes, military addresses, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other US territories, please seePriority Mail. UPS does not deliver to a PO Box, and if you choose this option, your package could be returned to us. This may result in additional shipping costs and a delay in delivery.

USPS Priority Mail
2 – 5 Days Shipping Time: Delivery to all addresses in the United States, including PO Boxes and military addresses, within an average of 2 to 5 business days. 

USPS Media Mail (bookrate)  
This shipping option is not insured and sometimes can be unreliable and late to be delivered.

For International Shipping, including shipments to Canada

A note about international shipments: In determining our international shipping policy, we investigated what is normal practice among businesses that have demonstrated excellent international customer service, so we might provide you with the best service possible on international orders. Therefore, we have established the following widely used policy for international shipments.

“Delivery of Merchandise” is defined as complete once the shipment has been safely placed in the hands of the carrier of the customer's choosing. This practice is called “Freight On Board”, which means that the shipper is responsible for ensuring the package is delivered into the possession of the selected carrier or freight forwarder. All further responsibility for lost or damaged shipments rest with the customer.

Airmail Parcel Post
Arrives in the destination country within 4-10 days, depending on destination. Delivery to final address is then handled by your local post office.

International shipping rates do not include customs clearance, duties, or taxes that may be charged by the destination country and are the responsibility of the recipient. Export documentation is required for all international shipments. International mail is subject to customs examination in the destination country. The contents and value of an item will be declared on the applicable customs form.

Charges will be added to your order at time of shipment. Some restrictions may apply.

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Your security and privacy are our utmost concern. We do not sell or exchange our customer information with any other business. We do not keep credit card numbers on file.

Your Security
We work to protect the security of your information during transmission by using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you input. We store information gathered on secure computers located in a locked data center. The number of employees involved in the management of the data center that have physical access to these computers is limited. We use firewalls and other security technology to prevent our computers from being accessed by unauthorized persons.

We require that any personally identifiable consumer information sent to us by you be encrypted using SSL encryption. To process credit card transactions, The Bahá’í Distribution Service uses the most respected name in credit card processing services: Authorize.net. This service offers the most secure credit card processing currently available. You can review Authorize.net's security and privacy policy at http://www.authorize.net/company/privacy.php#security.

Password Security
To further secure your personal customer information we require you to create a customer password when you establish an account with us. Your password must be at least 6 characters long, include at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, and non-letter. We encourage you to use a password that is not easily guessed (i.e., don't use your name or street name). Keep your password secret; do not share it with anyone. The only way you can place an order with us online is by entering both your user name and password.

If you forget your password, simply look for the button at the bottom of the page just under “Forgot User Name or Password?” Enter the email address associated with your account and click the “Next” button. Then check your email to get the user name or follow the link it contains to create a new password. If you want to change your password, simply click on “Ac count” then click the “Change Password” box and proceed. If you forget your login name you must call Bahá’í Distribution Service at 1-800-999-9019 and speak to a Customer Service Representative.

Safe Shopping Guarantee
Under federal law, a credit card issuer cannot make you liable for charges in excess of $50.00 that result from the unauthorized use of your credit card. There are similar federal laws that relate to debit cards. Exceptions do apply, and you will have to comply with the rules of your credit card or debit card issuer, so please contact your card issuer for further details.

Your Privacy
The Bahá’í Distribution Service uses the information you provide to us only for such purposes as responding to your requests and communicating with you. You will find our full Privacy Notice here.

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There are multiple ways to check on an order you have placed with us.

Order Confirmations
You will receive an email order confirmation upon completing your order. You will receive a second email confirmation when your orders ships with a “Tracking Number”. You may check the progress of your delivery by going to: www.ups.com or www.usps.com.

View Order History
Once logged in, you may view your order history by clicking on the “My Account” button located at the top center of any page. This will open your “Account Control Center”. You will see a list of your recent orders. You can view the detail of each order by simply clicking the “View Order” button.

Call Us
Regardless of how you placed your order, our Customer Service Representatives will be happy to check on the status of your order. Please call us at 1-800-999-9019 between 8:00AM-5:00PM (CT), Monday through Friday, and we'll be happy to answer your questions. If you are calling from outside the United States or do not wish to use our toll free number, dial 847-853-7899.

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Effective November 15, 2017, we will no longer be accepting returns unless the items sent were the incorrect items per invoice or they were received damaged upon arrival.

In addition, these other conditions apply regarding returns:

1. We are only able to accept items that have been purchased from the Bahá'í Distribution Service.
2. Please include a copy of your invoice or packing slip with the return and ship to the return address indicated on the packing slip.
3. Wrap the item(s) securely and return with a copy of your invoice and a letter stating the reason for your return.
4. Any shrink-wrapped item (including all CDs, DVDs and software) cannot be returned if it has been opened as a visual inspection of such products cannot guarantee that the item is in saleable condition.
5. We cannot be responsible for packages lost or damaged during return to us. Therefore, we highly recommend that your return be sent via an insured and traceable method for your own protection.
6. All costs for return shipping are borne by the customer but will be reimbursed by way of credit if we sent the wrong items per invoice or items arrived in damaged condition and appropriate documentation to that effect is provided to us.
7. Returns must be made within 10 days of delivery.

The credit for any valid return will be placed on your Bahá’í Distribution Service account. If you wish to have the return placed on your credit card, please contact us with the credit card information for the credit card you used to purchase the books and we would be glad to place the return on your credit card. We can only place funds from returns back onto your credit card for up to 14 days following your purchase; after that, any refund will be credited to your account or a check issued.

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Please contact our Customer Service Representatives to process your order and give you the pricing. It can be placed on hold for up to ten days. As soon as we receive your check we will send the order. Send your check to:

Bahá'í Distribution Service
1233 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201 

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Please send a sample of your product(s) along with prices and your full contact information to:

Bahá'í Distribution Service
1233 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201
ATT: Buyer’s Office

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To request guidelines for manuscript submissions or to submit a manuscript, please contact our Acquisitions Department via email at: acquisitions@usbnc.org .

Tel: 847.425.7955
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