Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

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Inge
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby Inge » Sat Sep 17, 2022 1:20 pm

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Last edited by Inge on Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:49 am, edited 3 times in total.
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gsbod
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby gsbod » Sat Sep 17, 2022 1:49 pm

Foyles in London appear to ship to most countries, including Australia, and have a small selection of Dutch books (including textbooks and fiction) available. They can be quite expensive, however. I think this is in part due to their own import costs.
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby einzelne » Sat Sep 17, 2022 3:45 pm

iguanamon wrote:So, digital media will continue to be pirated. Language-learners will go where they need to go to get what they want. What a pity.


This.
As someone who reads in 4 languages, all these copyright restrictions drive me nuts.
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby Le Baron » Sat Sep 17, 2022 5:28 pm

I don't know why they do this. The general attitude here is that no-one except Dutch speakers want Dutch books and even some of those are preoccupied with buying English books. When I first lived here the popular fiction in the train station shops were all Dutch, now books in English have crept into the assortment. I have a keen eye though; many of the English titles turn up in the second-hand shops with visible creasing to barely halfway and then the book's spine is perfectly untouched. So I think they give up reading before the middle. :lol:

One time back in 2005 I made an enquiry at Broese-Wristers (or whatever it's called these days) about sending learning materials in quite a bulk purchase to the U.S. for a woman in Kansas who was running private courses. Among the initial questions from them was: 'but why??' They thought it was strange that someone would want to go to such trouble to learn a language broadly considered unimportant and somewhat useless. And when they lived miles away anyway.

Maybe the attitude has altered, though I doubt it.
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby Ug_Caveman » Sat Sep 17, 2022 10:29 pm

rdearman wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote:If the EU was supposed to facilitate cross border transactions/markets, well I'm not impressed

Only within the EU, it is a closed shop, and you live in a "third country".

Well, they've already taken the first step to joining...
Austrovision.jpeg
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby PeterMollenburg » Sun Sep 18, 2022 5:58 am

Ug_Caveman wrote:
rdearman wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote:If the EU was supposed to facilitate cross border transactions/markets, well I'm not impressed

Only within the EU, it is a closed shop, and you live in a "third country".

Well, they've already taken the first step to joining...
Austrovision.jpeg


Haha, yes this is just a little bit ridiculous. Okay for a once off, right? Some kind of a wild card entry system each year, but I think Australia has been in Eurovision now a few years at least... or am I making that up?

That's made me consider something. Maybe with my Dutch passport I'll declare my property an extension of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and bol.com will be forced to send to me!
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue May 02, 2023 1:50 am

Okay, so I have discovered and used a solution to this issue. It's called the Dutch Expat Shop. Here is a link to their homepage:
https://www.dutchexpatshop.com/nl/

On their homepage (website in Dutch or English, EN version further below):

Dutch Expat Shop wrote:Supersnelle levering wereldwijd DHL, BPost, PostNL & DPD!
Dutch Expat Shop is de allergrootste online supermarkt die het mogelijk maakt om ruim 28.000 Nederlandse en Belgische producten naar u in het buitenland te sturen. Zo heeft u - waar u ook woont - uw eigen favoriete producten binnen 4 werkdagen, wereldwijd en tegen de allerlaagste verzendkosten voordelig in huis!

Nederlandse producten online bestellen
Met meer dan 2.000 echte Nederlandse merken is Dutch Expat Shop de Hollandse shop waar u al uw heerlijke producten eenvoudig en snel online kunt bestellen. Alle pakketten zijn volledig verzekerd, terwijl u met al uw vragen terecht kunt bij onze uitstekende Klantenservice. Zij helpen u graag!


Dutch Expat Shop wrote:Fast delivery worldwide with DHL, BPost, PostNL & DPD!
Dutch Expat Shop is the largest online dutch store, which makes it possible to ship more than 28.000 typically Dutch and typically Belgian products to you abroad. Your own favorite products within 4 business days, worldwide and very beneficial at your doorstep!

Order Dutch products online
With over 2.000 original Dutch and Belgian brands is Dutch Expat Shop the one-stop dutch shop where you can order online easy and fast all your delicious products. Every parcel is fully secured, while all your wishes and questions will be answered by our outstanding Customer Service. They are pleased to help you!


