§ 1 Scope, form 

(1) These General Terms and Conditions of Delivery (hereinafter: „GTCS“) shall apply to all business 

relationships of Topcart GmbH (hereinafter: „we“ or „us“) with our customers (hereinafter: „buyer“). The GTCS shall only apply if the buyer is an entrepreneur (Section 14 German Civil Code), a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law. 

(2) For deliveries to Germany and Europe, except Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, we charge a shipping fee of 4,94 EUR. For deliveries to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, we charge a flat shipping rate of 9,90 EUR, regardless of the value of the goods. Any customs duties, fees, taxes and other public charges are borne by the buyer. 

(3) Our GTCS shall apply exclusively. Deviating, conflicting or supplementary General Terms and Conditions of the Buyer shall only become part of the contract if and to the extent that we have expressly consented to their application. This requirement of consent shall apply in any case, for example even if we carry out the delivery to the Buyer without reservation in the knowledge of the Buyer‘s General Terms and Conditions. In case of doubt, the German language version of the GTCS shall be decisive. 

(4) Individual agreements made with the Buyer in individual cases (including collateral agreements, supplements and amendments) shall in any case take precedence over these GTCS. Subject to proof to the contrary, a contract concluded in writing or in text form or our written confirmation or confirmation declared in text form shall be authoritative for the content of such agreements. 

(5) Legally relevant declarations and notifications by the Buyer with regard to the contract (e.g. setting of deadlines, notification of defects, withdrawal or reduction) must be made in writing, i.e. in written or text form (e.g. letter, e-mail, fax). Deviating statutory formal requirements and further evidence, in particular in the event of doubts about the legitimacy of the declarant, shall remain unaffected. 

(6) References to the applicability of statutory provisions shall only be of a clarifying nature. Even without such clarification, the statutory provisions shall therefore apply unless they are directly amended or expressly excluded in these GTCS. 

§  2 Conclusion of contract 

(1) Our offers are subject to change and non-binding. This shall also apply if we have provided the Buyer with catalogues, technical documentation (e.g. drawings, plans, calculations, calculations, references to DIN standards), other product descriptions or documents – also in electronic form – to which we reserve property rights and copyrights. 

(2) The order of the goods by the Buyer shall be deemed a binding offer of contract. Unless otherwise stated in the order, we shall be entitled to accept this contractual offer within 2 weeks of its receipt by us. 

(3) Acceptance may be declared either in writing (e.g. by order confirmation) or by delivery of the goods to the Buyer. 

§  3 Delivery period and delay in delivery 

(1) The delivery period shall be agreed individually or stated by us upon acceptance of the order. If this is not the case, the delivery period is approx. 4 weeks from the conclusion of the contract. 

(2) If we are unable to meet binding delivery deadlines for reasons for which we are not responsible (non-availability of the service), we shall inform the Buyer of this without delay and at the same time notify the Buyer of the expected new delivery deadline. If the service is also not available within the new delivery period, we shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract in whole or in part; we shall immediately refund any consideration already paid by the Buyer. A case of non-availability of the performance in this sense shall be deemed to be, in particular, the failure of our supplier to deliver on time if we have concluded a congruent hedging transaction, neither we nor our supplier are at fault or we are not obliged to procure in the individual case. 

(3) The occurrence of our delay in delivery shall be determined in accordance with the statutory provisions. In any case, however, a reminder by the buyer is required. If we are in default of delivery, the buyer may demand lump-sum compensation for the damage caused by the delay. The lump-sum compensation shall amount to 0.5% of the net price (delivery value) for each full calendar week of the delay, but in total not more than 5% of the delivery value of the goods delivered late. We reserve the right to prove that the Buyer has not suffered any damage at all or that the damage is significantly less than the aforementioned lump sum. 

(4) The rights of the Buyer pursuant to Section 8 of these ALB and our statutory rights, in particular in the event of an exclusion of the obligation to perform (e.g. due to impossibility or unreasonableness of performance and/or subsequent performance), shall remain unaffected. 

§  4 Delivery, Transfer of Risk, Acceptance, Default of Acceptance 

(1) Delivery shall be ex warehouse, which is also the place of performance for the delivery and any subsequent performance. At the request and expense of the Buyer, the goods shall be shipped to another destination (sale by delivery to a place other than the place of performance). Unless otherwise agreed, we are entitled to determine the type of shipment (in particular transport company, shipping route, packaging) ourselves. 

