Frequently Asked Questions
General Enquiries
You can enter the name of the product, the title or author of a book, or a book ISBN, in the search box in the top right corner or you can use the navigation bar at the top of the page to find the correct category.
We try our best to ensure the colour in the image is an accurate representation of the colour of the product, but it can appear slightly different depending on the screen you are viewing it on.
Select the Region nearest you, then click Check in store. Please note that the stock information is not real-time - the in stock position may change during the day at the store. Please contact the store to check before making a special trip to avoid any possible disappointment or inconvenience. If you click on the Store Name their opening times, contact phone number and map location appears.
Not all products are stocked in our stores so for these products there is no Check in Store function. Products with delivery time frames other than 2-5 days, are not stocked in Whitcoulls stores - these are books that are ordered from our suppliers especially for each order.
Store Locator
Our business website primarily supports our business account customers, so all pricing is displayed excluding GST. The GST for your order is calculated once you move into the Checkout zone so you can see the subtotal of your goods order excluding GST, plus any Handling & Delivery costs – also excluding GST. Then the GST is calculated and the final amount of your order including GST is shown.
Read the Business Account Terms and Conditions. Applications take approx. 3-5 working days to process. You will also be sent an Account card to enable in store purchasing.
You can choose between applying for a charge account facility or simply have an upfront payment (Cash) Account. With an Upfront payment account you can still order online and receive special everyday pricing, however you won’t be able to charge to an account – you will need to pay for your orders using a credit card or Whitcoulls Gift Card or eGift card.
On the application form you will need to identify a Primary Contact Person – this may also be the person you wish to be the main contact for the operation of the online account – the Online Ordering Contact. Applicants may also nominate a different person for the Accounts Payable contact and request invoices for online orders to be sent to this email address rather than being sent with each order.
The Online Ordering Contact is the person who will become the Account Administrator for the account online, and who will be able to authorise other Users to order online using the Account facility – see more about the Account Administator
Read more about what the Account Administrator does
When we activate your Business Account for use on our website the Account Administrator will receive an email which includes a link to allow them to set up a password for their account. We use email address as the unique identifier for each User. You will only be able to register an email address to one User on the website.
Let us look after you better and make your online shopping experience faster.
Charge online purchases to your Business Account, and receive your account discount on all eligible products. To ensure our Business Account holders always receive the best price on the day the order is placed, if a promotional price offers a better discount on your order than your Account price, then this is the discount that will be applied automatically to your order in the checkout.
Each Business Account will have a nominated Account Administrator who oversees other Users access so you can allow other staff in your organisation to also use the account by adding them as Users.
Create Order Lists for frequently ordered products.
There’s a range of functions that Account Administrators can use to ensure the other Account Users have appropriate ordering and spending controls by setting Restricted Product status and Monthly Order Spending Limits for each User.
Learn more about using your Business Account online
Read our Business Account Terms and Conditions.
Read our Website Terms and Conditions.
If you trigger a subsequent password reset request please use the most recent password reset email link, as links created earlier will have become inactive.
The Account Administrator will see in their My Account section, 5 different tabs:
Dashboard – a quick summary of the account balances and recent activity.
My Profile- your details and address book.
Web Order History- web orders placed by all Users.
Order Lists- create and manage lists of frequently ordered product, assign lists to Users.
Manage Users- create and manage Users, set monthly spending limits and with the option to restrict product selection and assign Users to Order Lists.
Users created by the Account Administrator will see a slightly different range of information in their My Account section – see more detail under the Users section.
Each User is assigned a monthly spending limit and any other settings relating to your use of the account, will be listed in the email. Settings may be to restrict the products you can order, and if so your Administrator will have assigned to you Order Lists containing those products they wish you to order. If you have any concerns regarding these settings please contact your Account Administrator.
Once you’ve created your password please check you have signed into your account every time you access the Whitcoulls Business website. This ensures you always see the best price for products and any account discounts are showing on the products as you browse and prepare your order.
Read more about using your account in the User Accounts section of FAQs.
If you have a delivery address that's a location with no street number you can enter text in both the Unit and Street Number fields to help give a clear delivery address for your order.
For example : Level 3, Building Name, Corner Queen and Customs Streets, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
–enter Level 3, Building Name in the Unit field,
–enter Corner in the street number field,
–enter Queen and Customs Streets in the Street Name field.
- Go to the My Account section and select My Profile & check your personal details are complete and correct. Create your default delivery address.
