A LONG PROUD HISTORY IN THE BOOK TRADE
Unicorn Books Ltd. has a proud 30+ year history in the book trade. Since its humble beginnings in 1989 the business has grown substantially and has since earned a reputation worldwide for being a reliable source of high quality hard to find books of yesteryear.
FOUNDED 1989
Unicorn Bookshop was established in a small shop in Alnwick Street, Warkworth by the late
Richard C.F. Wasley. Richard later relocated the shop around the corner to Neville Street where he was a well-known part of the local Warkworth retail community until his passing in 2011. The business changed owners shortly after.
REFURBISHED 2014
Whilst still located in Neville Street the business was purchased in September 2014 by Karen Sollitt. The shop was refurbished and relaunched in October 2014 as well as the business being established in digital trading. Karen is passionate about books and is a 30+ year veteran of the book trade, she is a qualified librarian and spent many years working in procurement as a book buyer for Christchurch City Libraries.
TOTALLY DIGITAL 2016
After a 27 year institutional association with the Warkworth retail community, Unicorn Bookshop had to make the tough call with meeting the ever increasing demands of traditional retail store leasing as well as the changes in consumer shopping trends. In late 2016 the business was completely recalibrated, firstly by way of the relocation to its new custom digital technology platform, and secondly it ceased operating in the commodity zone of the book trade, namely contemporary new books and fiction. With these critical changes Unicorn Books expand its customer base throughout New Zealand and swiftly gained traction with overseas customers.
KAURI BOOKS ACQUISITION 2020
In August 2020 Unicorn Books purchased the total inventory of Kauri Books, rare book dealers in Auckland. This increased Unicorn's inventory by thousands of very high quality rare, antiquarian and out of print non-fiction titles.
UNICORN BOOKSHOP TODAY
Unicorn Bookshop is a leading store for high quality hard to find books of yesteryear. Every month we see thousands of customers browsing our online shelves and we ship to customers in every corner of New Zealand and worldwide. You can see the breadth of our customer spread as well as our customer feedback stream via the links on each product listing.
We are proud to be 100% New Zealand owned and operated, we have thousands of quality hard to find books for sale, new stock is added daily and our customer feedback speaks for itself.
WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
We ship to customers throughout New Zealand
....as well as in 25 Countries/territories
New Zealand - Chatham Islands - Australia - Fiji - Singapore - Hong Kong - India - Mauritius - Hawaii - United States - Alaska - Canada - Botswana - Namibia - England - Wales - Ireland - Scotland - Germany - Netherlands - France - Belgium - Switzerland - Monaco - Austria - Ukraine
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE OUR BEST SALES PEOPLE
Don't take our word for it. Our customers are our best salespeople and their feedback published via the product listings speaks for itself. Maintaining this continuous positive customer feedback stream is a cornerstone of the business.
BOOK VALUATIONS
Because of our years of industry experience in book dealing we are able to provide customers a written valuation for their purchase, especially on high value rare and antiquarian books.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT
- Unless absolutely necessary for the protection of old books, we do not use any plastic based packaging.
- We reuse 80%+ of all our inbound packaging.
SHIPPING
- Worldwide door to door service.
- Full track 'n trace service normally available.
- Our rate of missing items, returns and damages is near nil.
- International shipping is all inclusive of duties, fees and taxes - no hidden surprises.
OUR POINTS OF DIFFERENCE
1. UNICORN BOOKS OPERATES EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE:
- Browse our entire store without even leaving home.
- View any book instantly as though it has been just pulled it off our shelf.
- Online is instant, global and operates in real time 24/7.
- Online operates fast and effective search tools.
- Online is frictionless, we accept any currency.
- New listings and updates are communicated instantly.
The only thing we cannot do online is get the smell of the leather sofas in our old shop down the internet pipe.
2. HIGH QUALITY LISTINGS:
- No matter if a book is described as brand new, good, fair or even damaged you can see exactly what you're buying. The only thing we haven't done is read it to you.
- Because of this high standard our product returns rate worldwide is near nil.
3. WE DO NOT DROP SHIP:
- Unicorn Bookshop owns all its stock.
- We are not a drop shipping agent for books that we have never seen in faraway places.
4. RESPONSIVE IS OUR REPUTATION:
- Our team promptly answer all customer enquiries worldwide.
- This includes on weekends and public holidays.
5. CONTINUOUS POSTITIVE FEEDBACK:
- Our live customer feedback stream published via the product listings speaks for itself.
WHAT BOOKS DO WE SELL?
