Terms of service

By accessing or using Pristine Text (“we,” “us,” or “our”) or placing an order, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the site.

We are a marketplace for used textbooks and reference books — everything we sell is graded by hand before listing.

You must be at least 18 years old to purchase on Pristine Text. Users between 13 and 17 may create an account only with verifiable parental or guardian consent. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we learn that a user under 13 has provided personal information, we will delete it promptly.

Orders are confirmed once payment is successfully processed through Stripe. We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover). Prices are listed in US dollars and include any applicable shipping charges shown at checkout.

We reserve the right to cancel an order if a listing is discovered to be inaccurate or inventory is unavailable. In that case you will receive a full refund with no action required on your part.

Customer-initiated cancellation. You may cancel an order yourself while its status is Pending — before payment has been confirmed. To cancel, visit your order history and select “Cancel order.” Once payment is confirmed and the order moves to Confirmed status, self-service cancellation is no longer available; contact us at support@pristinetext.com to discuss options. Inventory is restored automatically when a cancellation is processed.

Applicable sales tax is calculated at checkout based on your shipping address and the tax laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Tax amounts are shown before you complete your purchase. Pristine Text collects and remits sales tax as required by applicable law.

Every book is graded before listing using our five-point scale: Pristine, Like New, Great, Good, and Fair. Grades reflect the physical state of the specific copy you receive — not the edition in general.

If a book arrives in worse condition than listed, you are entitled to a full refund. See the condition guide for grade definitions.

Shipping fees and estimated delivery windows are calculated at checkout based on your location and the shipping option you select. We offer three service tiers — Extended, Standard, and Fast — with transit times and pricing shown before you complete your order. See our shipping policy page for full details.

Tracking information is added to your order once a shipment leaves our warehouse. You can view tracking status at any time from your order history. Pristine Text is not responsible for delays caused by carriers, customs, or events outside our control.

You may request a return within 7 days of delivery if: (a) the book does not match its listed condition, (b) you received the wrong item, or (c) you changed your mind. Change-of-mind returns require the book to be returned in the same condition received.

To start a return, visit our returns page. You may submit photos of the book's condition to support your request. Returns are reviewed manually and approved or declined within 2–3 business days.

Partial returns — returning some items from a multi-item order — are supported. Each item's refund amount is calculated proportionally at the time of return. We reserve the right to decline returns that show evidence of fraud or abuse.

Approved refunds are processed back to the original payment method via Stripe. Refunds typically appear within 5–10 business days depending on your card issuer. We do not offer store credit.

When you submit photos or other content (“Content”) in connection with a return request, you grant Pristine Text a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, store, and display that Content for the purpose of evaluating and processing your return. You represent that you own or have the right to submit the Content and that it does not violate any third-party rights.

Saved shipping address. When you complete a purchase while signed in, we save the shipping address you entered to pre-fill future checkouts. You can update or remove your saved address at any time from Account → Settings.

“Notify me” requests. If you submit a notification request for a title we do not currently carry, we store your email address and the requested ISBN solely to send you a single notification if that book becomes available. This does not subscribe you to any marketing list. Pending requests are retained until fulfilled; notified requests are deleted within 30 days of notification.

Search analytics. We log search queries and result counts for up to 90 days to improve our catalog and identify missing titles. These logs do not contain personally identifiable information and are deleted automatically after the retention period.

You may not use this site to: submit fraudulent orders; abuse the return or cancellation process; misrepresent the condition or identity of a book; manipulate pricing or inventory; or use automated means (bots, scrapers) without our express written permission. We may cancel orders or suspend accounts that show patterns of abuse.

The site and its contents are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Pristine Text does not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. Your use of the site is entirely at your own risk.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Pristine Text and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages — including loss of profits, loss of data, business interruption, or cost of substitute goods — arising from your use of or inability to use the site or any order, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the site shall not exceed the amount you paid for the order giving rise to the claim.

Informal resolution first. If you have a dispute, contact us at support@pristinetext.com and we will try to resolve it informally within 30 days.

Binding arbitration. If informal resolution fails, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration shall take place in Travis County, Texas, or virtually at the arbitrator's discretion, and the decision shall be final and binding. Small claims court actions are exempt from this requirement. For claims totalling less than $10,000, Pristine Text will advance all AAA filing and arbitration fees regardless of which party prevails; the arbitrator may award those fees to Pristine Text if it determines your claim was frivolous.

You may opt out of arbitration by sending written notice to legal@pristinetext.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms.

You and Pristine Text agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any class or representative proceeding.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any court action not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Travis County, Texas, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

Pristine Text shall not be liable for any failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, pandemic, war, government action, carrier disruptions, labor disputes, or failure of third-party infrastructure. We will notify you of any material impact on your order and offer a cancellation and full refund where appropriate.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. For material changes, we will provide at least 14 days' notice by email or prominent site notice. Continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

All content on this site — including text, images, logos, design elements, and software — is owned by or licensed to Pristine Text and is protected by US and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any site content without our prior written consent.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Shipping Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Pristine Text with respect to the subject matter herein and supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings, agreements, or representations.

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force. Provisions relating to disclaimers, limitation of liability, arbitration, and class action waiver survive termination of these Terms.

Questions about these terms? Reach out to us or email legal@pristinetext.com. We'll respond within one business day.