FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Within Germany and in EU countries outside of Germany, both business and private customers can order goods from the shop. At the start of your purchase, visitors can choose which group they belong to and will see the prices displayed with or without VAT depending on which group they belong to.

Outside of the EU, all company customers in approved countries (Switzerland, Norway) can order from us.

If it is not possible for you to purchase from the shop at present then you can click the Request button after choosing your products in the shop's shopping basket or contact us directly (request@mbo-osswald.de).

For the articles available there, using the shop gives you significant advantages compared to the conventional order process via e-mail / phone / fax.

More economical prices

Thanks to the standardized, structured shop data, we are able to model our internal processes more flexibly and in an optimized way. We also want you to benefit from this. That is why you always get preferential prices in the shop!

No minimum order value / surcharge for small quantities

You can also order small or even very small quantities in the shop. Unlike in the conventional procedure, there is no surcharge for small quantities.

Better delivery conditions

In Germany, for goods of a value of up to €25.00 excl. tax, we charge only a small flat-rate transport fee of €4.99. Above this amount, shipping is always free to your premises! We can also offer attractive conditions for overseas deliveries.

Faster information flow and greater transparency

For shop articles, you always see an up-to-date summary of the expected delivery time and the specific quantity-dependent prices – quickly and clearly!

One of the key aims in developing the shop and its associated configurators was to achieve an innovative and, most of all, structured process interface. We pass on the reduced internal handling effort directly to you in the form of our preferential shop prices. However, this also consequently means that we are only able to offer you these preferential prices for orders placed in the shop.

3D models of almost all the standard parts can be accessed in the Shop. First of all, choose the required product by searching for it using the size chart or the product filter. You will then immediately see a preview of the selected product (if one exists) under the “3D model” tab. As a Shop customer or Traceparts user, you can download the 3D models in CAD file format free of charge.

All users that are registered with us may log in at any time and submit product-specific evaluations. We do not check whether the customer has previously actually acquired the product in question in our Shop or check in any other way whether the customer evaluation is genuine.

To give an evaluation, is it possible to assign between one and five stars but not to submit a written evaluation. The star ratings that are presented on the basis of these evaluations represent average numerical values. The actual number of product evaluations is not shown. We always publish all the evaluations and at no stage do we view, filter or verify the individual evaluations.

No, because we aim to give you a pleasant and streamlined purchasing experience by not increasing your user data pool any more than is necessary – so a customer account is a ‘can do’ but not a ‘must’.

However, if you do choose to create your own account on our site, you’ll benefit from a faster ordering process for repeat orders – and you can trace your current orders and check their status.

The login screen contains a link to allow you to reset your password. You will then receive an e-mail at the address stored in your customer account informing you of the steps you need to complete to change your password.

As a business customer, you can of course enter your own reference number when completing your order as described on page 3 under "Checking and ordering". This number will be printed on all subsequent documents such as delivery notes or invoices to provide you with a unique identification of your order.

When making your payment, you can choose between purchase on account, PayPal or payment in advance. None of the above methods will involve any additional cost to you.

Purchase on account

You simply pay easily and securely when you receive the invoice. In this case, we reserve the right to perform a creditworthiness check. If you are an existing customer, you will automatically be assigned your payment conditions applicable for purchases on account with us without you having to do anything.

PayPal

Once you have placed your order, you will be redirected to the web site of the payment service provider PayPal where you can sign into your PayPal account and make the payment. Your PayPal account will then be debited by the corresponding amount.

Credit card

The credit card account that you specify will be debited at the end of the ordering process. PayPal acts as the agent for the transaction. However, you do not need your own PayPal account for this type of transaction.

SEPA direct debit

You authorize us to debit the corresponding amount from the bank account that you specify. PayPal acts as the agent for the transaction. However, you do not need your own PayPal account for this type of transaction.

Payment in advance

Once you have placed your order, you will receive a receipt-of-order e-mail. This includes all the details necessary for payment. We would ask you to transfer the full payment to the bank account indicated in the e-mail within five working days and to state your order number with the transfer. You will be informed by e-mail as soon as the payment is credited to our account. The goods will then be dispatched as quickly as possible.

You can trace your order at any time. We have developed a high-performance Live Tracking Tool for this. From raw materials planning through to goods reception, all the individual steps are available in a clear, easy-to-follow way, irrespective of whether you placed your order in the Shop or by conventional means.

Conventional orders

Every time you place an order, you will receive a link to the Live Tracking Tool.

Shop orders

In the “My account” section, you can view your order and access Live Tracking whenever you want.

If you have chosen "In advance" as the method of payment, we will also inform you of reception of your payment by us.

As soon as we have dispatched your goods, you will receive a further e-mail containing our transporter's tracking details.

We specialize in the production and marketing of DIN and standard parts. Although these are standardized, they nevertheless differ in their prevalence in the market. We therefore only keep small numbers of less widespread products or products for which there is less demand, or do not hold any such stock and obtain such products only when required. We would be happy to provide you with a specific quotation for these products!

