Terms and Conditions | Bakst & Friends

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Here’s the full text of our General Terms and Conditions (GTC). This is the contract that governs the commercial relationship between you and our business, which is named below.

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General Terms and Conditions (GTC)

Updated: 14 September 2026

Alexander Bakst
Bakst & Friends – der Eigenverlag für Sprachbildung
Heinersdorfer Straße 12
12209 Berlin
GERMANY

VAT ID no.: DE277695519

Fon: +49 30 7974 66 53
Email: friends@bakst.de

Web:
https://bakst.de
https://bakstandfriends.com

1. Contractual Framework

1.1. Scope

These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) govern all contracts for the supply of goods that a consumer or trader concludes with the owner of the e-commerce website named above.

Any deviating, conflicting, or supplementary GTC and other provisions of the Consumer or Trader are not part of the contract unless we have expressly agreed in writing to their validity.

1.2. Consumer and Trader

A Consumer within the meaning of these GTC is any natural person who enters into a legal transaction for purposes that predominantly are outside his or her trade, business, or profession.

A Trader within the meaning of these GTC is a natural or legal person or a partnership with legal capacity who, upon entering into a legal transaction, acts in exercise of his or her trade, business, or profession.

1.3. Language Notes

The languages available for contractual purposes are English and German.

In the following, this text refers to:

the e-commerce website as the “Shop”;
the goods presented in the shop as “Products”;
the Consumer or Trader either as the “Customer” or using equivalent forms of address such as “you” and other second‑person pronouns; and
the owner of the Shop either as the “Seller” or using equivalent first‑person pronouns such as “we.”

We strive for simple and inclusive language that meets legal standards. In balancing these aims, we sometimes rely on standard contractual clauses that may use gendered pronouns in generic references. These pronouns should be understood to include all non-binary genders.

2. Offer and Purchase Agreement

2.1. Product Presentation

The presentation of products in the Shop does not constitute a legally binding offer within the meaning of section 145 of the German Civil Code (BGB), but rather an invitation to place an order. Product descriptions in the Shop, in catalogs, and in the Seller’s marketing materials do not constitute a representation or guarantee.

2.2. Order Process

Before submitting a binding order, you may first place Products in the shopping cart and change or remove your items at any time without any obligation. The relevant controls are explained clearly in the course of your order process.

When you complete the order process by providing all necessary information and tapping the “place order” button, you submit a binding offer for the Products contained in your shopping cart.

Shortly after placing your order, you will receive an automatic notification by email confirming that our systems have received your order. This email does not yet constitute acceptance of your contractual offer.

2.3. Purchase Agreement

The contract concludes by our acceptance, either in the form of a separate confirmation or dispatch of the goods.

Acceptance generally occurs immediately after receipt of your full payment in our account, but no later than three working days from receipt of payment.

2.4. Contractual Data

We store the text of the contract and send you the relevant order data along with a copy of our GTC in a suitable format such as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file attached to an email. For security reasons, the text of the contract will no longer be accessible on the internet.

Our e-commerce system automatically deletes cancelled or incomplete orders after 30 calendar days. In accordance with our statutory obligations to retain certain information, we may archive contractual documents and other commercially relevant data for 10 years or longer. For further information on the handling of your data, please refer to our Privacy Policy: https://bakst.de/legal/privacy

3. Delivery Conditions

Packaging, shipping and handling are carried out in our name by the following fulfilment provider:

XXX GmbH
Address
ZIP City
COUNTRY

3.1. Shipping Options

We deliver exclusively by shipment; Customers generally cannot pick up purchased Products in person. Partial deliveries are permissible insofar as this is reasonable for the Customer.

We ship our Products to the delivery address specified in the order process unless otherwise agreed. We ship to the following countries:

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region)
Ireland and all other member states of the European Union (EU)¹
United Kingdom (UK) – England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
United States of America (USA) – all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC)

Delivery to other countries of the world is currently not possible.

¹ The 27 EU member states are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

3.2. Delivery Times

The regular delivery time within Germany is up to seven working days after conclusion of the contract in accordance with section 2.3. For deliveries abroad:

within the EU as well as to Switzerland and the UK, the delivery period extends to a maximum of 10 working days, and
for deliveries to the USA to a maximum of 14 working days.

Delivery times are non‑binding insofar as delays are caused by force majeure, civil unrest, strikes, or similar unforeseeable events not attributable to us.

3.3. Shipping Costs

Shipping costs will be clearly communicated to you in the course of your order process.

As a rule, we charge a flat‑rate shipping fee per order. The amount of the fee depends on the destination country of your delivery address.

