Hello,

I placed an order on Bricklink and was surprised by the very high shipping costs. Now the store policies state that "Canceling an order due to the shipping costs is not an option."
Is this legal? I thought that, for buying on the internet, there's a period of 14 days during which you can cancel your order? And what would happen if I do not pay this?

Thank you for this information,

Bart

You'll get a non paying buyer warning. Ask the seller for a cancellation due to shipping costs. In future, ask first.

Also: the seller specifies shipping costs on the shop page (and you should get that information while setting up the order too). Are you ordering from another country? Its usually a better idea to avoid if in any way possible...

21 hours ago, bmassaer said:

Now the store policies state that "Canceling an order due to the shipping costs is not an option."

Do you mean this was added to the T&Cs after your order was placed, or was it there beforehand?  Bricklink lists "Seller provided a shipping fee that was too high (not clearly stated in T&C)" as a valid reason for cancellation. 
However, if the information on shipping was there before you placed the order, I'm pretty sure that's a legally binding contract and you have to pay for the goods/shipping (Bricklink states here that "If you place an order in a store, you are obligated to complete the purchase."). I think there's something about Non-Paying Buyers and consequences, but I can't find detail about it. Here's a link to Bricklink's information about Non-Paying Buyers: https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=72. 

Note: I am in no way an expert on this topic, I've just trawled through Bricklink's help pages a bit. I advise you to do the same, and maybe email bricklink, to weigh up your choices.

The note was placed beforehand. I simply had not read it - and leard my lesson. I think the shipping costs mentioned are correct. I just did not realise that sending a small package from The Netherlands tot Belgium would cost so much. In the future, I'll try to order bricks only in Belgium even if it costs a little more. Unless they are very rare and wanted ;-)

So I paid the order and will be more careful in the future.  I'm just not sure if the statement made is legal - there's a European law stating that when buying on the internet, you have the right to cancel your order in a period of two weeks, I think.

Thank you all for your reactions. 

BrickLink appears to be governed by the laws of Hong Kong.  Consult your lawyer if EU laws are applicable as it doesn't have a physical presence in the EU. 

 

 

 

If you are buying in EU, from EU then you absolutely have a legal right to cancel (unless you are buying business to business).

 

Having said that, you really should read the terms first, or ask for a quote or you are just wasting everyones time.

8 hours ago, dr_spock said:

BrickLink appears to be governed by the laws of Hong Kong.  Consult your lawyer if EU laws are applicable as it doesn't have a physical presence in the EU.

 

He didn't buy from bricklink, he bought from an EU seller.

You do have the right to cancel, and you should have just told the seller that. He still has the right under bricklink rules to leave a NPB warning for you.

On 22-2-2018 at 8:46 AM, bmassaer said:

The note was placed beforehand. I simply had not read it - and leard my lesson. I think the shipping costs mentioned are correct. I just did not realise that sending a small package from The Netherlands tot Belgium would cost so much. In the future, I'll try to order bricks only in Belgium even if it costs a little more. Unless they are very rare and wanted ;-)

So I paid the order and will be more careful in the future.  I'm just not sure if the statement made is legal - there's a European law stating that when buying on the internet, you have the right to cancel your order in a period of two weeks, I think.

Thank you all for your reactions. 

What did he charge for shipping? And how much for the order? Was it a package or envelope?

Shipping between Netherlands and Belgium is typically €1,40 - €2,80 for small orders and €10 for packages. Doesn't seem very high to me

shipping costs on bricklink international are outrageous nowadays, worse offenders are from the US to UK for me. Outrageous and  I avoid from the US to UK at all costs now.

I try and keep all bricklnk orders local. Not always possible but I do try

On 3/2/2018 at 6:42 PM, Blk69 said:

Try to purchase from your own country.  Shipping costs are a killer.

Not only that, but customs can be very erratic.  I have sometimes waited two months for something to get here from overseas due to it being stuck in US customs. 

I find the postal rates very good from France, Belgium and Germany, I am really dreading Brexit (I'm a remainer )

Shipping costs are the main reason I don't really use bricklink often. When I was younger I ordered about £100of lego from a seller in America, I naivelyexpected the shipping to cost £25 max, but it turned out to be nearer to £120, luckily the seller was very considerate and allowed me to cancel the order regardless of the bricklink polices.

Same happened to me. Transatlantic shipping isn't cheap!

12 hours ago, Kalahari134 said:

Same happened to me. Transatlantic shipping isn't cheap!

Yet I can go to the Dollar Store and buy merchandise for 99 cents, that comes all the way from China and they still turn a profit, crazy. 

Yes but when you are bringing things in by the container load, the amount of handling is substantially reduced compared with individual parcels. Tariffs will also play a big part.