Shipping Information
In-Store Pick-up
We are open Mon-Fri 8 AM - 4 PM. You will receive a "Ready for Pickup" email once your order is available. *During rush (Back to School), the sooner your order is placed the quicker your books will be ready!
Standard Shipping
Standard shipping is $7.99 and will be shipped via USPS.
International Shipping
A flat fee of $60 will be charged for shipping internationally. If the cost of shipping exceeds $60, we will contact you to verify if the increase in shipping fees is acceptable. If not, then you will not be charged and the order will be canceled. Please note that we are not liable for orders after they leave the United States. The purchaser is responsible for any import fees or any items held in customs in the country of delivery. For more specific information please email us at berkeleyorders@studentstore.com.
Shipment FAQ's
The Cal Student Store is NOT responsible for any packages that are marked as "Delivered" by USPS, FedEx or UPS and are LOST or STOLEN.
Affordability
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) has provisions to reduce costs to students while supporting instructors' ability to select high-quality course materials. HEOA requires that coursebook information be made available to students before they enroll in a course. UC Berkeley complies with HEOA by asking faculty to submit book orders to the Cal Student Store even in cases where faculty place orders with independent bookstores, so they can be listed in the course catalog. Providing book lists to the Cal Student Store, regardless of where books are ordered, also makes it possible for the store to buy back books at the end of the semester and offer them at a discount in the future.
Accessibility
In addition, each faculty has the responsibility* to identify instructional materials for his or her courses far enough in advance of the semester that the Disabled Students Program has adequate time to convert them into an accessible format, e.g., Braille, large print, digital/electronic. Timely submission of textbook adoptions enables the University to meet its legal requirement to provide students with disabilities an equal educational opportunity to learn course subject matter, to participate actively in classroom discussions, and to meet assignment deadlines.
Important Deadlines
Below are required dates by term for faculty to submit textbook adoptions. To ensure a record of your adoption submit online using the Verba Collect, or email text@berkeley.edu. If you choose to submit your course adoption via email, please be sure to include your department, course number, and instructor name (if you submitting on behalf of the instructor).
The first date is the HEOA affordability deadline for submitting textbook adoptions to the Cal Student Store. The second date is the seven week-accommodation deadline.
Spring 2023
Affordability Deadline: October 17, 2022
Accommodation Deadline: December 2, 2022
Verba Collect & Resources
Q: What is Verba Collect?
A: Verba Collect is our new textbook adoption system that is replacing Faculty Portal. Verba Collect aids instructors in choosing and submitting textbooks to the Cal Student Store so that texts can be ordered for the coming term. This also allows instructors to ensure they are HEOA compliant and students have text information as soon as possible.
Q: How can I request a textbook for my class?
A: If you are the listed instructor for a class, you should be emailed a link to your course in Verba Collect near the beginning of the prior term. If you did not receive an email or no longer have access to it, please send an email with the course information, including CCN, to text@berkeley.edu and we will send you a new link. You can also set up an account and password by request.
Q: Why can’t I find my course in Verba Collect? What should I do?
A: There are a number of reasons your course may not show up in Verba Collect:
• If you are co-instructing a course with another instructor, only one of you will be able to see the course
• If you use an email address that includes a departmental domain (such as @haas.berkeley.edu or @demog.berkeley.edu) it may not sync with our course information and prevent your courses from auto populating
• If you are a GSI instructing a course, the instructor of record may be your supervising professor or may not be listed, preventing you from seeing your course
• If the instructor of record has not been or only recently has been assigned, Verba Collect may not have synchronized with the registrar’s system
In these cases, please email any textbook adoptions, questions or updates to text@berkeley.edu. If you already have a link from another course, or if you have set up a log in, you can also click the "Find and Self-Assign" button to add a course to your home screen. If you experience recurring access issues, please confirm the instructor information submitted by your department as it relates to the issues above.
Q: Is there a deadline to request a textbook?
A: Yes. Accommodation and Affordability Deadlines change yearly and are implemented by the school in the interest of the students. The Cal Student Store has no control over these deadlines, though when they are followed, we are better able to serve the students. They can be found at http: teaching.berkeley.edu/resources/design/syllabus/textbook-affordability-and-accessibility
Q: If I miss the deadlines, can I still request books?
A: Yes, though please be advised that the sooner The Cal Student Store receives adoption information, the better we are able to source books and save students money. We also realize that sometimes there are last minute faculty changes or assignments, but if we receive adoptions too close to the beginning of the next semester, there is a chance we may not have the books for the first week of school. In such a case, we suggest keeping in contact with us. We will do our best to communicate and work around those issues.
Q: Do I need to inform the bookstore if I’m using a reader?
A: Yes! Because the Cal Student Store services UC Berkeley scholarship students, we must be aware of all items used for classes. Please email text@berkeley.edu for which class you will be creating a reader and from which copy store it can be obtained.
Q: Will I be notified if the bookstore does not have my books?
A: If adoptions are submitted before the affordability deadline, yes you will be notified. Otherwise, we do our best to communicate when books have not been ordered or received. Unfortunately, sometimes we are not notified that a book is unavailable until we receive our order without the particular book. We will still make every effort to communicate these issues. In general, the best ways to make sure the bookstore is able to obtain your requested books are following the affordability deadline and making sure the requested book is in print before submitting adoptions.
Q: If my publisher says they will let the bookstore know what books I am using, do I still need to contact the bookstore?
A: Yes. While we are in constant contact with publisher sales reps, most service many schools across many states. Additionally, there are multiple bookstores in the area and we will need to confirm orders with instructors regardless of what the publisher rep tells us. Entering the information into Verba Collect or emailing will allow us to cross-reference the information provided by faculty and the publisher reps without bothering you.
Q: I submitted my textbook adoption to my department. Why doesn’t the bookstore have my books?
A: Many departments gather book information for faculty and then pass information onto the bookstore. Unfortunately, lines of communication may not be open between your department and the Cal Student Store. Please ask your department administrators to email text@berkeley.edu as soon as possible if this is the case. We are very happy to work with departments in addition to faculty to make sure we can service Cal students effectively.
Q: How do I get desk copies for my GSIs or myself?
A: Unfortunately, The Cal Student Store is not able to obtain desk copies. Because there are multiple bookstores in the area ordering for the school, cumulative orders from all bookstores need to be accounted for to get the requested number of desk copies. Therefore, departments most efficiently handle obtaining desk copies.