Shipping policy

Carbon Neutral Deliveries

All deliveries from the British Library Shop are carbon neutral.

1. UK Delivery

Standard Delivery

Orders under £5

  • Shipping cost: £3.50
  • Delivery time: 3 to 5 working days from dispatch

Orders of £5 or more

  • Shipping cost: £5.00
  • Delivery time: 3 to 5 working days from dispatch

Orders are usually dispatched within 24 hours.

Please allow up to 7 working days from placing your order before contacting us about an undelivered item.

Please note: Standard delivery is not available for custom prints or custom clothing.

2. Click & Collect

Click & Collect is free and available from:

  • The British Library Shop, St Pancras, London
  • The British Library Reception, Boston Spa

Please note: Click & Collect is not available for custom prints, custom clothing or custom accessories.

London, St Pancras Collection

Orders placed before 3pm are usually ready to collect from 12 noon the following day, including weekends.

Boston Spa, Wetherby Collection

Orders placed before 3pm are usually ready to collect within 2 to 4 working days.

The British Library site at Boston Spa is not open to the general public. Visitors must present ID and an order confirmation email to Security on arrival and will be directed to Reception to collect their order.

Collecting Your Order

Please wait until you receive confirmation that your order is ready to collect before visiting, and ensure you check our London St Pancras opening times or Boston Spa opening times before coming to pickup your order.

You will need:

  • Your order confirmation email
  • Proof of identity, such as a driving licence or debit/credit card

If somebody is collecting on your behalf, they must bring:

  • Your order confirmation email
  • Identification in the purchaser's name

Collection Terms

  • Orders are held for 10 working days.
  • Uncollected orders will be refunded.
  • If you are unable to collect your order within this period, please contact us.

3. International Delivery

General Information

  • Delivery times are estimates and may be affected by customs processing.
  • Not all international orders are shipped using a tracked service.
  • Please allow 30 working days before contacting us regarding a missing international order.
  • Royal Mail international service updates may affect delivery times to some destinations.

Europe and United States Availability

Following changes to EU GPSR regulations and recent US tariff updates, selected products are now available for delivery to Europe and the United States.

British Library publications, including subscriptions, are available throughout Europe and the United States.

Customers browsing from Europe or the United States will only see products currently available for delivery to their location.

Europe Delivery

Due to EU Regulation 2023/988 (GPSR), some products remain unavailable for delivery to European destinations while we continue to expand the range available.

Orders under £25

  • Shipping charge: £15
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £25 to £49.99

  • Shipping charge: £25
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £50 to £99.99

  • Shipping charge: £36
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £100 and over

  • Shipping charge: £45
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

United States Delivery

Selected products are available for delivery to the United States.

  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Applicable customs duties, taxes and tariffs are not included in product or shipping prices.

Rest of the World Delivery

A full list of countries currently available for delivery can be found at the bottom of this page.

Orders under £25

  • Shipping charge: £20
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £25 to £49.99

  • Shipping charge: £30
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £50 to £99.99

  • Shipping charge: £40
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

Orders £100 and over

  • Shipping charge: £50
  • Delivery method: Airmail
  • Estimated delivery: 2 to 4 weeks

4. Customs, Duties & Taxes

All international orders are shipped on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis.

Import duties, customs charges, tariffs, VAT and other local taxes may be payable when your order reaches its destination country.

These charges:

  • Are set by local authorities
  • Are not included in product or shipping prices
  • Must be paid by the recipient
  • Are the responsibility of the customer

Returned International Orders

If an order is returned because customs charges, taxes or tariffs were not paid, we will refund the cost of the products only.

Any shipping charges already incurred cannot be refunded and will be deducted from the final refund amount.

We recommend checking local import requirements before placing your order.

5. Custom Prints

Custom prints are made to order and shipped separately by our specialist print partner King & McGaw.

Availability

Custom prints can currently be delivered to:

  • United Kingdom
  • United States and Canada
  • Selected international destinations

Custom prints are not currently available for delivery within Europe.

UK Delivery

Unframed Prints

  • Delivery charge: £8.00
  • Estimated delivery: 5 to 7 working days

Framed Prints

  • Delivery charge: £12.50
  • Estimated delivery: Up to 21 working days

North America Delivery

Unframed Prints

  • Delivery charge: £20.00
  • Estimated delivery: 15+ working days

Rest of World Delivery

Unframed Prints

  • Delivery charge: £25.00
  • Estimated delivery: 15+ working days

Important Information

  • Custom prints are manufactured to order.
  • Orders are shipped separately from standard Shop items.
  • Standard shipping rates do not apply.
  • Unframed prints are usually dispatched within 5 working days.
  • Framed prints are usually dispatched within 20 working days.
  • Visit the Custom prints FAQs page for more information.

6. Custom Clothing

All custom clothing is made to order and shipped separately by our fulfilment partner.

UK Delivery

  • Delivery charge: £5.00
  • Estimated delivery: 3 to 5 working days from dispatch

International Delivery

  • Delivery charge: £15.00
  • Estimated delivery: 10 to 20 working days from dispatch

Important Information

  • Please allow up to 3 working days for production before dispatch.
  • Custom clothing is shipped separately from other products.
  • Standard delivery charges do not apply.
  • Delivery to European destinations is currently unavailable.

7. Alcohol Orders

Alcohol products can only be delivered to UK addresses.

Delivery Charges

  • An additional £5 delivery charge applies to orders containing alcohol.

Age Verification

You must be aged 18 or over to purchase alcohol products.

The delivery carrier may request proof of age on delivery.

Accepted forms of identification include:

  • Passport
  • Photocard driving licence

If valid identification cannot be provided, delivery may be refused.

8. Delivery Restrictions

Product Restrictions

Some products cannot be shipped to all destinations due to regulatory requirements, shipping restrictions or local legislation.

Customers will only see products available for delivery to their selected destination.

Postal Restrictions

Delivery services to certain countries and territories may occasionally be suspended or restricted by postal operators or carriers.

We recommend checking Royal Mail International Service Updates before placing an order.

PO Box Addresses

International delivery to PO Box addresses cannot be guaranteed and may require an alternative delivery address.

9. Missing Orders & Claims

UK Orders

Please allow up to 7 working days from placing your order before reporting a missing delivery.

International Orders

Please allow up to 30 working days before reporting a missing delivery.

Once reported, we will investigate with the relevant shipping carrier before arranging any replacement or refund where appropriate.

10. FAQs

Rest of the World Availability

Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Macao SAR, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Qatar, Cameroon, Rwanda, St. Barthélemy, St. Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Samoa, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tristan da Cunha, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, U.S. Outlying Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, British Virgin Islands, Wallis & Futuna, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe