This page (together with our Privacy Policy) gives you information about us and the legal terms and conditions (“Terms”) on which we sell any of the products (“Products”) listed on our online Shop website (“our site”) to you.

These Terms will apply to any contract between us for the sale of Products (“Contract”).  Please read them carefully, as you will be asked to confirm that you agree to them before being able to place an order for Products. If you do not accept the Terms, you will not be able to place an order.  

We advise you to print a copy of these Terms or save them to your computer for future reference.

We may amend these Terms from time to time as set out in clause 6.  Every time you order Products, please check the Terms to ensure you understand the terms which will apply to that order.

These Terms, and any Contract between us, are written in the English language and are subject to English law.

1. Information about us

1.1. We operate the website www.bl.uk/shop. We are the British Library Board, a statutory body established under the British Library Act 1972, and with our registered office and main trading address at 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom. Our VAT number is 240 6927 64.

1.2. Contacting us:

1.2.1. If you want to exercise your legal right to cancel a Contract (see clause 7), you just need to let us know using one of the following methods:

(a) Complete the cancellation form.  A link to the cancellation form will be included in our Order Confirmation. If you use this form to cancel we will e-mail you to confirm we have received it.
(b) E-mail us at bl-shop@bl.uk to let us know that you wish to cancel.  Please include your order number as set out in the Order Confirmation to help us to identify it.
(c) Contact our Shop Customer Services team by telephone on +44 (0)20 7412 7735 or by post to The British Library Shop, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom. Please include your order number as set out in the Order Confirmation to help us to identify it.

If you send us your cancellation notice by e-mail or by post, then it will be effective from the date you send us the e-mail or post the letter to us.

1.2.2. If you wish to contact us for any other reason, including in connection with any complaint, you can contact us by telephoning our Customer Services team at +44 (0)20 7412 7735 or by e-mailing us at bl-shop@bl.uk.

1.2.3. If we have to contact you, we will do so by e-mail or by pre-paid post to the address you provide to us in your order.

2. Our Products

2.1. The images of the Products on our site are for illustrative purposes only. Although we have made every effort to display the colours accurately, we cannot  guarantee that your computer's display of the colours will accurately reflect the colour of the Products. Your Products may vary slightly from those images.

2.2. The packaging of the Products may vary from that shown on images on our site.

3. How we use your personal information

3.1. We only use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Please take the time to read it, as it includes important terms which apply to you.

4. Consumer sales

4.1. Sales of products through our site are intended for consumers, not businesses.  If you are a business, please contact bl-shop@bl.uk.

4.2. You may only purchase Products from our site if you are at least 18 years old.

5. How the Contract is formed between you and us

5.1. Our shopping pages will guide you through the steps you need to take to place an order with us. Our order process allows you to check and amend any errors before submitting your order. Please take the time to read and check your order at each page of the order process.

5.2. After you place an order, you will receive an e-mail from us acknowledging that we have received it.  Please note that this does not mean that your order has been accepted.  Our acceptance of your order will take place as described in clause 5.3.

5.3. We will confirm our acceptance of your order by sending you an e-mail (Order Confirmation).  The Contract between us will only be formed when we send you the Order Confirmation.

5.4. If we are unable to supply you with a Product, for example because that Product is not in stock or no longer available or because of an error in the price on our site as referred to in clause 10.5, we will notify you by e-mail and will not process your order. If we have already taken payment for the Products, we will refund you the full amount including any delivery costs charged as soon as possible.

6. Our right to vary these Terms

6.1. We may amend these Terms from time to time. Please look at the bottom of this page to see when these Terms were last updated.

6.2. Every time you order Products from us, the Terms in force at the time of your order will apply to the Contract.

7. Your right to cancel, returns and refunds

7.1. You have a legal right to cancel a Contract during the period set out below in clause 7.3. This means that during the relevant period if you change your mind or decide for any other reason that you do not want to receive or keep a Product, you can notify us of your decision to cancel the Contract and receive a refund.

7.2. Please note that the cancellation right does not apply in the case of:

7.2.1. cosmetic Products which have been opened or unsealed after you have received them;

7.2.2. earrings;

7.2.3. jewellery which has been worn;

7.2.4. downloadable digital content;

7.2.5. sealed audio or video recordings or sealed computer software, after these Products have been unsealed;

7.2.6. any Products which have been specially made to your order.