Deliveries equal to or above a certain order value qualify for free shipping. “Order value” means the total value of goods in a shipment including taxes but excluding shipping costs and import duties (tariffs). For orders in a foreign currency, the order value uses the euro conversion rate of our payment service provider or, in the absence thereof, the current daily euro reference rate of the European Central Bank².

² European Central Bank currency rates online: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/index.en.html

3.3.1. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH)

Deliveries within the DACH region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are subject to a flat‑rate shipping fee of € 2.99.

For such deliveries, shipping is free of charge from an order value of € 30.00.

3.3.2. European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK)

Deliveries to a member state of the European Union outside the DACH region and to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are subject to a flat‑rate shipping fee of € 4.99.

For such deliveries, shipping is free of charge from an order value of € 50.00.

3.3.3. United States of America (USA)

Deliveries to the 50 federal states and capital district of the United States of America are subject to a flat‑rate shipping fee of € 6.99.

For such deliveries, shipping is free of charge from an order value of € 70.00.

3.4. Withdrawal, Refunds and Returns

Customers from Germany and the EU enjoy a statutory right of withdrawal. The withdrawal period is 14 days from receipt of the goods. Full instructions on your right of withdrawal are provided on our website at https://bakst.de/legal/refunds/ and as a PDF attachment to your order confirmation.

You may submit a withdrawal request online at: https://bakst.de/legal/refunds/#withdraw

In the event of an effective withdrawal, we will refund to you all payments that you have made, including delivery costs (except return shipping costs), no later than 14 days from receipt of your declaration of withdrawal. We will use the same means of payment for your refund that you used for your order unless otherwise agreed. The risk of return shipment passes to us as soon as you hand over the goods to the transport service provider.

For customers outside the EU who do not have a statutory right of withdrawal, returns are only possible under our goodwill offer, which may be subject to a fee.

3.5. Non-Availability Clause

If, after conclusion of the contract, your ordered goods become unavailable because we ourselves are not supplied with these goods by our contracting partners without fault on our part, we may withdraw from the contract. In this case, we will inform you without delay and immediately refund any payments already received.

Your statutory warranty rights and right of withdrawal remain unaffected.

4. Import Duties Abroad

For deliveries outside the EU, the Customer is responsible for the cost of any import duties (tariffs and customs fees).

The expected import duties are shown to you in the order process, charged at the time of purchase, and paid by us or our fulfillment provider to the relevant authorities.

Import duties are calculated to the best of our knowledge. If the actual amount paid differs from the fees shown in your order, subsequent adjustments are expressly precluded. Any difference in your favor will not be refunded; conversely, you will not receive any request from us for additional payment in connection with import duties on completed orders.

Any taxes payable remain unaffected.

4.1. Swiss De Minimis Threshold

For orders from Switzerland, we apply a maximum order value calculated on the basis of the value‑added tax payable (so‑called “small consignment”).

The maximum limit is an order value between CHF 60 and CHF 190. The amount will be clearly shown in the order process and adjusted accordingly with each update of the shopping cart.

If an order exceeds the respective limit, we reserve the right to reject the order or split it into several partial shipments where permissible.

4.2. Tariff Preference in the United Kingdom

As a rule, we are able to export deliveries to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland free of import duties on the basis of a tariff preference agreement³ with the EU.

³ Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA); see official record (EUR-Lex): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02021A0430%2801%29-20240101&qid=1710405980965

4.3. Tariffs in the United States of America

For deliveries to the United States of America, we are obliged without exception to pay import duties to US customs and border authorities.

Despite our best efforts, we cannot guarantee the actuality of applicable import duties reflected in our fee. We reserve the right to temporarily suspend future deliveries to the USA if we consider the economic viability of such shipments to be at risk due to high tariffs.

5. Prices and Payment

5.1. Price Information

All prices shown in the Shop include any applicable value added tax (VAT), sales tax, or similar taxes.

Our binding offer is always based on the prices shown in the final order process. In addition to the tax calculation, the final order page lists all associated shipping costs and customs fees where applicable.

The Customer bears any additional costs (for example, those charged by payment service providers) insofar as these are not attributable to the Seller.

5.2. Tax Calculation

We calculate the applicable tax rate automatically based on your delivery address. Alternate billing addresses are not relevant for the tax calculation.

If we do not know your delivery address, we initially estimate the tax component of all prices shown. To this end, we determine your approximate geolocation based on available data such as the country code of your IP address. As such, the prices initially advertised may differ from the actual prices after you enter a delivery address at checkout.

