General Terms & Conditions for web sales and delivery of products by Disarming Design from Palestine
Article 1 Definitions
In these General Terms & Conditions the definitions will have the following meaning:
1.1 Client: the purchaser/party entering into an Agreement with Disarming Design vzw, either a Professional Purchaser or a Consumer.
1.2 Disarming Design vzw: the foundation (vzw) with limited liability, registered office at Hoogstraat 151, Sint Pieters Leeuw (Belgium), VAT number BE 0719.331.115, which declares these General Terms & Conditions to be applicable to the Agreement.
1.3 Agreement: the agreement between the Client and Disarming Design with regard to the sale and delivery of products via the Disarming Design webshop.
1.4 Disarming Design webshop: the online shop through which Disarming Design from Palestine offers products for sale.
1.5 General Terms & Conditions: the terms of sale and delivery as formulated by Disarming Design.
1.6 Privacy Statement: the privacy statement formulated by Disarming Design, which will be sent to the Client upon request.
1.7 Consumer: the natural person which is not acting as a professional and/or for a company.
1.8 Professional Purchaser: the natural person which is acting as a professional and/or for a company or the legal entity entering into an Agreement with Disarming Design.
1.9 Website: the website through which the Disarming Design webshop is available.
1.10 Consumer Purchase: the purchase Agreement between Disarming Design and a Consumer.
Article 2 Applicability and amendments
2.1 These General Terms & Conditions exclusively apply to any and all offers, Agreements, sale and deliveries of products by Disarming Design through the Disarming Design webshop. Disarming Design explicitly rejects the applicability of any other (general) terms. The Client explicitly acknowledges and accepts that any other terms or conditions are not applicable.
2.2 Disarming Design retains the right to amend the General Terms & Conditions unilaterally. Any amendments to the General Terms & Conditions will be published on the Website.
2.3 With regard to the sale, purchase, delivery of special products, such as but not limited to products of which the price is provided upon request, limited editions and products of which the purchase order/Agreement is not completed through the Webshop, Disarming Design is entitled to apply additional or other terms and conditions.
2.4 Deviation from or amendments to the General Terms & Conditions are only valid if recorded in writing and if realised with the explicit agreement of Disarming Design.
Article 3. Offers and agreement
3.1 All offers made by Disarming Design are noncommittal except in case of a Consumer Purchase, and are subject to change, availability and the mentioned term of validity.
3.2 Unless Disarming Design has explicitly accepted another manner of closing the Agreement, Agreements are closed if Client has received a written (including e-mail) confirmation of his purchase by Disarming Design. An automatically rendered confirmation is not to be considered as such written confirmation. Disarming Design may refuse orders or attach certain conditions to the delivery, unless otherwise explicitly determined.
3.3 Acceptance of an offer or the purchase of a product implies that the Client accepts the applicability of these General Terms & Conditions.
3.4 The Client carries full responsibility for providing Disarming Design with the correct details in order to enter into the Agreement.
3.5 Disarming Design is entitled to assign third parties to execute the Agreement. These General Terms & Conditions also apply to the relation with these third parties.
Article 4 prices and payment
4.1 The prices published on the website for the products offered via/in the Disarming Design webshop are in Euros, include VAT and are excluding costs of handling and dispatch, applicable taxes or other duties, unless otherwise notified or agreed by Disarming Design.
4.2 Despite our efforts, a product of the Disarming Design webshop can be mispriced. Rest assured, however, that we verify prices as part of our dispatch procedures. If a product’s correct price is lower than our stated price, we charge the lower amount and send you the product. If a product’s correct price is higher than our stated price, we will, at our discretion, either contact you for instructions before dispatch or cancel your order and notify you of such cancellation.
4.3 Disarming Design is entitled to adjust the purchase price after confirmation of a purchase order/closure of an Agreement if the prices for resources, wages, import duties, taxes or other external costs (which may be caused by currency deviations) have risen. Disarming Design will inform the Client as soon as possible of such adjustment, after which the Client is entitled to terminate the Agreement/cancel the purchase order, unless Disarming Design and Client have agreed that delivery of the products will take place more then 3 (three) months after confirmation of the purchase order or if the price adjustment is compulsory by law.
4.4 Payment shall take place in (one of) the manner(s) indicated during the ordering process. Your order may be governed by further (payment/ordering) conditions. The date of payment is the date that payment has been received by Disarming Design on its bank account. The term of delivery starts after payment of the purchase order/products has been received by Disarming Design, unless Parties have agreed otherwise.
