A language learners’ forum

I’ve had fewer issues with my credit card and/or PayPal overseas: I just get an email saying “is this you? Then don’t worry about it.”

I have had a terrible experience with Standaard Boekhandel. I ordered books from their website and I received them damaged. I notified them on the same day for a return/refund, it took them one month to respond. And on top of that, it was an automatic response... Of course, this is only my experience with them and I might have been very unlucky.

There's this list of independent online bookstores : https://www.kaabee.be/belgischewebshopsboeken.html

There is also amazon.nl
I don't know if they send abroad though. I guess they do it but with limitations.

Tristano wrote:There is also amazon.nl
I don't know if they send abroad though. I guess they do it but with limitations.

Good suggestion, but restricted to sending to NL and BE only. They definitely don't want the Dutch language to spread!

Snufkin wrote:I have had a terrible experience with Standaard Boekhandel. I ordered books from their website and I received them damaged. I notified them on the same day for a return/refund, it took them one month to respond. And on top of that, it was an automatic response... Of course, this is only my experience with them and I might have been very unlucky.

There's this list of independent online bookstores : https://www.kaabee.be/belgischewebshopsboeken.html

Thanks for your feedback, Snufkin. I've had no replies from the bookstores I have mentioned that I emailed. I feel a huge spending spree on bol.com is in the works in the coming days out of fear of not finding an alternative before their policy comes into effect (1st Nov), especially since I have very little spare time lately. It just seems that the sparse international customers are of no value to their business models. We are more hastle than what we're worth.

Thanks too for the list, I'll take a look

PeterMollenburg wrote:

Tristano wrote:There is also amazon.nl
I don't know if they send abroad though. I guess they do it but with limitations.

Good suggestion, but restricted to sending to NL and BE only. They definitely don't want the Dutch language to spread!

I can help illegaly with ludicrous fees if you want

Tristano wrote:I can help illegaly with ludicrous fees if you want

You might just have a business model there...

Seriously, though, I know it's done a lot in Japan, as my roomie is into Lolita fashions and has to work with buyers pretty often.

That is unfortunate that amazon.nl won't ship outside of NL/BE. I ordered from amazon.it to the US once because what I wanted wasn't available at my usual Italian source (www.mondadoristore.it). I wonder how it's decided where the different European Amazons will ship?

Tristano wrote:I can help illegaly with ludicrous fees if you want

It might not even be illegal. I really doubt purchases of most Amazon physical, dead-tree books come with do-not-resell clauses...

tangleweeds wrote:

Tristano wrote:I can help illegaly with ludicrous fees if you want

You might just have a business model there...

Seriously, though, I know it's done a lot in Japan, as my roomie is into Lolita fashions and has to work with buyers pretty often.

For my clothing/manga/art supplies needs, I've used a proxy--https://zenmarket.jp for example. I know other proxies and forwarding companies exist for Japanese goods, why not other places as well?