Customer Service
Terms of Sale
Last Modified: October 18, 2023
This website is operated by Catholic Answers, Inc.
Customer Service
If the information below doesn't answer your question, please email or give us a call. We're here to help!
Email: orders@catholic.com
CUSTOMER ORDERS: 1-888-291-8000 Toll-free (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST)
PARISHES/RETAILERS: 1-800-890-0461 Toll-free (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST)
MAIN: 1-619-387-7200
NOTES:
Donation questions: 888-291-8000
Catholic Answers Magazine: 888-291-8000
Shipping & Delivery
Most items are shipped within 1–2 business days.
We offer a variety of shipping options to meet your needs. Delivery times may vary, depending on location of delivery.
USPS:
- Media Mail - [IMPORTANT NOTE: Media Mail is NOT insured by the USPS or Catholic Answers]
- Priority Mail
- International Priority Mail
- International First Class
FedEx:
- Ground
- 2nd Day Air
To ship using a choice not listed on the site, please contact us directly at 1-888-291-8000 (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST).
Shipping and Handling fees apply to all orders.
Free or $8.95 Flat-Rate Shipping
*$8.95 flat-rate shipping applies to standard shipping within the continental United States. Offer does not apply to Trade or Parish orders. Excludes Bulk Book Specials (ex: Why We’re Catholic, Persuasive Pro-Life, The Eucharist Is Really Jesus, Made This Way).
[IMPORTANT NOTE: Media Mail is the USPS standard used for all "free" or "flat rate" promotions from Catholic Answers. Media Mail is not insured by USPS for delivery or complete delivery of orders. We suggest utilizing an alternate option for orders of higher value to ensure your delivery by USPS is satisfied.
International Orders
For international orders, including Canada, we ship via USPS international mail. The shipment is forwarded to the various postal systems throughout the world. Once the shipment leaves the U.S., we are unable to track the package. It is not uncommon for the process to take more than a month and, in extreme cases, as much as 90 days. If you choose a private carrier to deliver your order, the carrier will collect a customs brokerage fee from you upon delivery of the order. Keep in mind that your order delivery time can take longer than two weeks.
Please note: Any item that is not in stock will be back-ordered and shipped to you as soon as it is in inventory.
Ordering
Most orders are filled within 1–2 business days.
Safe Shopping Guarantee
We protect your online activity with the latest security measures.
Secure socket layer (SSL/TLS) technology, proven on over 1 million secure sites, is employed to transmit sensitive data. Advanced encryption is used on this secure server to scramble all of your personal information (including credit card number, name, and address) with advanced cypher technology so that it cannot be read by others.
Catholic Answers Shop is hosted on BigCommerce, which is both ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and PCI DSS 3.2 Level 1 certified, to ensure high standards of confidentiality.
Payment, Pricing, Taxes & Promotions
Pricing: Unless otherwise confirmed by Catholic Answers, (a) all prices, quotations, shipments and deliveries by Catholic Answers are F.O.B. Catholic Answers’ facility (“Shipping Point”); (b) all base prices, together with related extras and deductions, are subject to change without notice; (c) all orders are accepted subject to Catholic Answers price in effect at the time of shipment; and (d) all transportation and other charges are for the account of Buyer, including any increase or decrease in such charges prior to shipment.
Taxes: Any tax which Catholic Answers may be required to pay or collect through assessment or otherwise under any existing or future law upon or with respect to the sale, purchase, delivery, transportation, storage, processing, use or consumption of any goods or services described herein, including without limitation, taxes upon or measured by receipts from sales or services, shall be for the account of Buyer and may be added to the price of such goods or services. Buyer shall promptly pay the amount thereof to Catholic Answers upon demand but may, in lieu of such payment, furnish tax exemption certificates acceptable to the appropriate taxing authorities to Catholic Answers.
Default in Payment: If Buyer fails to make payments on any contract between Buyer and Catholic Answers in accordance with Catholic Answers’ terms, Catholic Answers, in addition to any other remedies available to it, may, at its option (a) defer further shipment until such payments are made and satisfactory credit arrangements are re-established; or (b) cancel the unshipped balance of any order. Past due payments shall be charged the maximum interest allowed by law.
Credit cards: Paypal, contactless payments such as Google Pay or Apple Pay, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover
Checks and postal money orders:
Please mail full amount, including shipping and tax (if a California resident), to:
Catholic Answers
P.O. Box 199000
San Diego, CA 92159-9000
Retailers and distributors:
If you are a retailer or distributor seeking to establish an account with us, please contact our Sales Department at 1-800-890-0461 (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST).
Parishes:
Please call our customer service center for special discounts at 1-800-890-0461 (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST)
Limited Liability:
CATHOLIC ANSWERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO THE BUYER OR ANY THIRD PARTY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FOR ANY LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOST PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, DAMAGE TO GOODWILL OR REPUTATION, DEGRADATION IN VALUE OF BRANDS OR OTHER INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN A SEPARATE DOCUMENT RELATED TO THE PURCHASE OF THE PRODUCTS ENTERED INTO BY THE PARTIES, EVEN IF A PARTY OR ITS AFFILIATES HAVE BEEN APPRISED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES OCCURRING. CATHOLIC ANSWERS HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
Viewing Orders
You may view your past orders at any time by opening your account and entering your order history. Your orders will appear in chronological sequence.