(2) The risk of accidental loss and accidental deterioration of the goods shall pass to the Buyer upon handover at the latest. In the case of sale by delivery to a place other than the place of performance, however, the risk of accidental loss and accidental deterioration of the goods as well as the risk of delay shall already pass upon delivery of the goods to the forwarding agent, the carrier or any other person or institution designated to carry out the shipment. If acceptance has been agreed, this shall be decisive for the transfer of risk. In all other respects, the statutory provisions of the law on contracts for work and services shall also apply mutatis mutandis to an agreed acceptance. The handover or acceptance shall be deemed equivalent if the Buyer is in default of acceptance. 

(3) If the Buyer is in default of acceptance, fails to cooperate or if our delivery is delayed for other reasons for which the Buyer is responsible, we shall be entitled to demand compensation for the resulting damage, including additional expenses (e.g. storage costs). For this purpose, we shall charge a lump-sum compensation in the amount of 0.5% per calendar week, but no more than 10% of the value of that part of the total delivery which cannot be delivered on time or in accordance with the contract, beginning with the delivery deadline or – in the absence of a delivery deadline – with the notification that the goods are ready for shipment. 

The proof of a higher damage and our legal claims (in particular compensation for additional expenses, reasonable compensation, termination) shall remain unaffected; however, the lump sum shall be offset against further monetary claims. The Buyer shall be entitled to prove that we have incurred no damage at all or only significantly less damage than the aforementioned lump sum. 

§  5 Prices and terms of payment 

(1) Unless otherwise agreed in individual cases, our prices current at the time of conclusion of the contract shall apply, ex warehouse, plus statutory value added tax, if applicable. 

(2) For deliveries to Germany and Europe, except Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, we charge a shipping fee of 4,94 EUR, for express deliveries 54,90 EUR. For deliveries to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, we charge a flat shipping rate of 11,90 EUR, for express deliveries 54,90 EUR, regardless of the value of the goods. Any customs duties, fees, taxes and other public charges are borne by the buyer.

(3) The purchase price is due and payable within 14 days of invoicing and delivery or acceptance of the goods. However, we are entitled at any time, even within the framework of an ongoing business relationship, to make a delivery in whole or in part only against advance payment. We declare a corresponding reservation at the latest with the order confirmation. 

(4) Upon expiry of the aforementioned payment deadline, the Buyer shall be in default. During the period of default, interest shall be charged on the purchase price at the applicable statutory default interest rate. We reserve the right to assert further damage caused by default. With respect to merchants, our claim to the commercial due date interest rate (Section 353 German Commercial Code) shall remain unaffected. 

(5) The Buyer shall only be entitled to rights of set-off or retention to the extent that its claim has been established by a final court decision or is undisputed. In the event of defects in the delivery, the Buyer‘s counter rights shall remain unaffected, in particular pursuant to Section 7 (6) sentence 2 of these GTCS. 

(6) If it becomes apparent after the conclusion of the contract (e.g. by filing for insolvency proceedings) that our claim to the purchase price is jeopardised by the Buyer‘s inability to pay, we shall be entitled to refuse performance in accordance with the statutory provisions and – if necessary after setting a deadline – to withdraw from the contract (Section 321 German Civil Code). In the case of contracts for the manufacture of unjustifiable items (custom-made products), we may declare withdrawal immediately; the statutory provisions on the dispensability of setting a deadline remain unaffected. 

§  6 Retention of title 

(1) Until full payment of all our present and future claims arising from the purchase contract and an ongoing business relationship (secured claims), we retain title to the goods sold. 

(2) The goods subject to retention of title may neither be pledged to third parties nor assigned as security before full payment of the secured claims. The buyer must inform us immediately in writing if an application is made to open insolvency proceedings or if third parties (e.g. seizures) have access to the goods belonging to us. 

(3) In the event of breach of contract by the Buyer, in particular in the event of non-payment of the purchase price due, we shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract in accordance with the statutory provisions and/or to demand surrender of the goods on the basis of the retention of title. The demand for return does not at the same time include the declaration of withdrawal; we are rather entitled to demand only the return of the goods and to reserve the right of withdrawal. If the buyer does not pay the due purchase price, we may only assert these rights if we have previously set the buyer a reasonable deadline for payment without success or if setting such a deadline is dispensable according to the statutory provisions. 