4.5 Upon exceeding the term of payment, the Client is in default as of the day on which full payment should have taken place and shall be bound to pay the applicable statutory interest for Consumers or for Companies. All costs made by Disarming Design for debt collection caused by late, incomplete or non-payment, including but not limited to extrajudicial and judicial costs, costs for bailiffs, debt collection agencies, legal proceedings, councils and lawyers will be charged to Client. The extrajudicial costs of debt collection shall amount up to 10% of the purchase order with a minimum of €150,= excluding VAT without prejudice to Disarming Design’s right to alternatively claim the actual extrajudicial costs of debt collection.
4.6 Should the Client be in default of any payment, Disarming Design is entitled to cancel (realisation of) the Agreement in question and any connected agreements, or to have them rescinded.
Article 5 Delivery
5.1 The term for delivery given by Disarming Design is provided as an indication only and shall never constitute a fixed or fatal deadline. Should a term for delivery be exceeded, this shall not give the purchaser the right to claim compensation. Unless it concerns a Consumer Purchase, Disarming Design shall have to be notified in writing by Client for late delivery and shall have to be granted a reasonable term for delivery before being in default.
5.2 With due observance of the provisions of clause 5.1, Disarming Design shall deliver accepted orders within a period of three weeks upon payment of the purchase by Client, unless agreed otherwise. Should delivery be delayed either because a product is (temporarily) out of stock, or for other reasons, or should it not be possible to execute all or part of an order/Agreement, the Client shall be notified of this no later than three weeks after payment of the purchase. The purchaser shall in such a case have the right to cancel the order without incurring costs. In case of a Consumer Purchase Disarming Design shall deliver the product within a period of 30 days from the order date unless this is not possible as a consequence of circumstances which are not attributable to Disarming Design.
5.3 Disarming Design determines the method of transport of the goods ordered via the Disarming Design webshop, unless otherwise agreed.
5.4 The risk of and the responsibility for the products transfer to the Client at the moment of delivery. Delivery to the Client takes place at the moment that the products leave Disarming Design’s premises or storage. Products are considered to be delivered to a Consumer at the moment the products are delivered at the address provided by the Consumer or in absence of Consumer at the post-office, at Consumers neighbours or (with Consumers consent) another third party.
5.5 If a delivery is rejected by a Client the costs arising from this rejection can be charged to Client as well as the damages suffered by Disarming Design.
Article 6 Cancellation of the purchase Agreement
6.1 Purchase orders can only be altered or cancelled with Disarming Design’s consent. If Disarming Design has already made expenses or has to make expenses caused by alteration of cancellation of the purchase order, Disarming Design is entitled to payment of these costs by the Client except in case of purchases as mentioned in article 6.2 and 6.3.
6.2 In case of a distance sale Consumers are entitled to cancel the purchase agreement without a given reason within 7 working days after receipt of the products. When returning products, shipping costs are on the expenses of Consumer.
6.3 Consumers can only use the right to cancel the purchase agreement in case products are returned in complete, undamaged, unused state and with the original packaging. The returned products need to be in possession of Disarming Design no later than on the 21st day after receipt of the product by Consumer. The product to be returned needs to be stamped sufficiently. The shipping risk and proof rest with the Client. In case of cancellation of a distance sale by a Consumer as stated in 6.2 and 6.3, Disarming Design will take care of repayment of the purchase price as paid by Consumer within thirty days after receipt of the returned product.
6.4 Article 6.2 and 6.3 are not applicable to the distance sale to Consumers regarding:
a. products of which the price is dependant on changes on the financial market which
can not be influenced by Disarming Design.
b. products which:
1) are produced according to the specifications of the Consumer or;
2) clearly have a personal character or;
3) can not be returned because of the nature of the product or;
4) are likely to decay, age or be outdated;
c. audio- and video recordings and software if the seal is broken by the client;
d. newspapers and magazines;
e. services that are delivered by Disarming Design before the 7 working days term has passed with consent of the Consumer.
6.5 Delivered products can only be returned after prior written consent of Disarming Design and according to the instructions given by Disarming Design with regard to the manner of returning the products.
Article 7 Retention of title
7.1 All products supplied remain the property of Disarming Design until the Client has complied fully with all obligations towards Disarming Design.
7.2 The Professional Purchaser shall only sell the products of which the property remains with Disarming Design, to third parties in the course of the usual business of this purchaser.