- If you want to allow others in your organisation to have access to use the account online you will need to create their profile in Manage Users section of My Account - read more here
- If you want to restrict the products that these Users will be able to purchase using the account, you will need to create the Order Lists containing the allowed products - read about using Order Lists here
The Account Administrator will see in their My Account section, 5 different tabs:
Dashboard – a quick summary of your account and recent activity
My Profile- your details and address book
Web Order History- web orders placed, including order status & courier tracking links for dispatched items.
Order Lists- create and manage lists of frequently ordered product
Manage Users- create and manage Users, with options to restrict product selection for orders, set monthly spending limits and assign Users to Order Lists
Please note that the Invoiced to Date amount & Available Credit amounts are both based on all account transactions – not just web orders.
You can see the value of the last online order placed (whether by the Account Administrator or another User); a log of the latest logins to the account by all Users; and a summary of any Order Lists that have been created.
The billing address for your account is also displayed here. Note that the Billing Address is not editable on the website – if you need to update this information please Contact Us.
You will have a User # assigned and displayed here next to your name – please ensure you quote this number if need to contact us about any aspect of your account.
The Address Book allows you to maintain more than one address to use for an order and for ease of use you give them a short name for easy identification. You can also set one Address as your default address, and update this default setting to any other address if you wish.
If you have a delivery address that's a location with no street number you can enter text in both the Unit and Street Number fields to help give a clear delivery address for your order.
For example : Level 3, Building Name, Corner Queen and Customs Streets, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
–enter Level 3, Building Name in the Unit field,
–enter Corner in the street number field,
–enter Queen and Customs Streets in the Street Name field.
For the Account Administrator all orders placed online and charged to your account will be displayed here in date order sequence and shows which User placed the order. You can select to view orders based on a date range, or print a summary of your accounts web order history. Order Status information is shown for each order so you can check for delivery and completion.
To view Order detail simply click on the Order # you wish to view – it will display below the order summary and show the products, pricing and estimated dispatch timeframes.
Tracking links appear when an order has been dispatched. You can choose to print the order detail and also repeat the order. By clicking Repeat Order the same items and quantities will be added to Your Cart where you can view and if required, edit them, before proceeding to the Checkout.
Future enhancements to this page will include visibility of all account transactions to include those occurring at our branches. Note that the Invoiced to Date and Available Credit amounts displayed in the Dashboard for an Account Administrator do include those transactions.
Give the list a name for easy identification.
Order Lists maintained by the Account Administrator can be assigned to other Users. Depending on the Users setup, these lists can control the products that other Users can order. See more about setting up other Users
Creating an Order List: You can create a list on this page or by using a template. To create a list you need to give it a short name, then simply click Create New List. To add items to your list simply enter a search term into the Add New item search box - you can use an article #, ISBN or product name or title and let the search engine show you a list of results to choose from. Select the correct item and continue until your order list is complete. Save your order list. You can also add other items to an existing order list when you are browsing products – simply click Add to Order List and then select the List Name you wish to add the item to.
Creating an order list using a template is useful if you have lots of items where you have the article# or ISBN. Download the template – it’s a CSV format you can edit in excel. Edit the article # and quantity, save the list as a CSV file. TIP: load the quantities as 0 if other Users are going to use the list. When you are ready to upload it, first give the Order List a name, then click Choose file. This opens a browser so you can navigate to find and select the CSV file from your computer. Once you have selected it, click Upload. Any problems with any data will be alerted, and you can edit the list before saving it if you wish.
To view or edit an Order List simply click on the Order List Name. You can then add or change assigned Users as well as the products and quantities. Note that only the person who created the List can delete products, or delete the list itself. Account Administrators can also assign other Users to their Lists.
Sharing Order Lists with other Users
Order lists can also be made available to other Users to use either in the Order Lists page or in Manage Users. As the Account Administrator you can determine who has access to the site to place orders, simplify their ordering by assigning lists they can use. Order lists also allow the Account Administrator to set product restrictions for Users – by setting the Users profile to Restricted Product and then assigning Order Lists, the User may only order those products on the assigned order lists.
Assigning other Users to an Order list allows others to use the same product selection for their own ordering ease. Another User cannot delete another Users Order list or remove a product from an Order list. They can however edit the quantities and save those values to their version of the Order List.
Restricted Product Parameters
For an Account Administrator to control the products other Users can charge to the account, create the User in Manage Users and check the box for Restricted Product – if selected an option box will appear and allow the Administrator to select which lists the User can order from. A Monthly Order Spend Limit is also set for each User.
These Users are uniquely identified by their email address, so an email can only be used for one User account.
A User may be an individual or, for example, a Branch, as it is the email address that controls access.
You can decide whether a User is able to order any product from the site, or whether you wish to restrict the range of products to those determined by the Account Administrator.
Each User is also assigned a Monthly Order Spend Limit, and this can be changed by the Account Administrator at any time if required.
There are 2 ways to set up Users – use the template if you have a number of new Users to create at once, or one at a time using Create New User button.
To set up a New User click on Create New User, and complete the form of basic details. You can assign the User to a default delivery address by selecting one from the Account Administrators address book, or add a new address for that User. There is a check box for setting the Restricted Product attribute – if checked, this will mean the User will only be able to place orders for products that have been included on Order List(s) that have been made available to this User. A list of available Order Lists to assign is displayed if the Restricted Products check box is selected.
Each User is also set a Monthly Order Spend Limit. This can be any amount chosen by the Account Administrator. It is not linked to the Credit Limit of the account but allows for budget control and is checked at the Add to Cart phase of the ordering process. The accounts’ available credit is checked when the order is at the Payment phase of the checkout.
To use the template, click on the Download Template button - it’s a CSV format you can edit in excel. There’s a sample row of User data to show you what values are required for each field. Most data is mandatory so please ensure you enter values for each User in each column marked with an *.
Edit the details as required and, save as a CSV file. When you are ready to upload it, go the the Bulk Update Users box and click on Choose File. This opens a browser so you can navigate to find and select the CSV file from your computer. Once you have selected it, click Upload. The new Users are created and assigned User numbers.
Each User will receive an email automatically once they are created and set to Active, with a link to allow them to create their password.
You can now assign Order Lists to each User either per User in Manage Users, or by Order List in Order Lists.
- Existing Admin User signs into their account
- Go to the My Profile page of Your Account
- Click Edit in the My Details section
- Change the name, phone and email address to the new details.
- Click Update button
- Sign out of your account
- Go to the My Account section and select My Profile & check your personal details are complete and correct. Create your default delivery address.
- If you have Restricted Product settings, use the Order Lists assigned to you by your Administator to create your orders. Read more about using Order lists here
Dashboard – a quick summary of your account monthly spending limit, spend to date, and available to spend amounts, and recent order activity plus contact details of your Account Administrator.
My Profile- your details and address book – add or change delivery addresses for easy use when ordering.
Web Order History- web orders placed including order status, and courier tracking links for dispatched items.
Order Lists- view lists assigned to you, create and manage lists of frequently ordered product
The Dashboard displays the signed in User’s details plus a summary view of the Monthly Spending Limit, Spend to Date and Available To Spend amounts. The contact details of your Account Administrator are also displayed and you can see the value of the last online order you placed. Also shown are the most recently used or assigned Order Lists - up to 6 will be displayed. To view all Order Lists go to your Order Lists tab.
Here you can view and edit your own details including password, set your preference to opt in or out of our marketing emails, and maintain your address book of delivery addresses.
You will have a User # assigned and displayed here next to your name – please ensure you quote this number if you need to contact us about any aspect of your account.
The Address Book allows you to maintain more than one address to use when placing orders and for ease of use you give them a short name for easy identification. You can also set one Address as your default address, and update this default setting if required.
If you have a delivery address that's a location with no street number you can enter text in both the Unit and Street Number fields to help give a clear delivery address for your order.
For example : Level 3, Building Name, Corner Queen and Customs Streets, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
–enter Level 3, Building Name in the Unit field,
–enter Corner in the street number field,
–enter Queen and Customs Streets in the Street Name field.
The billing address for your account is also displayed here.
All orders placed by you online and charged to your account will be displayed here in date order sequence. You can select to view orders based on a date range, or print a summary of your web order history. Order Status information is shown for each order so you can check for delivery and completion.
To view Order detail simply click on the Order # you wish to view – it will display below the order summary and shows the products, pricing and estimated dispatch timeframes.
Tracking links appear when an order item has been dispatched.
You can choose to print the order detail and also repeat the order. By clicking Repeat Order the same items and quantities will be added to Your Cart where you can view and if required, edit them, before proceeding to the Checkout.
If your Account Administrator has set your User profile to "Selected Products only" then you will only be able to order the products on the Order Lists that have been assigned to you by them.
View or Edit an Order List simply click on the Order List Name. You can change the quantity of each item and save those changes so they are tailored to your specific requirements. However please note that only the person who created the Order List can delete products, or delete the list itself. Your version of the Order List becomes unique to you in terms of unit quantities once you save your list for the first time. If you don't save your Order List you may find the Admin Users quantities are displayed.