(4) Until revoked in accordance with (c) below, the Buyer shall be entitled to resell and/or process the goods subject to retention of title in the ordinary course of business. In this case, the following provisions shall apply in addition. 

(a) The retention of title extends to the products resulting from the processing, mixing or combination of our goods at their full value, whereby we are deemed to be the manufacturer. If, in the event of processing, mixing or combining with goods of third parties, their right of ownership remains, we shall acquire co-ownership in proportion to the invoice values of the processed, mixed or combined goods. In all other respects, the same shall apply to the resulting product as to the goods delivered under retention of title. 

(b) The Buyer hereby assigns to us by way of security the claims against third parties arising from the resale of the goods or the product in total or in the amount of our possible co-ownership share in accordance with the above paragraph. We accept the assignment. The obligations of the buyer stated in paragraph 2 shall also apply in respect of the assigned claims. 

(c) The buyer remains authorised to collect the claim in addition to us. We undertake not to collect the claim as long as the buyer fulfils his payment obligations towards us, there is no deficiency in his ability to pay and we do not assert the retention of title by exercising a right pursuant to para. 3. If this is the case, however, we can demand that the buyer informs us of the assigned claims and their debtors, provides all information necessary for collection, hands over the relevant documents and informs the debtors (third parties) of the assignment. Furthermore, in this case we are entitled to revoke the buyer‘s authority to further sell and process the goods subject to retention of title. 

(d) If the realisable value of the securities exceeds our claims by more than 10%, we shall release securities of our choice at the Buyer‘s request. 

§  7 Claims for defects of the buyer 

(1) The statutory provisions shall apply to the Buyer‘s rights in the event of material defects and defects of title (including wrong delivery and short delivery as well as improper assembly or defective assembly instructions), unless otherwise stipulated below. In all cases, the special statutory provisions shall remain unaffected in the case of final delivery of the unprocessed goods to a consumer, even if the consumer has processed them further (supplier‘s recourse pursuant to Section 478 BGB). Claims from supplier recourse are excluded if the defective goods have been further processed by the purchaser or another entrepreneur, e.g. by installation in another product. 

(2) The basis of our liability for defects is above all the agreement reached on the quality of the goods. All product descriptions and manufacturer‘s specifications which are the subject of the individual contract or which were publicly announced by us (in particular in catalogues or on our Internet homepage) at the time of the conclusion of the contract shall be deemed to be an agreement on the quality of the goods. 

(3) Insofar as the quality has not been agreed, it is to be assessed in accordance with the statutory regulation whether a defect exists or not (Section 434 (1 ) sentences 2 and 3 German Civil Code). However, we shall not assume any liability for public statements made by the manufacturer or other third parties (e.g. advertising statements) to which the Buyer has not drawn our attention as being decisive for the purchase. 

(4) As a matter of principle, we shall not be liable for defects of which the Buyer is aware at the time of conclusion of the contract or is not aware due to gross negligence (Section 442 German Civil Code). Furthermore, the purchaser‘s claims for defects presuppose that he has fulfilled his statutory obligations to inspect and give notice of defects (Sections 377, 381 German Commercial Code). In the case of building materials and other goods intended for installation or other further processing, an inspection must in any case be carried out immediately before processing. If a defect becomes apparent during delivery, inspection or at any later point in time, we must be notified of this in writing without delay. In any case, obvious defects must be notified in writing within 1 week of delivery and defects that are not apparent during inspection must be notified within the same period of time after discovery. If the buyer fails to carry out the proper inspection and/or notification of defects, our liability for the defect that is not notified or not notified in a timely or proper manner shall be excluded in accordance with the statutory provisions. 

(5) If the delivered item is defective, we may initially choose whether to provide subsequent performance by remedying the defect (subsequent improvement) or by delivering an item free of defects (replacement delivery). Our right to refuse subsequent performance under the statutory conditions remains unaffected. 

(6) We are entitled to make the subsequent performance owed dependent on the Buyer paying the purchase price due. However, the Buyer shall be entitled to retain a reasonable part of the purchase price in relation to the defect. 

(7) The Buyer shall give us the time and opportunity required for the subsequent performance owed, in particular to hand over the goods complained about for inspection purposes. In the event of a replacement delivery, the Buyer shall return the defective item to us in accordance with the statutory provisions. The supplementary performance does not include the removal of the defective item or the renewed installation if we were not originally obliged to install it. 