7.3 If the Professional Purchaser is in breach of one of his obligations arising from the Agreement with Disarming Design, or if Disarming Design has reasonable doubt to believe that this purchaser will not fulfil its obligations, Disarming Design is entitled to recall delivered products from this purchaser or from third parties which have the product(s) in possession for the purchaser. The purchaser shall cooperate with Disarming Design to recall the products in such case.
Article 8 Defective products and complaints
8.1 Disarming Design’s products comply with the demands and functionalities that can reasonably be set for such products if used in a regular manner and for the purposes intended for. Certain products may be subject to minor deviations in shape and colour, this depends on the material from which the products are manufactured. Disarming Design is considered to have met the delivery obligation in case of such minor deviations. All information and pictures with regard to the colors, materials, sizes and details of the Products are to be considered as an indication of the product. Minor deviations of these aspects can not cause the return of the product, dissolution of the Agreement, price reductions or compensation of damages or costs. If applicable, the terms and conditions for warrantees from manufacturers and importers apply to the delivered products.
8.2 Upon delivery, the Client must check whether the Products comply with the Agreement. Should this not be the case, the Client shall notify Disarming Design in writing, including motivation, immediately in case of deviations in the outer appearance of the product or within 10 days of delivery in any other case. In case of a Consumer Purchase, the Consumer shall notify Disarming Design of any defect within a period of 2 months after delivery.
8.3 If the product is to be used outside the Netherlands, the Client needs to verify whether the product complies with the applicable demands and/or rules and regulations.
8.4 A complaint cannot be accepted if the product has been used contrary to the instructions for use, the product has been used without care or has been used for a purpose other than that for which it was designed and intended.
8.5 If Disarming Design considers a complaint about the quality requirements and quality standards of the product supplied to be justified, Disarming Design may choose to either accept the return of the product or to replace it with the same product or to rescind the Agreement and credit the Client for the invoice value of the product.
8.6 If as a result of a justified complaint, Disarming Design has replaced the defective product, Disarming Design is considered to have delivered timely, even if a statutory period set by the Client has been exceeded.
Article 9 Liability
9.1 Disarming Design is not liable for damages caused by:
a. inexpert use of the delivered product or usage for other purposes then the purposes for which the product is intended according to objective standards;
b. the provision of incorrect or incomplete information by the Client to Disarming Design;
c. acts of third parties assigned by Disarming Design with consent of the Client;
d. materials or services delivered by third parties upon request or with consent of the Client;
e. misunderstandings, mutilation, delays or incomplete or abnormal receipt of orders and messages as a consequence of use of the internet or any other means of (electrical) communication.
9.2 Disarming Design shall only compensate Client for damages caused as a direct consequence of an attributable act or an attributable failure to act of Disarming Design. Disarming Design is not liable for indirect damages and costs, for example but not limited to lost profits, consequential damages, damages caused by delayed delivery, mutilated or destructed data or materials or lost turnover.
9.3 Disarming Design’s total liability is limited to compensation of the amount that the insurance company pays out to Disarming Design. If the insurance company does not pay out any amount to Disarming Design and Disarming Design is liable for compensation of damages according to this article 9, Disarming Design’s total liability is limited to compensation of the amount of the invoice with regard to the relevant product delivery/purchase, which can, according to article 2.3, be maximised by Disarming Design to a specific amount with regard to products of which the purchase price is provided to Client upon request, limited editions or with regard to purchase orders/Agreements which are not completed through the Webshop.
9.4 The Client shall indemnify Disarming Design from the consequences of any claims by third parties arising from the execution of the Agreement and which are caused by acts attributable to the Client.
9.5 The restrictions with regard to the liability in articles 9.1 – 9.4 are not applicable in case of:
a. damages caused by wilful misconduct or gross negligence by Disarming Design or its managing employees;
b. product liability as mentioned in Chapter 6 Title 3, paragraph 3 Dutch Civil Act.
Article 10 Privacy policy
10.1 Personal Client information, obtained by Disarming Design as a consequence of a purchase, will only be saved and /or processed in order to fulfil its obligations arising from the Agreement, for purposes of marketing by Disarming Design and maintenance of a client relation with Client. In processing the personal Client information Disarming Design shall comply to the applicable rules and regulations, in particular the Personal Data Protection Act. The registration of personal Client information will be applied at the Belgium Data Protection Authority.
