Ordering Textbooks and Course Materials

Yes, it is possible, but it is highly recommended to secure your item by purchasing online. We process online orders as they are received, and they are given priority. We will reserve the item for pick-up within 14 days. Please be aware of the non-pick-up policy.

Books are available for purchase two weeks prior to the start of classes. However, unless your instructor says otherwise or assigns pre-reading, we recommend waiting until after your first class to purchase course materials to ensure you need them and are buying the correct materials. 

We accept Visa and MasterCard or cash in the store If you are unable to pay with a credit/debit card online, please put in a help desk ticket or call us at 604-513-2005 during store hours.

If it says No Text Required, your instructor has decided not to list any materials for you to pick up from TWU Campus store. If it says TBA, your instructor might still be deciding on their course materials. You can confirm course information with your instructor on the first day of class. 

A required textbook is a book your instructor has chosen, which contains necessary reading and material for the course.

A suggested resource is supplemental material to assist in your studies, but is not mandatory for the course. 

This status is determined by your instructor, not TWU Campus store. This is why we recommend you confirm with your instructor before purchasing books, as they are not be eligible for refund. 

You can use the search bar to find a book by title but make sure you get the correct edition and author. 

We appreciate that you are eager to have your books! There are several reasons why your textbook is not availalbe on your first day: the publisher may be out of stock or not have Canadian rights, your department or instructor submitted a late request for your book, enrolment may have increased or a class was added late. When there is a delay, we make every effort to geht the books here as quickly as possible. 

Access codes for eBooks are not automatically emailed when you place your order. A followup email receipt, with the code attached, will be sent once the order is processed.

We attempt to have orders processed and ready for pickup or shipping within four hours. Delays are normal during semester rush so orders will be ready the next business day. You MUST bring photo ID and your order number to pickup. It will be emailed to the address you used to place your order, usually your mytwu.ca address. 

Your order will be held for 14 days. We'll send an email reminder the day prior to your order being canceled. Orders not picked up will be refunded, minus a 20% restocking fee, and the items will be placed back into inventory.  

Textbooks are different from other books because they contain specialized information that does not appeal to the general reader and therefore are produced for a small market compared to general books that may be produced in the hundreds of thousand or even millions of copies. They can take years to develop because topics are often highly specialized and written by experts in their field. Development costs are high and some come with additional software or study guides that add to the cost.   

A coursepack is a customized package of articles or readings selected by your instructor. cousepacks are popular as they reduce the number of books a student might otherwise have to buy, thus keeping costs lower. They are non returnable so confirm it's needed before purchase. 

Unfortunately, this service is no longer available. Previously, we were able to purchase books on behalf of publishers and other schools, offering up to 30% of the purchase price, a program known as "buyback."

We do have a donation bin available for any books you no longer wish to keep.