5.3. Due Date and Default

Payment comes due upon conclusion of the contract. In the case of advance payment, it must be made immediately after conclusion of the contract without negligent delay.

The Seller reserves the right to decline a chosen method of payment and offer another instead.

If the Customer is in default of payment, the Seller is entitled to charge interest on the overdue amount at a rate determined by statutory standards. The right to assert further damages caused by default remains unaffected.

5.4. Payment Methods

For your orders in the Shop, we offer the payment methods set out below.

Unless otherwise noted, we have contracted with the following company as our payment service provider to process transactions in the Shop:

Automattic Inc.
60 29th Street #343
San Francisco, CA 94110
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Our Privacy Policy governs the exchange of your data with third‑party providers.

5.4.1. Card Payments

We accept common debit and credit cards such as Visa or MasterCard.

To complete a card payment, you enter your card details during the order process. After successful validation by the card issuer, your account will be debited immediately after you place an order.

Your card data is processed solely on the servers of the payment service provider named above.

5.4.2. SEPA Direct Debit

By placing an order in this way, you grant us a SEPA direct debit mandate. For the purposes of the purchase agreement per section 2.3, your account will be debited before dispatch of the goods.

We will inform you of the date on which your account is to be debited at least one banking day in advance (prenotification). A banking day is any working day except Saturdays, German federal public holidays, and the 24^th and 31^st of December of each year.

5.4.3. PayPal

To pay your invoice amount via the “PayPal” payment service —

PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.
22-24 Boulevard Royal
L-2449 LUXEMBOURG

— you must be registered with PayPal, authenticate yourself, and confirm the payment instruction. PayPal will carry out the transaction immediately after you place your order. Further information is provided in the order process.

5.4.4. Google Pay

To pay your invoice amount via the “Google Pay” payment service —

Google Ireland Limited
Gordon House, Barrow Street
Dublin 4
IRELAND

– you must be registered with Google Pay, authenticate yourself, and confirm the payment instruction. Google Pay will carry out the transaction immediately after you place your order. Further information is provided in the order process.

5.4.5. Apple Pay

To pay your invoice amount via the “Apple Pay” payment service —

Apple Distribution International Limited
Hollyhill Industrial Estate
Hollyhill, Cork
IRELAND

– you must be registered with Apple Pay, authenticate yourself, and confirm the payment instruction. Apple Pay will carry out the transaction immediately after you place your order. Further information is provided in the order process.

5.4.6. “Buy Now Pay Later” (BNPL)

PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and other payment service providers may offer additional payment modalities to registered users selected according to their own criteria, in particular in the form of a “Buy Now Pay Later” (BNPL) option.

BNPL functions are generally permitted in our Shop; however, we have no further influence on the offering of these options. Any additional payment modalities offered on an individual basis concern only your legal relationship with the respective payment service provider. BNPL may involve credit checks. Relevant information on this can be found in your account with the provider.

We accept no liability for the use of BNPL and similar functions.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

6.1. Copyright

All content in connection with our Products, Shop, and associated websites is subject to copyright and other laws for the protection of intellectual property. This includes text, images, and graphics as well as audio, video, or animation files and other content. Such content may not be copied, distributed, modified, or made accessible to third parties for commercial purposes.

Note:

The handling of copyright‑protected works is governed by the provisions of the German Act on Copyright and Related Rights⁴ (Urheberrechtsgesetz or UrhG). Sections 44a to 63a UrhG define certain statutory exemptions under “limitations of copyright” to allow for uses such as:

reproduction for private purposes,
freedom to lend, or
public communication for teaching purposes.

This note serves an explanatory purpose and does not grant any special rights: We are merely affirming the responsible exercise of rights and obligations granted under German law.

⁴ German Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Gesetz über Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte): https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/urhg/

6.2. Usage Rights

For consumers:

Consumers within the meaning of section 1.2 acquire, with the purchase of a Product, only the right to private use in accordance with the relevant terms of use.

For Traders:

For Traders within the meaning of section 1.2, the Products acquired are restricted to internal use within their respective place of business. It is generally permissible to share these Products with their own employees or to use them for internal training in compliance with the UrhG statute.

Any use beyond such limits is not permitted in the absence of a separate agreement. On request, we offer school and multi‑user licenses with extended usage rights. This applies in particular to:

creating and distributing copies of our content to affiliates, partners, and customers; or
sharing the content via public or semi‑public platforms such as a company intranet or learning management system.

Please address your business inquiries to: friends@bakst.de

6.3. Title Retention Clause

Any Products delivered remain the property of the Seller until payment has been made in full. After successful completion of a purchase, the Products pass into the private property (for Consumers) or business assets (for Traders) of the Customer.