Despite this, the range of products available in the shop is continuously being extended and expanded.

You can place all the products available on the web site in your shopping basket irrespective of whether or not these are available in the shop. Here you can create an inquiry for the articles present in the basket and send this to us. We will then examine this and send you a corresponding quotation as quickly as possible.

Your shopping basket automatically generates an inquiry if it contains products that are not available in the shop or if the quantities you specify exceed the usual shop quantities.

If you wish, we will provide you with a certificate of compliance 2.1 or a test report 2.2 for your article, both in accordance with DIN EN 10204. These will be sent to you by email to the address used for the order on delivery of the goods. Please note that we cannot usually issue any certificates for accessory articles such as washers, nuts or pins, even if these form part of a joint accompanied by a certificate selected by you.
Please contact us if you also need an inspection certificate (3.1) or other technical documentation. We would be delighted to help you with any such requirements!

Certificate of compliance 2.1

Certificate in which we confirm to you that the supplied products meet the requirements specified in the order, with no indication of test results.

Test report 2.2

Certificate in which we confirm to you that the supplied products meet the requirements specified in the order, with indication of results of non-specific tests. These test results relate to the chemical nominal values of the underlying raw material and therefore of the supplied product.

Inside Germany, for goods up to a value of €25.00, we charge a flat-rate shipping cost of: €4.99. Above this, we deliver free of shipping costs.

We charge a flat rate of €16.99 for shipping costs to Europe, with the exception of Switzerland and Norway.

For Switzerland and Norway, we charge a flat-rate amount of €42.99. This amount includes customs charges of €26.00.

In most cases, our goods are delivered by our transporter DPD.

After you have chosen and ordered your articles, we show you the expected delivery time. As we generally do not make any partial deliveries, the article with the longest delivery time determines the delivery time for the complete order.

In this case, please contact us immediately. We will deal with the problem quickly and without fuss and organize a new delivery or retrieval should you wish.

In compliance with the legal right of cancellation, you can return the ordered goods to us free-of-charge within the cancellation period provided that they are complete, unused and undamaged. Please use the form provided for this purpose. In the event of cancellation, you as consumer will bear the costs of returning the goods. Please note that non-prepaid shipments cannot be accepted.

Note for consumers in accordance with applicable packaging legislation

In compliance with packaging legislation, we are required to take back non-system-relevant packaging as defined in § 15 paragraph 1 sentence 1 of the German Packaging Act and to ensure its re-use or recycling in order to increase the amount of packaging returned and help minimise the quantities of packaging material generated.

This covers the following packaging types:

• Transport packaging (transport packaging is packaging which simplifies the transportation of goods in a way that avoids direct contact with them and prevents transport damage. Such packaging is not typically intended to be passed on to the consumer)
• Sales and outer packaging which does not typically arise as packaging waste for consumers
• Sales and outer packaging which cannot be considered as system-relevant for the purposes of recycling due to pollutant-related and/or health risks
• Sales packaging containing hazardous goods
• Reusable packaging (reusable packaging is packaging that has been designed and is intended to be reused a number of times for the same purpose following its initial use and whose actual return and re-use is made possible by an adequate logistical solution as well as by suitable incentive systems, as part of which a deposit is generally demanded)

We are consequently obliged to take back such packaging free of charge at the location where it is actually handed over or in the immediate vicinity thereof. If this is not possible, you have the possibility of sending the packaging back to us. We will then arrange for the recycling of the packaging.
In this way, we want to make it easier to meet our requirements in terms of recycling.

Legal notice: In accordance with § 12 paragraph 1 of the German Packaging Act, the legal provisions of packaging legislation do not apply to packaging that is handed over to private consumers outside of Germany.

We would be very happy to answer any further questions you may have regarding the return of packaging.
If you have any questions, please contact us at the email address: info@mbo-osswald.de

Note for industrial customers in accordance with packaging legislation

In order to increase the amount of material returned, we are required to take back packaging that is not subject to licensing from you free of charge. This includes transport packaging (including pallets) and outer packaging that would not arise as waste for you as well as other types of packaging listed in § 15 of the German Packaging Act. Our obligation to take back material relates to packaging that has been emptied of all goods and is of the same type, shape and size as that originally received by you and was used for goods that we include in our range.
The packaging can simply returned in the same form as it was shipped at the place of handover. In the case of recurrent deliveries, you can simply return the packaging at the time of the next delivery in the same form as that in which it was shipped.

We would be very happy to answer any further questions you may have regarding the return of packaging.
If you have any questions, please contact us at the email address: info@mbo-osswald.de

As part of its fight against breaches of legal regulations and/or the company’s internal compliance rules, as well as of infringements of human rights-related and environmental due diligence obligations, mbo Osswald has called on an external lawyer to act as ombudswoman and contact person for our whistleblower system. The ombudswoman is available to all informants who want to provide confidential information about irregularities at mbo Osswald.