So, to be more specific, this is what I used to order a bunch of books and small kids learning games:

https://www.dutchexpatshop.com/nl/bestel-producten-via-bolcom-hema-zalando-amazon-coolblue-kruidvat-gall-marktplaats-bruna-intertoys-drankgigant-blokker-etos-wehkamp-eigen-pakket.html

NL:
Dutch Expat Shop wrote:Het pakket van de betreffende webshop dient - met vermelding van uw eigen naam - naar onderstaand adres te worden verstuurd:

Dutch Expat Shop
"uw eigen naam"
Keukenbeemd 3a
5741 TV Beek en Donk
The Netherlands

Pakketten zwaarder dan 2 kg neem dan contact op met onze Klantenservice via customerservice@dutchexpatshop.com.

Wij kunnen verder niet verantwoordelijk worden gesteld voor eventuele schade of verlies van producten van externe webshops. In dat geval zijn wij niet verzekerd en keren wij geen schadevergoeding uit.


EN:
Dutch Expat Shop wrote:The package from the relevant webshop must be sent - with your own name - to the address below:

Dutch Expat Shop
"your own name"
Keukenbeemd 3a
5741 TV Beek en Donk
The Netherlands

Packages heavier than 2 kg, please contact our Customer Service via customerservice@dutchexpatshop.com.

We are not responsible for any damages or losses of products from external webshops. In this case we are not insured and we are not able to compensate any losses.


You pay €10.06 per 2kg package. So I placed my orders with Bol.com, had the items sent to the address of Dutch Expat Shop in the Netherlands, but in my name and paid for 4kg (€20.12) with Dutch Expat Shop as my items were over 2kg total but under 4kg. Postage within NL (ie to Dutch Expat Shop) was free with Bol.com.

As Bol.com charged nothing for postage (as within NL), I then paid via Dutch Expat Shop for the postage to Australia (providing Dutch Expat Shop with my actual address outside NL, in Australia) and selected the postal delivery service of my choice from a bunch offered (names of services and prices listed for postage to Australia when checking out with Dutch Expat Shop before finalising payment).

The items arrived in one big box in about one week and were in their Bol.com packaging inside that larger box. The books in cardboard packaging from Bol.com had been opened at one end, clearly to verify the contents as correct before sending on to Australia (I had provided Dutch Expat Shop with a list of items (titles of books, etc) that were sent from Bol.com to them, so that nothing would be missed when sending on to me in Australia).

All in all, a cumbersome somewhat expensive process, but it works and I will use it again. Based on this one experience, I would recommend them.

'Cumbersome', because you have to calculate weights, and rather than ordering and sending from Dutch stores direct to your home, due to Dutch companies unwillingness to send further afield, well you need that middle man - Dutch Expat Shop, and they don't make it hard themselves, they provide a good service, that for whatever reason ideally wouldn't be needed... but alas, it is, so on the whole the entire process is a little fiddly.

'Expensive' somewhat due to third party postage services. Keep in mind, I'm in Australia, so surely postage to many other countries would be considerably cheaper. Nevertheless, expect high third party postage costs at the final part of checking out with Dutch Expat Shop. In the past Bol.com (or whichever company) would've charged a similar rate for postage when they still sent abroad, so it's really no different, you just pay at a different stage for the postage. The prices Dutch Expat Shop charge, are reasonable, I feel, as they really only charge to repack into another box.

You can use the service and order from a whole host of Dutch companies, and it doesn't have to be books - food for example is also possible.
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Re: Bol.com to cease sending Dutch content abroad

Postby Iversen » Tue May 02, 2023 4:56 pm

I thought Australia was quite fuzzy about letting foodstuff pass its borders .. but maybe books are seen as relatively harmless

gsbod wrote:Foyles in London appear to ship to most countries, including Australia, and have a small selection of Dutch books (including textbooks and fiction) available. They can be quite expensive, however. I think this is in part due to their own import costs.

If Foyles sends books for more than a certain sum to Denmark (I have forgotten the exact price) then they will have to be registrated and pay a Danish tax named Moms - which they of course will add to the price. That's one of the unfortunate consequences of Brexit..
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