General shipping information:

Shipping will take place as soon as the payment is received or the credit company says OK; if possible on the same day or the next business day at the latest. I ship worldwide with priority mail by the Dutch Postal Services, FedEx or other carriers at your choice. The Dutch Post office doesn't have an adequate  tracking system yet.  Buyer pays the actual shipping costs, so you do not pay any handling costs. Buyer has the risk of correct delivery services. Press here to see what happens if the package gets lost or damaged.

Alternative ways of shipping, as well as fully insured shipping by UPS or FedEx are at clients choice. In this way it is also possible to pay for the shipping costs yourself directly to UPS or FedEx at delivery (if you are a client of these companies). The duration of the shipment overseas by Dutch Postal Services (DPS) is depending on the country. Press here for your country. Shipping with FedEx (press here to track your package) or UPS is much quicker. For example: when shipped by FedEx, US-customers will receive already the following day or the day after ! It is also a lot more expensive.

You will have to sign when receiving the package. In the package you will find the invoice.

Communication:

I check at least three times a day for incoming emails. In case I won't be present to do so for more than one day, I will leave a message on my homepage.

I will send emails when the payment is received or the credit company says OK and when I have sent the package, telling you the way of shipping and the registration number or tracking number. I'd like you to tell me when the package is received and your comment on the item.

I use up to date software against hackers and virusses. All emails are scanned for viruses before I send them to you. Good advise is never to open files that are attached to emails from persons who you are not familiar with.

Payment:

Credit card   

I accept Visa and MasterCard. I need to know the following information:

You can give this information by filling out the order form (press here). Alternatively you can email or  fax this information (+31 318 479720) or tell me by phone (+31 318 479103). For security reasons I prefer to receive a signed fax from you. For your own protection I will ask the credit company for a security check (billing address of the card versus the shipping address of the goods).

If you want to send credit card information by email, please split this information in two or three emails (for security reasons).

I feel responsible for your credit card information. I make sure that there is no credit card information on my computer. Further more, all paper work is stored in a safe place. It is not accessible by anyone else but myself.

I have a contract in Euro's with MasterCard and Visa. The exchange rate on the day of the purchase is valid. Small differences are possible due to time lag.

I don't accept credit cards from people who live in Indonesia. I would like to ask people from the former East Block countries to send me an email first.

For buyers who live in European countries within the EU, I have to charge 19% VAT in some cases. This percentage comes on top of the mentioned prices. In the description of the item you will find if VAT is due or not. On the invoice you'll find this VAT seperately. When you run a business this amount is deductable.

In most cases no VAT is due for second hand equipment. Nevertheless I have to pay VAT over the gros margin on sales within the EU. The price for EU buyers includes this tax. That is why a European buyer pays a somewhat higher price in Euros than a non European buyer who pays in US dollars. This tax has been integrated in the currency rate for the Euro against the US dollar. You will not find this VAT amount seperately on the invoice and businesses can't deduct this tax.

My VAT number is NL 0721.56.855.B.01

Selling by Ebay:

Some of the mentioned items could be for sale on Ebay. In most cases I am not free to sell through my own website, when a bid has been placed. If the item stays unsold, I will offer it firstly to the party that showed interest.

When you buy through Ebay, it is well appreciated when you leave positive feedback in case you will find that there is reason to do so. I will give feedback as soon as you have given your approval of the received item to me.

Rating as used describing the items:

Dents, scratches and other damages are always mentioned. The optical quality of lenses is always described (coating !).

Warranty:

Used items made after 1985 have a 30 day warranty against mechanical defects. We retain the right of either making a repair or making a refund.

For cameras and lenses made before 1986, common sense should prevail.
One should assume that many of the items have seen little recent use and, therefore, have not recently been cleaned, lubricated, or adjusted.
This means that many items might have shutter speeds and/or light meters that might need adjusting, and that lenses and other optical items might require lubrication and/or cleaning. We can not offer a warranty for these items which are essentially collector's items.

If the item is clearly not according the description, it may be returned for full credit within 10 days of receipt. If defects have not been mentioned in the description, I will have it repaired at my expenses. If repair will not have a positive result, I will refund for the full amount. For mechanical defect on items that were produced after 1985 this period is extended to 30 days. Of course returned items must be in exactly the same condition when returned as they were when received by you. We do not refund any charges for shipping, handling, or insurance. Please note that we can not accept any returns without our prior notice and approval.

So far I never had an unresolved disagreement with anyone; I always managed to find a satisfying solution whenever opinions are different. The client has the right to demand a second opinion of an independent third party (for example Leica Gmbh Germany or the Rollei representative "De Greef" in Holland).   I will comply with their opinion.

Of course I always use my knowledge to determine the originality of the equipment. I guarantee that all the equipment I sell, is original. In theory it is possible that I am the victim  of buying false equipment myself, while I sell this false equipment (without knowing the equipment is false) to customers. Rare and unusual collectors items are expensive. For your protection I give warranty on originality for a period of     1 year !

1. Duration when shipped by Dutch Postal Services.

In the last five years I shipped appr. 2,500 packages outside Europe by Dutch Postal Services (DPS). In total 2 of them got lost (one to Singapore and one to the USA). In both cases the amount of the insurance was paid, about 10 weeks after the package was sent.

If a package has not been delivered after 3 weeks, I have to fill in a form at the post office. After that it will take a maximum of 2 months for the post office to investigate. You will be asked if the package has been delivered at your address by the postal service in your country. I will be informed  about the results of the investigation. If the package has not been located, payment of the insured amount will follow shortly after that. I will pass this payment immediately to you by crediting your credit card or by money transfer. Further more I will inform you about every stage of the investigation. As soon as I receive message, I will pass this to you.

If you decide not to insure the package, I will ship by registered mail. You will have to sign when delivered at your address. If a registered package gets lost, the post office will compensate US$ 45.00 if and when the investigation has terminated without result.

2. Shipment by FedEx or UPS

There is no maximum insurance amount for photo equipment.

Because of their advanced tracking system, the risk of a lost package is even smaller than sent by DPS. If the package gets lost, the investigation won't take longer than 2 weeks. After that the payment will follow. I will pass this payment on to you, immediately after having been noticed that payment will follow.

3. When the package is damaged

So far, it has never happened  that a package arrived damaged. I always make sure that the items are packed in a safe way, using all modern means. The procedure of claims caused by damage is about the same as lost packages.