In the event that documents are provided in connection with an order, we reserve title and copyright in such documents. These documents may not be made accessible to third parties without our express written consent. If we do not accept your offer within the period specified in section 2.3, these documents must be returned to us without delay unless otherwise agreed.

7. Warranty and Guarantees

7.1. Liability for Defects

Statutory liability for defects and statutory warranty provisions apply.

For Consumers, the limitation period for claims based on defects is two years for new goods and one year for used goods.

For Traders, the limitation period for new and used goods is one year from delivery of the goods.

7.2. Notification of Defects

We request that you quickly notify the carrier and inform us accordingly of any goods delivered with obvious transport damage.

This has no bearing on your statutory warranty claims.

7.3. Guarantees

Information on any additional guarantees and the precise conditions of such guarantees is provided with the respective Product and on dedicated information pages in the Shop.

Guarantees exist only if they have been expressly given in the Product description.

8. Liability Disclaimers

8.1. Limitation of Liability

The Seller is liable for intent and gross negligence.

In the event of slight negligence, the Seller is only liable for breaches of material contractual obligations (cardinal obligations), the fulfilment of which is essential for the proper performance of the contract and on the observance of which the Customer may regularly rely. In such cases, liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for the contract.

8.2. Unlimited Liability

Liability under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz) and liability for damages arising from injury to life, limb, or health remain unaffected.

9. Miscellaneous Provisions

9.1. Data Protection and Privacy

We process personal data in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its implementation under German law. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for further information on data protection: https://bakst.de/legal/privacy

9.2. Code of Conduct for Registered Users

Customers who register for a user account in the Shop agree to adhere to the Code of Conduct outlined under section 9.2.2. below. Examples of user content include (but are not limited to) Product reviews, public comments on our posts, and the Customer’s publicly visible profile information such as the alias used in comments.

9.2.1. Content Moderation

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate a Customer’s user account, temporarily or permanently, in response to any breach of these General Terms and Conditions or of our Privacy Policy. The decision to revoke account privileges does not affect the Customer’s ability to browse the Shop, buy new Products, access previously purchased downloads, review past orders and invoices, or otherwise conduct business with us.

9.2.2. Content Guidelines

We enforce content moderation rules for all user-generated content in the Shop and in community spaces such as the Discord server. This section of codifies the rules in a Code of Conduct.

All published comments, reviews, and publicly available user content must follow this Code of Conduct:

No discrimination. Don’t be mean to people because of who they are. We’ll take action against anyone who makes serious attacks based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and other protected categories.
- Note: Offensive language is fine as long as it doesn’t break rule no. 1. You can use expletives like the F-word, but certain expressions are off-limits because they break rule no. 1 by definition. Otherwise, context is king.
- The above caveat notwithstanding, we reserve the right to moderate, censor, or remove user content at our sole discretion.
No bullying. Don’t gang up on anyone, don’t harass people, and don’t troll in a mean or persistent way.
No violence. Don’t promote violent behavior or self-harm, and don’t share content that depicts violence.
No doxing. Don’t reveal someone’s personal details or likeness without their consent.
No spam. Don’t post promotional content, don’t attempt to scam people, and don’t deploy unauthorized bots or attempt to hack into our systems.
No porn. Don’t post pornographic material here.
No workarounds. Don’t try to circumvent our Code of Conduct, and don’t link to external content that breaks these rules.

In addition to the above, the following rules apply only to the Discord server (not to the Shop):

No kids under 16. Our community server allows for offensive language and adult themes among other things. To protect children from inappropriate content under German law, the Discord server is closed to persons under the age of 16. We reserve the right to ask for age verification if we suspect a user is underage.
Owners, administrators, and moderators have the final say. Anyone with the Mod role has our full trust and support in enforcing these basic guardrails. If you have an issue or conflict, don’t hesitate to take it up with us directly. You can also use the mod features built into Discord to report malicious behavior.

9.3. Dispute Resolution

We are neither willing nor obligated to participate in a dispute resolution procedure before a consumer arbitration body.

9.4. Applicable Law

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply, to the exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. In the case of Consumers, this choice of law applies only insofar as the protection afforded is not withdrawn by mandatory provisions of the law of the state in which the Consumer has his or her habitual residence.

The place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from this contract with merchants, legal entities under public law, or special funds under public law is the registered office of the Seller in Berlin.

9.5. Severability

Should individual provisions of these General Terms and Conditions be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected.

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