10.2 Client is at any time entitled to inspect its personal Client information. A request to inspect this information should be sent to Disarming Design at the following e-mail address: webshop@disarmingdesign.com
Article 11 Force Majeur
11.1 Force Majeur is taken to mean any shortcoming which may not be attributed to Disarming Design according to law, jurisprudence or generally accepted situations or circumstances. Force Majeur is also taken to mean import or export prohibitions by or because of a government, lack of or non-timely delivery by suppliers of Disarming Design, strikes or extremely high absenteeism through illness by Disarming Design employees or suppliers.
11.2 In the event of a Force Majeur situation, Disarming Design has the choice of either cancelling (further) execution of the Client’s order or rescinding the order without legal intervention, by informing Client of this in writing and without being held to any form of liability for damages or costs. The Client shall be obliged to pay for (part of) the product(s) that have been delivered by Disarming Design.
Article 12 Intellectual property rights
12.1 The Client acknowledges that Disarming Design is the rightful owner and/or licensee with regard to the relevant intellectual property rights concerning the (pictures of the) Disarming Design products, packaging, the website, texts, trademarks, trade names and logo’s, information, Disarming Design concepts and databases and shall entirely and unconditionally respect these rights. The Client is prohibited to reproduce and/or make available to the public any of the protected items without the prior written consent of Disarming Design.
12.2 The Client is not allowed to transfer the Agreement or any rights arising from the Agreement with Disarming Design to third parties.
Article 13 Applicable law and competent court
13.1 All rights, obligations, offers, orders and Agreements to which these terms apply, as well as these General Terms & Conditions themselves, are governed by Dutch law only.
13.2 Any disputes between parties will be submitted to the jurisdiction of the competent Courts in Belgium.
Heirloom seeds
بذور بلديّة
Seeds from the Palestine Heirloom seed library
Available seeds at Disarming Design from Palestine:
— Abu Samara (wheat)
— Bamyeh / Okra (ladies’ fingers)
— Molokhia (Jute Mallow)
— Sabanikh (spinach)
— Yakteen (gourd)
— Zinnia Sabella (flower, edible petals)
— Bitinjan (Eggplant)
— Kusa
On top of the political violence, Palestinian farmers also face the dangers of agribusiness with its corporate seed production and land dominance. But many of these farmers are the heroes who have been safeguarding the precious seeds, and the knowledge that these carry. Palestinian Heirloom seed varieties are under threat; many have gone extinct. These seeds have been passed down to us over the centuries, and carry in their genes the stories and the spirits of Palestinian indigenous ancestors. Aside from their cultural significance, these seeds carry options for our future survival as we face climate change and the erosion of agro-biodiversity worldwide. As such, it is urgent that we save heirloom seeds, and propagate them.
Founded by Vivien Sansour, the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library project seeks to preserve and promote heritage and threatened seed varieties, traditional Palestinian farming practices, and the cultural stories and identities associated with them. Based in the Village of Battir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site outside Bethlehem, the library also serves as space for collaborations with artists, poets, writers, journalists, and other members to showcase and promote their talents and work. Working closely with farmers, the Library has identified key seed varieties and crops threatened with extinction, and provides opportunities to inspire local farmers and community members to actively preserve their bio-culture and recuperate their local landscape.
The library has also launched a global platform for conversations about bio-cultural heritage. Its Traveling Kitchen is a mobile venue for social engagement in different communities, promoting cultural preservation through food choices.
Established 2014, Bethlehem, Palestine
Learn more about the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library and the work of Vivien Sansour on this website.
For more on Abu Samara, listen to this song dedicated to the wheat by Zaid Hilal: Abu Samra أبو سمرة حبة القمح .
- Vivien Sansour (PS)
Vivien Sansour (Palestine) is a believer in the magic of the simple things in life. This magic represented in her work where seeds and soil are brought to life through her practice as a conservationist and writer. Vivien feels at home in the fields where farmers plant their seeds and share their stories. In her practice, Vivien combines the work of conservation with the sensory world of image and sound. She works with farmers around the world to find and reintroduce threatened crop varieties, and collects stories to assert the ownership of seeds by communities and not companies.
Vivien was born in Palestine and grew up in Bethlehem. She does not live in one particular place as her work takes her to different communities around the world – from Palestine, California, Central America and the Caribbean. She is the founder of The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and the Traveling Kitchen project, both initiatives aim to bring seed heritage back to the dinner table so we can, “eat our history rather than store it away as a relic of the past”.
- Daleen Saah (PS)
100% Palestinian heritage seeds
harvest 2020, packed in 2021
10 x 15cm (size of package, including seeding information inside)