7.3. Your legal right to cancel a Contract starts from the date of the Order Confirmation, which is when the Contract between us is formed. Your deadline for cancelling the Contract then depends on what you have ordered and how it is delivered, as set out in the table below:

7.4. To cancel a Contract, you just need to let us know that you have decided to cancel. The easiest way to do this is to complete the cancellation form included with the Order Confirmation and to email or print and post it to us.  If you use this method we will e-mail you to confirm we have received your cancellation.

7.5. You can also e-mail us at bl-shop@bl.uk or contact our Shop Customer Services team by telephone on (0)20 7412 7735 or by post to The British Library Shop, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom.

7.6. If you are e-mailing us or writing to us please include details of your order to help us to identify it.

7.7. If you send us your cancellation notice by e-mail or by post, then your cancellation is effective from the date you send us the e-mail or post the letter to us. For example, you will have given us notice in time as long as you get your letter into the last post on the last day of the cancellation period or e-mail us before midnight on that day.

7.8. If you cancel your Contract we will:

7.8.1. refund you the price you paid for the Products, provided that if you cancel and return after you receive the Products we may deduct an amount to reflect any reduction in the value of the goods, if this has been caused by your handling them in a way which would not be permitted in a shop;

7.8.2. refund any delivery costs you have paid, although, as permitted by law, the maximum refund will be the costs of delivery by the least expensive delivery method we offer which may not be as much as you paid, e.g., for express delivery;

7.8.3. make any refunds due to you as soon as possible and in any event within the deadlines indicated below:

(a) if you have received the Product: 14 days after the day on which we receive the Product back from you or, if earlier, the day on which you provide us with evidence that you have sent the Product back to us;

(b) if you have not received the Product: 14 days after you inform us of your decision to cancel the Contract.

7.9. For information about how to return a Product to us, see clause 7.12.

7.10. If you have returned Products to us under this clause 7 because they are faulty or do not comply with any warranty, we will refund the price of the Products in full, together with any applicable delivery charges, and any reasonable costs you incur in returning the item to us.

7.11. We will refund you on the credit card or debit card you used to pay for the Products.

7.12. If a Product has been delivered to you before you decide to cancel your Contract:

7.12.1. then you must return it to us no later than 14 days after the day on which you let us know that you wish to cancel the Contract;

7.12.2. unless the Product is faulty or does not comply with warranty (see clause 7.10), you will be responsible for the cost of returning it to us.

7.13. We are under a legal duty to supply Products that are in conformity with this Contract. As a consumer, you have legal rights in relation to Products that are faulty or not as described. These legal rights are not affected by your right of return and refund in this clause 7 or anything else in these Terms.

8. Delivery

8.1. See our online Shop website for details of delivery options and charges.

8.2. Unless:

8.2.1 you choose a specific expedited delivery method, in which case we undertake to meet that date; or

8.2.2 you are ordering bespoke goods, or a Product that has not yet been published on the date of your order, in which case we will inform you of the expected dispatch date, and we will deliver the Products to you no later than 30 days after the date of the Order Confirmation.

8.3. Occasionally our delivery to you may be affected by an Event Outside Our Control (as defined in clause 14.2 . See clause 14 for our responsibilities if this happens.

8.4. Delivery of an order will be completed when we deliver the Products to the address you gave us and the Products will be your responsibility from that time.

8.5. You own the Products once we have received payment in full, including all applicable delivery charges.

8.6. You may cancel your order if we fail to deliver it by the date we've agreed under clause 8.2. You may cancel for some or all of the Products, unless splitting them up would significantly reduce their value. If the Products have been delivered to you, you will have to return them to us or allow us to collect them, and we will pay the costs of this. After you cancel your order we will refund any sums you have paid to us for the cancelled Products and their delivery.

9. International delivery

9.1. Outside the United Kingdom we deliver to the countries listed in the drop down box on our shopping cart page (International Delivery Destinations).  However there are extra charges for International Delivery Destinations and restrictions on some Products for certain International Delivery Destinations, so please review the information on that page carefully before ordering Products.

9.2. If you order Products from our site for delivery to one of the International Delivery Destinations, your order may be subject to import duties and taxes which are applied when the delivery reaches that destination.  Please note that we have no control over these charges and we cannot predict their amount. 

9.3. You will be responsible for payment of any such import duties and taxes. Please contact your local customs office for further information before placing your order.

9.4. You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations of the country for which the Products are destined.  We will not be liable or responsible if you break any such law.

10. Price of products and delivery charges

10.1. The prices of the Products will be as quoted on our site at the time you submit your order. We take all reasonable care to ensure that the prices of Products are correct at the time when the relevant information was entered onto the system. However please see clause 10.5 for what happens if we discover an error in the price of Products you ordered.