(8) We shall bear or reimburse the expenses necessary for the purpose of inspection and subsequent performance, in particular transport, travel, labour and material costs and, if applicable, removal and installation costs, in accordance with the statutory provisions if there is actually a defect. Otherwise, we may demand reimbursement from the Buyer of the costs incurred as a result of the unjustified request to remedy the defect (in particular inspection and transport costs), unless the lack of defectiveness was not apparent to the Buyer. 

(9) In urgent cases, e.g. if operational safety is at risk or to prevent disproportionate damage, the Buyer shall have the right to remedy the defect itself and to demand reimbursement from us of the expenses objectively necessary for this purpose. We are to be informed immediately of such a self-remedy, if possible in advance. The right of self-execution does not exist if we would be entitled to refuse a corresponding subsequent performance in accordance with the statutory provisions. 

(10) If the supplementary performance has failed or a reasonable period to be set by the Buyer for the supplementary performance has expired unsuccessfully or is dispensable according to the statutory provisions, the Buyer may withdraw from the purchase contract or reduce the purchase price. In the case of an insignificant defect, however, there is no right of withdrawal. 

(11) Claims of the purchaser for damages or reimbursement of futile expenses shall also exist in the case of defects only in accordance with Section 8 and are otherwise excluded. 

§  8 Other liability 

(1) Insofar as nothing to the contrary arises from these GTCS including the following provisions, we shall be liable in accordance with the statutory provisions in the event of a breach of contractual and non-contractual obligations. 

(2) We shall be liable for damages – irrespective of the legal grounds – within the scope of fault liability in the event of intent and gross negligence. In the event of simple negligence, we shall only be liable, subject to statutory limitations of liability (e.g. care in own affairs; insignificant breach of duty), for 

a) for damages resulting from injury to life, body or health, 

b) for damages resulting from the breach of an essential contractual obligation (obligation, the fulfilment of which enables the proper execution of the contract in the first place and on the observance of which the contractual partner regularly relies and may rely); in this case, however, our liability is limited to the compensation of the foreseeable, typically occurring damage. 

(3) The limitations of liability resulting from para. 2 shall also apply to third parties as well as to breaches of duty by persons (also in their favour) whose fault we are responsible for according to statutory provisions. They shall not apply insofar as a defect was fraudulently concealed or a guarantee for the quality of the goods was assumed and for claims of the Buyer under the Product Liability Act. 

(4) Due to a breach of duty that does not consist of a defect, the Buyer may only withdraw from or terminate the contract if we are responsible for the breach of duty. A free right of termination of the buyer (in particular according to Sections 650, 648 German Civil Code) is excluded. In all other respects, the statutory requirements and legal consequences shall apply. 

§  9 Limitation 

(1) Notwithstanding Section 438 (1) no. 3 German Civil Code, the general limitation period for claims arising from material defects and defects of title shall be one year from delivery. Insofar as acceptance has been agreed, the limitation period shall commence upon acceptance. 

(2) If the goods are a building or an object which has been used for a building in accordance with its customary use and has caused its defectiveness (building material), the limitation period shall be 5 years from delivery in accordance with the statutory regulation (Sections 438 (1) no. 2 German Civil Code). Other special statutory provisions on the limitation period, in particular Section 438 (1) no. 1, (3), Sections 444, 445b German Civil Code, shall also remain unaffected. 

(3) The above limitation periods of the law on sales shall also apply to contractual and non-contractual claims for damages of the Buyer which are based on a defect of the goods, unless the application of the regular statutory limitation period (Sections 195, 199 German Civil Code) would lead to a shorter limitation period in individual cases. Claims for damages of the Buyer pursuant to Section 8 (2) sentence 1 and sentence 2(a) as well as pursuant to the Product Liability Act shall become time-barred exclusively in accordance with the statutory limitation periods. 

§  10 Applicable law and place of jurisdiction 

(1) The law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply to these GTCS and the contractual relationship between us and the Buyer to the exclusion of international uniform law, in particular the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. 

(2) If the Buyer is a merchant within the meaning of the German Commercial Code, a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, the exclusive – also international – place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising directly or indirectly from the contractual relationship shall be our registered office in Wiesbaden. However, we shall also be entitled in all cases to bring an action at the place of performance of the delivery obligation in accordance with these General Terms and Conditions of Sale or a prior individual agreement or at the general place of jurisdiction of the Buyer. Overriding statutory provisions, in particular on exclusive jurisdiction, shall remain unaffected.