CATEGORIES: non-fiction and reference orientated
TYPES OF BOOKS: out of print, limited editions, vintage, rare & collectable, antiquarian
SUBJECTS:
- New Zealand early history
- New Zealand natural history
- Maori & Pasifika history
- Australian history
- World & ancient history
- Europe history
- British Royal Family
- Biographies
- Business history
- Literary & Poetry
- Art
- Sports
- Fishing & hunting
- War & military
- Travel
- Aviation, maritime & transport
- Technical & reference
- Dictionary’s & languages
- Religious & bibles
- Vintage children's
- Vintage Popular Mechanics
- Pre-1800
- Pre-1900
WE ALSO SELL VINTAGE
- Newspapers & magazines
- Posters
- Photos & drawings
- Maps & charts
- Memorabilia
FIND US ONLINE
SOCIAL MEDIA
You'll also find Unicorn Bookshop on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM (links top right)
SEE THE FULL UNICORN BOOKSHOP STORY
Click on the Facebook link to take a look back through photos depicting the Unicorn Bookshop story over 30 years. This includes;
- Customer feedback comments
- Photos of founder Richard Wasley and the original Alnwick Street shop
- Read more: http://mairangibay.blogspot.com/2011/06/at-sign-of-unicorn.html
- Photos of the Neville Street shop including the refurbishment and relaunch
- Photos of the Warkworth Christmas Parade
- And of course photos of all the fabulous and famous people that have visited us.
MEDIA
Founded 1989
Shop refurbished and digitalised October 2014
PRICING
All pricing published by Unicorn Books Ltd (UBL) includes Goods and Services Tax (GST) payable in New Zealand.
All prices exclude shipping costs and this is quoted separately at the checkout.
UBL retains the right to change any prices published, at any time, without notice.
ORDER CONFIRMATION & ONLINE PAYMENTS
UBL offers all customers the option to pay for products via worldwide payment facilitator PayPal.
All customers will receive 2x separate notifications by email for their purchase:
1. Receipt from PayPal confirming your purchase and credit card payment.
2. Despatch notification (including tracking information for shipments within NZ).
The PayPal receipt for payment should be treated as confirmation that your order has been received by UBL.
Correct address and contact number
It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their shipping address details are correct. Whilst the requirement for customers to provide their phone number is optional by law, we strongly recommend that customers provide their best contact number to ensure easy contact for the courier delivery if necessary.
WEBSITE & ONLINE PAYMENT SECURITY
UBL cannot see any customer credit card details entered into PayPal, nor are they retained by either UBL or PayPal once a transaction is completed.
This UBL website is secured with a SHA-2 256bit SSL encrypted connection meaning that any information you share or view through the website is completely secure.
When viewing https://www.unicornbooks.co.nz/ you should see a padlock symbol in the top left of your browser address bar. This confirms our UBL independent certification for website security and compliance with international online protocols.
In Unicorn Books entire history, we have had zero occurrences of compromised security with either customer's credit card details or PayPal.
SHIPPING
COVID-19 UPDATE
All shipping rates quoted include any additional C-19 surcharges required due to increases in logistics and compliances costs.
New Zealand shipments
All shipments are routed within New Zealand via either Courier Post, Aramex/Fastway Couriers or NZ Post.
Which courier we use is determined by the customers delivery address.
All options include tracking.
Additional signature required is available on request.
International shipments
All international shipping is routed using Aramex Logistics and this is a fully tracked express service.
We can also offer standard postal service as an alternative in order to minimise the shipping costs, however please note that this service is untracked. Please email us if you prefer the standard post option. books@unicornbooks.co.nz
Risk of loss with untracked items sent via standard post
Whilst actual occurrences of items becoming lost in the international postal system are rare, UBL will not be held liable for any tems lost where a fully tracked courier option was not originally requested.
Rates for combined shipments
We are happy to quote combined internatonal shipping for multiple purchases delivered to the same address. Email us to enquire, confirming the listing stock # and your delivery address. books@unicornbooks.co.nz
Pre-shipment quality checks
We understand that book descriptions on old and second hand books can be ambiguous and opinions on the condition can vary. If not already posted within the listing - we are happy to email a full range of images for any old or second hand books purchased on request. This is to ensure the quality meets your expectations prior to committing to despatch.
As our customer feedback stream confirms - in the unlikely event that our listing descriptions are proven to be clearly inaccurate, we will refund your purchase in full.
Damaged or loss to items in transit or once delivered.
All books are quality checked prior to despatch. The risk of damage or loss passes to the customer at the point the courier leaves the shipment at the customers specified delivery address.
Despatch and delivery ETA
All orders are normally loaded for despatch the following day as they are received.
Whilst UBL requires that all freight companies that it uses expedites customer deliveries without undue delay and with proper care, they are independent providers to UBL and their service is ultimately beyond our control. So whilst UBL can provide customers a likely delivery lead time based on prior experience, the precise delivery date and time cannot be guaranteed.
BOOK RETURNS
Unicorn Bookshop (UBL) will meet our obligations under New Zealand Consumer Law.
UBL is not a second hand book exchange.
Our team goes to considerable effort to ensure that all book sales descriptions (especially second hand and old books) are factual, accurate and correct. In the unlikely event that our sales representation is proven to be clearly inaccurate, UBL will accept the book for return and provide a full refund including paying the return freight.
Any requests for return must be made immediately in writing (email), within 24 hours of the item being confirmed as delivered, including despatching the book back to UBL.
REFUNDS
We will provide a refund where a customer has changed their mind after a purchase.
1. A full refund will be provided via PayPal where the refund request is made immediately after the purchase is made.
2. A refund charge of 20% will apply (of the total sale price including shipping), where the refund request is made after we have already prepared the book for despatch and been sent the funds from PayPal. This covers our administrative and logistics costs already incurred.
All refunds on returned product shipped to customers in New Zealand must be processed and paid direct into a New Zealand bank account.
Only international refunds will be processed back through PayPal to your credit card.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. General
The Terms & Conditions herein relate to the business of Unicorn Books Ltd, NZCo. 5462341 ("UBL")
UBL operates as a reseller/online retailer of books and related material.
UBL is not a second hand book exchange.
UBL will uphold its responsibilities as required by New Zealand Consumer Law.
If you have any queries regarding these Terms & Conditions, please feel free to contact us:
Unicorn Books Ltd
PO Box 503
Warkworth 0941
New Zealand
books@unicornbooks.co.nz
2. Governing Jurisdiction
These terms are governed in accordance with the laws of Auckland, New Zealand. All parties relying on these Terms and Conditions agree to submit to the laws of this jurisdiction.
3. Severance
Where any provision of these terms is deemed either void, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision may be severed from these provisions without effecting the standing of the remaining provisions.
4. Links to other websites
This website may contain links to other websites. Any link is only for the purpose of supplementary product information on the basis of best endeavours to help the customer. UBL gives no warranty as to the accuracy or currency of such information provided by any third party.
5. Accuracy of information
All product information on this website is current at the time of publication, but remains subject to change without notice prior to sale. UBL makes every effort to ensure that all information published is accurate, factual correct and complete. All visitors to this site must assume that any reliance of this information is at their own risk. Refer also 4.
6. Stock availability
Items appearing for sale on this website are all available ex-stock, shipped from New Zealand.
UBL retains the right to either add, change or discontinue any stock item on this website, at any time, without notice.
7. Pricing
All pricing published by UBL includes Goods and Services Tax (GST) payable in New Zealand.
All prices exclude shipping costs and this is quoted separately at the checkout.
UBL retains the right to change any prices published, at any time, without notice.
8. Shipping
Please refer to these Terms and Conditions outlined separately within the Shipping section.
9. Proprietary Rights & Intellectual Property
UBL operates internationally as a reseller of books and book related material, but does not purport to hold any proprietary rights to any publications or content that it sells.
10. Limitation of Liability
Unless required by New Zealand law UBL will not be held liable to the website viewer or any third party for any damage caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use of this website.
11. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified UBL from any liability or damages incurred as a result of your use of this website.
12. Payment via PayPal and credit card security
Please refer to our these terms and conditions outlined separately within the Online Payment Security section.
13. Returns
Please refer to these Terms and Conditions outlined separately within the Returns section.
WEBSITE SECURITY
14. This UBL website is secured with a SHA-2 256bit SSL encrypted connection meaning that any information you share or view through the website is completely secure.
When viewing https://www.unicornbooks.co.nz/ you should see a padlock symbol in the top left of your browser address bar. This confirms our UBL independent certification for website security and compliance with international online protocols.
PRIVACY POLICY
15. UBL remains committed to the privacy of everyone who does business with us. Any information collected from customers will be treated by UBL as private and confidential. All information will be managed with the at least the same degree of security and care that UBL manages its own commercial information and would expect anyone else to manage our own information.
16. This information is collected in both hard and electronic format via the normal course of our business, including: general correspondence and requests for information, trading and transaction records, delivery/freight forwarding records and website analytics.
17. Whilst UBL retains information in the interests of sound record keeping (excludes credit card details), unless required by law or as requested by the person or entity that the information directly relates to, UBL will never otherwise disclose, share or sell any information, personal or otherwise.
18. Whilst UBL may add its customer details to a direct mail database, the customer will always be given a simple ‘opt out’ or 'unsubscribe' option to enable them to be quickly removed from such a list.