Create an Order List
You can create an Order List on this page or by using a template. To create a list you need to give it a short name, then simply click Create New List. To add items to your list simply enter a search term into the Add New item search box - you can use an article #, ISBN or product name or title and let the search engine show you a list of results to choose from. Select the correct item and continue until your order list is complete. Save your order list. You can also add other items to an existing order list when you are browsing products – simply click Add to Order List and then select the List Name you wish to add the item to.
Create an Order List using a template is useful if you have lots of items where you have the article# or ISBN. Download the template – it’s a CSV format you can edit in excel. Edit the article # and quantity, save the list as a CSV file. When you are ready to upload it, first give the Order List a name, then click Choose file. This opens a browser so you can navigate to find and select the CSV file from your computer. Once you have selected it, click Upload. Any problems with any data will be alerted, and you can edit the list before saving it if you wish.
Print an Order List : Click on the Order List name and then select the Download List button. The list displays as a pdf you can then print.
Creating an Order List when you have Restricted Product settings.
You can create a list based on the assigned order lists - for example, to choose only some of the products from a variety of lists to recombine into a separate list for your own use.
In the Add a New List option box enter a short name, then simply click Create New List,
Either add products using search function or enter the article numbers from an Order List printout
Save the List
In store, you can charge to your account by showing your Business Account Card, and we accept Whitcoulls Gift Cards, eGift Cards, EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, American Express & Diners credit cards, cash, ASB True Business and vouchers from shopping centres with a Whitcoulls store.
See more about Whitcoulls Gift Cards & eGift Cards
Orders under $50 (ex GST) - excluding Gift Card only orders :
- $6.00 ex GST ($6.90 incl GST)
- Surcharge for Rural Delivery addresses $3.13 ex GST ($3.60 incl GST) for orders under $50 ex GST
There is no Handling & Delivery cost for eGift card orders.
Charges for Large or Bulky items .
These are indicated by the Large item icon.
Regardless of total order value:
- first unit $8.70 ex GST ( $10 incl GST),
- then every subsequent unit $4.35 ex GST ($5 incl GST)
Read more about Delivery Information
Read about the benefits of having a Whitcoulls Business Account.
Apply for a Whitcoulls Business Account now!
Please note that you cannot earn Rewards points or redeem Rewards vouchers on the Whitcoulls Business website. If you do not have a Whitcoulls Business Account, but you have a Whitcoulls Rewards card, please use our consumer website : www.whitcoulls.co.nz
Review our Returns and Exchanges Policy.
See also Delivery Timeframes.
Ships in 2-5 days
If in stock, these products will be dispatched in 2-5 working days from your order being placed, unless an item ordered is unexpectedly out of stock, or you have provided a rural delivery or RD address. Orders received before midday will be shipped the same day, weekdays only, (excludes public holidays). These products can also be found in many of our stores. Use the Check In Store tool on the Quick View or Product Detail page to see if a store near you has stock. It pays to ring the store first if you are planning a special journey to buy a particular product, as stock is only updated overnight and can be sold throughout the day at the store.Ships in 4-6 days; 5-7 days; 10 -12 days; or 12 - 15 days
These products are in our suppliers warehouses, so lead times vary according to which supplier can provide us with stock. Please allow 3-4 additional days if your delivery address is outside metropolitan areas or is an RD or rural address. These products are not stocked in our stores and are only available to order on the website.In Store Only
Sorry these products can’t be ordered online for the time being, but you can check to see if a store near you has stock. It pays to ring the store first if you are planning a special journey to buy a particular product, as stock is only updated overnight and can be sold throughout the day.Pre Order
There’s nothing like eagerly anticipating a new release, so where we can, we offer pre orders to ensure you don’t miss out. When we can, we despatch your pre order on the evening before the product is released. Depending on your delivery address, these orders can be delivered the very next day.Once an order is dispatched it gets delivered the following working day to addresses in the main metro areas of both North and South Islands. For smaller centres allow another working day for delivery. Rural Delivery (RD) addresses can take longer as Courier Post passes their parcels onto RD contractors who then make the delivery.
If the courier cannot leave the parcel in a safe place they will retain the parcel and the courier will leave a Card to Call - your parcel stays with Courier Post and they will re-deliver it at a mutually agreed time and place. Simply call the 0800 number on the card to arrange a re-delivery. You will need to read out the ticket number from the card so make sure you have it handy when you call. Contact Courier Post
Please choose carefully, as we do not refund if you change your mind or if you made a mistake when ordering from the website.