Termination
Catholic Answers may terminate any order or any part thereof as allowed by these terms. Upon such termination, Buyer agrees to waive all claims for damages, including without limitation, any loss of anticipated profits. Any claim for adjustment not asserted within ninety (90) days from the date of such termination shall be deemed to have been waived by Buyer.
Returns and Replacements
If you encounter a problem with any of our products, we want to know about it.
Books, CDs, DVDs, and gift items can be returned for an exchange or refund within 30 days of delivery.
Items returned to us must be in new, re-sellable condition, unopened, without stickers, and securely packaged with a copy of the original invoice enclosed. Please specify on the invoice copy whether you want an exchange or a refund. Refunds will not include shipping costs. Catholic Answers reserves the right to evaluate returns on a case-by-case basis and revoke this guarantee as determined by Catholic Answers. Your acceptance of the terms herein means you agree to and understand the refund policy.
If you have purchased one of our products from a retail store or another distributor, please contact them regarding their return policies.
Catholic Answers shall have no obligation to ensure that any goods or services purchased from Catholic Answers meet Buyer’s unique specifications and/or other requirements unless such specifications and/or other requirements are set forth in Buyer's purchase order and expressly accepted by Catholic Answers.
Gift Certificates (NO LONGER AVAILABLE). The following applies to outstanding gift certificates:
- Recipient can only redeem the gift certificate for merchandise or for store credit, however gift certificate holders may request cash refund when remaining balance is under $10.
- Gift certificates do not contain expiration dates and may be redeemed in perpetuity.
- Unspent portions of the value can be redeemed only online at shop.catholic.com, an eCommerce property of Catholic Answers, Inc. located in El Cajon, California and shipping/fulfillment located in Sycamore, Illinois.
- Gift Certificates are not the same as a gift card and recipients can not add value or reload the gift certificate.
Restocking Fee Policy
Items returned to us in a condition other than stated in the refund policy will be charged a 15% of total order restocking fee.
In order to determine if a refund is applicable, please contact customer service before sending any return items at 1-888-291-8000 (Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:45 pm PST).
Updating Account Information
You may update your personal information at any time by opening your account online and editing the profile.
Digital Terms of Service
Due to the number of electronic devices on the market, we are not able to offer instructions on how to transfer electronic files to your device. However, this information should be available on the website of your device’s manufacturer.
The two most common devices for digital books are Kindle (.mobi) and Nook (.epub). Most devices will recognize the .epub format, however you should find out which type is compatible with your device before making a purchase.
If you own a Nook or a Kindle, you can find information on what file types you need and how to transfer them to your device at the following links:
Three Easy Ways to Load Non-Amazon Books on Your Kindle Fire
Nook: Frequently Asked Questions
Because of the nature of electronic files, we cannot offer a refund or exchange on them.
Please do not distribute copies of these files or post them to the Internet. That is a form of theft. The proceeds from these products enable Catholic Answers to do its apostolic work, including creating the many resources it offers free of charge on catholic.com
Applicable Law
The laws of California will govern these Terms of Sale or any dispute or claims relating to the Terms of Sale. All disputes and claims will be arbitrated or litigated in San Diego, California and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the State and Federal courts in San Diego, California.
Waiver and Severability
No waiver by us of any term or condition set out in these Terms of Sale shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure by us to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Sale shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
If a portion(s) or part(s) of the disclaimers contained in this agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable it does not affect any other portion of the agreement. If any provision of these Terms of Sale is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the offending provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent so as to best accomplish the objectives of the original provision to the fullest extent allowed by law and the remaining provisions of these Terms of Sale will remain in full force and effect.
Force Majeure
Catholic Answers shall not be liable for any delay in or impairment of performance resulting in whole or in part from fire, floods or other catastrophes; acts of God, severe weather conditions, strikes, pandemics, lockouts or labor disruption; lockdowns or quarantines; wars, riots, or embargo delays; raw material market conditions, the inability to procure supplies or raw materials; shortages of transportation equipment, fuel or labor; telecommunications, network, computer, server, storage device, hardware, software and/or Internet disruptions, failures or downtimes; unauthorized access to Catholic Answers’ websites and/or any telecommunications, network, computer, server, storage device, hardware, software and/or Internet systems operated by or on behalf of Catholic Answers; or any other circumstance or cause beyond the reasonable control of Catholic Answers. Additionally, manufacture, shipment and delivery are subject to any prohibition, restriction, priority allocation regulation or condition imposed by or on behalf of the United States of America or any other governmental body with appropriate jurisdiction which may prevent or interfere with fulfillment of any order.
Entire Agreement
The Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy and Terms of Sale constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and Catholic Answers regarding the topics herein and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the topics herein.