Desk Copies:
Instructors or departmental admins must order their own desk copies from the publishers. TW Outfitters is not able to supply desk copies.
Why don't you order 100% of my class enrolment?
We know that some students share and others do not buy any materials so we make adjustments and purchase based on sales history against enrolment numbers.
Why do I have to adopt so early?
The lead time for obtaining books could be several months, depending on the location of the supplier and availability of the title. Early adoptions allow more time to source cheaper, used texts, keep our freight and courier costs down and provide a buffer to compensate for unforeseen circumstances, such as edition changes or changes to distribution rights for a title. We do our best to process late orders, especially for new faculty that have been hired late, but there is risk of books not being available or unable to ship in time. Air shipments of late orders (six weeks before classes start or later) can only be arranged if your department agrees to cover the shipping costs.
Average Delivery Times:
| Canada | 1-4 weeks |
| USA | 3-6 weeks |
| Outside N America | Coming by ship, not air takes 8-16 weeks. Vendors are reporting truck sitting in ports on the east coast, unable to be delivered due to driver/truck shortages. |
Non-Returnable Textbooks:
Most publishers allow us to return textbooks for credit. However, some publishers sell on a no-return basis and in those situations, TW Outfitters is unable to absorb the costs of unsold materials that cannot be refunded. If you choose to order non-returnable books, your department must sign an agreement that they will purchase the unsold materials before we can order them. That agreement can be found here.
Some publishers also charge restocking fees for a percentage of unsold materials. If you choose to order a book from one of these publishers we require a signed agreement that your department will pay for any restocking fees that are incurred. That agreement can be found here.
If faculty order books and then decide not to use them, the department will be responsible for shiping costs incurred to bring the books in and ship them back.
Open-Source Resouces:
Here are some sites that offer some free open-source resources that may be of use to you for your courses:
1) BCCAMPUS OpenEd https://open.bccampus.ca/
2) Open Education Resources Commons: https://www.oercommons.org/
3) Open Textbook Library: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks
4) Openstax: https://openstax.org/