10.2. Prices for our Products may change from time to time, but (subject to clauses 10.3 and 10.5) changes will not affect any order once you have received an Order Confirmation from us.

10.3. The price of a Product includes VAT (where applicable) at the rate chargeable in the UK for the time being. However, if the rate of VAT changes between the date of your order and the date of delivery, we will adjust the VAT you pay, unless you have already paid for the Products in full before the change in VAT takes effect.

10.4. The price of a Product may not include delivery charges. Our delivery charges will be as advised to you during the check-out process, before you confirm your order. To check relevant delivery charges, please refer to our Deliveries page.

10.5. If, despite our reasonable efforts, any Product on our site is incorrectly priced, we will inform you of the error and give you the option of continuing to purchase the Product at the correct price or cancelling your order. We will not process your order until we have your instructions. If we get no reply from you using the contact details you provided during the order process, we will treat the order as cancelled and notify you in writing. Please note that if the pricing error is obvious and unmistakeable and could have reasonably been recognised by you as a mispricing, we do not have to provide the Products to you at the incorrect price.

11. How to pay

11.1. You can only pay for Products using a debit card or credit card. We accept the following cards: Visa Credit, Visa Debit, MasterCard.

11.2. Payment for the Products and all applicable delivery charges is in advance when you place your order.

12. Our warranty for the Products

12.1. We warrant that our Products will be free from material defects on delivery and for a reasonable period thereafter.  However, this warranty does not apply in the circumstances described in clause 12.2.

12.2. The warranty in clause 12.1 does not apply to any defect in the Products arising from:

12.2.1. fair wear and tear;

12.2.2. willful damage, abnormal storage or working conditions, accident, negligence by you or by any third party;

12.2.3. if you fail to operate or use the Products in accordance with the user instructions;

12.2.4. any alteration or repair by you or by a third party who is not one of our authorised repairers.

12.3. This warranty is in addition to, and does not affect, your legal rights in relation to Products that are faulty or not as described.

13. Our liability to you

13.1. If we fail to comply with these Terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach or our negligence.

13.2. We only supply Products for private use. They are not intended, and we do not warrant them, for any commercial, business or resale purposes, and we have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

13.3. We do not in any way exclude or limit our liability for:

13.3.1. death or personal injury caused by our negligence;

13.3.2. fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;

13.3.3. any breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (title and quiet possession);

13.3.4. any breach of the terms implied by section 13 to 15 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (description, satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and samples); and

13.3.5. defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

14. Events outside our control

14.1. We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under a Contract that is caused by an Event Outside Our Control. An Event Outside Our Control is defined below in clause 14.2. 

14.2. An Event Outside Our Control means any act or event beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation unavailability of Products, strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by third parties, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or other natural disaster, or failure of public or private telecommunications networks or impossibility of the use of railways, shipping, aircraft, motor transport or other means of public or private transport.

14.3. If an Event Outside Our Control takes place that affects the performance of our obligations under a Contract:

14.3.1. we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to notify you; and

14.3.2. our obligations under a Contract will be suspended and the time for performance of our obligations will be extended for the duration of the Event Outside Our Control. Where the Event Outside Our Control affects our delivery of Products to you, we will arrange a new delivery date with you after the Event Outside Our Control is over.

14.4. You may cancel a Contract affected by an Event Outside Our Control which has continued for more than 30 days. To cancel please contact us. If you opt to cancel, you will have to return at your cost any part of your order which you have already received and we will refund the price you have paid, including any delivery charges.

15. Other important terms

15.1. In order to provide our Products to you, we need to share your personal information with third parties who have the skill, experience and facilities to deliver our shop services. We will always make sure that your information is kept securely and can’t be used for other purposes. Further details about the third parties used to fulfil our shop services, and links to their privacy policies, can be found in our Transparency notice.

15.2. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these Terms to another person if we agree in writing. However if you have purchased a Product as a gift, you may transfer the benefit of our warranty in clause 12 to the recipient of the gift without needing to ask our consent.

15.3. This Contract is between you and us. Subject to clause 15.2, no other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms.

15.4. Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

15.5. These Terms are governed by English law. This means a Contract for the purchase of Products through our site and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it will be governed by English law. You and we both agree to that the courts of England and Wales will have non-exclusive jurisdiction. However, if you are a resident of Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in Northern Ireland, and if you are a resident of Scotland, you may also bring proceedings in Scotland.