We are happy to exchange your goods within 7 days with proof of purchase, providing the goods are in re-saleable condition. If you don’t wish to exchange a returned item, we will refund the original purchase price excluding freight charges, back onto your Whitcoulls Business Account, or if another form of payment was used, we will refund to an eGift card.
If the product being returned is faulty, Whitcoulls will meet their obligation to provide a remedy under The Consumer Guarantees Act.
You can exchange a gift providing you return it within 28 days of the date it was purchased and you have the original receipt or you have a gift exchange receipt from the gift-giver.
We are happy to exchange your goods, within 28 days, with proof of purchase, providing the goods are in their original condition.
You can either return an item for exchange at any of our Stores or if purchased from our website you may also send it to the Webstore Returns Centre for processing. Please ensure you have your till receipt or online Dispatch Record or Invoice with you if you take your item to a store. If returning a website order to our Returns processing centre please include a copy of your Invoice or Dispatch Record.
Please note that the return for exchange is at your cost. We do not refund any freight portion charged if the products are subsequently returned or exchanged.
Returns Address for Website Orders:
Whitcoulls Webstore Returns,
Cnr Town Centre Drive & Crescent Lane,
Botany Town Centre
Auckland 2013
Please complete this Direct Debit form and return along with a copy of your Bank Deposit slip to accountsreceivable@whitcoulls.co.nz or post to:
Whitcoulls Business, Private Bag 92098, Victoria St. West, Auckland 1142
Account payments may be made via Direct Credit to our bank account:
Bank: Westpac
Account Name: Whitcoulls 2011 Ltd
Account Number: 03 0104 0189530 002
Please quote your Business Account Number as a reference.
Remittances
Please send your remittance to accountsreceivable@whitcoulls.co.nz or post to:
Whitcoulls Business, Private Bag 92098, Victoria St. West, Auckland 1142.
Choose to use the entire balance all in one go, or spend as you go, the balance will be kept on the card or egift card until the balance reaches zero.
EGift cards are emailed directly to your chosen recipient and you can include a message. Its the quickest and easiest way to send a Gift Card to someone. The email contains the eGift card addressed to your recipient along with your name and message, eGift card number, PIN, and the expiry date.
Gift cards are durable plastic so they can be kept safely in your wallet until you want to use them.
You should always treat a Gift Card or eGift Card as if they were cash. If it is lost or stolen, it cannot be replaced or cancelled.
You can purchase a Whitcoulls Business Gift Card on our website from a choice of 4 values: $20, $50, $100 or $200. Buy a Whitcoulls Gift Card now.
Gift Cards are also available for purchase from all Whitcoulls stores.
The date of issue is on the back of the Gift Card.
The expiry date is shown on the eGift Card on the right hand side next to the card # and PIN
To use our corporate or bulk Gift Card order service, you need to order a minimum of 10 Gift Cards or eGift Cards or have a minimum order value of $1000. For more information, please contact us.
In our retail stores, if your purchase is more than the amount available on your Gift Card or eGift card, you can make up the full amount with any other type of payment accepted in our stores. For example: credit card, or another Gift Card, EFTPOS or cash.
- You should treat a Gift Card or eGift Card as if it is cash. If it is lost or stolen, it cannot be replaced or cancelled.
- Gift Cards & eGift Cards have no value until activated at time of purchase.
- Gift Cards & eGift Cards are issued by Whitcoulls 2011 Limited.
- Gift Cards & eGift Cards are redeemable for products (excluding Lotto, gift cards or gift vouchers, eGift Cards, or stamps) at Whitcoulls stores and on our websites.
- A Gift Card or eGift Card may not be returned, redeemed for cash or credited to an account.
- A Gift card or eGift Card cannot be reloaded, and unused balances at the expiry date will not be refunded.
- Any unused value on the Gift Card or eGift Card expires 2 years after date of issue.
- To use, simply present the Gift Card or eGift Card for full or part payment of goods at the time of purchase. The amount of any purchase will be deducted from the Gift Card or eGift Card.
- Whitcoulls Gift Cards can be purchased in store and on our websites. eGift Cards are only available to purchase on this website - whitcoullsbusiness.co.nz
- Whitcoulls is not responsible if a Gift Card or eGift Card is lost, altered, damaged or stolen, or used without permission.
- Gift Cards & eGift Cards will not be refunded or replaced.