Our whistleblower system, which is operated by the ombudswoman, is available to all persons who are able to supply information about illegal behaviour. These may be employees, customers or other third parties. All information giving rise to the suspicion of an infringement and relating to the predefined subject areas will be considered.

The whistleblower system is available for information relating to infringements of legislation and regulations as well as human rights-related and environmental risks and breaches of due diligence obligations, insofar as these relate to our company, our area of business or our suppliers throughout the entire supply chain.

The topics to which notifications may relate include the following, in particular:

• Corruption, money-laundering, corruption, the financing of terrorism, violations of export controls
• Anti-competitive practices
• Breaches of the Code of Conduct and other mbo Osswald internal guidelines (e.g., Purchasing Guidelines)
• Product safety
• Discrimination, mobbing, fundamental rights
• Health, operational safety, occupational health and safety
• Personnel-related topics including failure to observe work instructions
• Data protection breaches
• Breaches of anti-trust legislation
• Issues relating to the German Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz)
• Breaches of human rights-related and environmental due diligence obligations.

The whistleblower system is not intended for complaints relating to operational business activities. Information that is reported via the whistleblower system and relates to matters outside of the defined scope is passed on to the appropriate contact person provided that the informant agrees to this. Alternatively, the informant is notified of the appropriate person to contact.

mbo Osswald:

Employees with relevant information can address themselves to their managers, the Human Resources department, Company Management or other bodies within the company at any time.

Internal whistleblower system / Ombudswoman:

Our employees and business partners as well as other third parties can also use our whistleblower system, via which notifications can be submitted to our ombudswoman. You can submit your information by telephone, by post, by email or at a personal meeting. Information can also be submitted completely anonymously. Our ombudswoman:

Dr. Kathrin J. Niewiarra, lawyer and ombudswoman
Philippistr. 11
D-14059 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 4036750- 12
mbo-osswald@compliance-aid.com

Information can be submitted in German or English.

Notifications can also be reported to the ombudswoman via our electronic whistleblower system: https://mbo.hintbox.de

External official reporting offices:

Notifications can also be submitted to the external official reporting office of the German Federal Ministry of Justice via the following link: https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/MeldestelledesBundes/MeldestelledesBundes_node.html

The protection and confidentiality of the informant are vital components of our complaints procedure and we take them very seriously. Throughout the entire procedure, individual measures are elaborated and implemented on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the informant is protected against adverse consequences or penalisation resulting from the supplied information. Intimidation, threats or workplace discrimination against informants will not be tolerated. If you suffer intimidation, threats or reprisals as a result of information you have provided, please contact our ombudswoman or the appropriate responsible body within mbo Osswald.

As a lawyer, the ombudswoman is also subject to a duty of confidentiality. The request for contact and all the information provided will be treated in complete confidentiality. This is ensured by a separate data protection agreement with mbo Osswald as client.

Only with your express consent can your identity be disclosed to mbo Osswald. If your information results in investigations by the law enforcement agencies then your anonymity continues to be guaranteed vis-à-vis these institutions due to the lawyer’s duty of confidentiality.

Summary:

The ombudswoman checks the received information and performs an initial legal assessment. This assessment is sent to the Company Management of mbo Osswald for a further examination of the subject matter provided that the informant has consented to this. Absolutely confidential treatment of the information is guaranteed. If the information can be substantiated then further measures are initiated. If the information is found to be unfounded than the investigation is terminated. In addition, all personal data are erased in compliance with the requirements of data protection legislation.

The individual steps:

Reception of information

The reception of the information is documented and the informant receives a confirmation of reception from the ombudswoman within seven days at the latest.

Examination of the information

The ombudswoman categorises the information on the basis of its subject matter and examines it for plausibility. If the information is plausible, it is passed on, provided that the informant expressly consents to this, to Company Management for clarification of the subject matter and confidentiality is maintained. Information that relates to Company Management is passed on to Company Management directly. Information that relates to Company Management is passed on in accordance with the internal guidelines following prior agreement between Company Management and the ombudswoman.

If the informants so wish then the ombudswoman will remain in contact with them throughout the entire procedure. However, the informant alone decides on the nature this contact should take.

If the information is not plausible then the procedure is terminated and the informant is notified of this.

Clarification of the subject matter

Company Management clarifies the subject matter in consultation with the ombudswoman. It does this using all the resources available to it, individually on a case-by-case basis, in the light of requirements and in a timely fashion. First of all, it checks whether sufficient information is present to permit clarification of the subject matter. If this is not the case then the informant is contacted by the ombudswoman and asked to provide further information.

If the informant does not want to be contacted and it is not possible to obtain sufficient information to clarify the subject matter in any other way then the procedure is terminated. If it is not possible to identify any improper conduct or risk in the company or at business partners or suppliers then the procedure is also terminated. The informant is notified of this accordingly.

Elaboration of solutions

If improper conduct or a risk are identified then suitable preventive and/or remedial measures are elaborated in the light of the collected information. In so far as it is possible, purposeful and desired by the informant, the informant is involved in the elaboration of the preventive and/or remedial measures.

Within three months of confirmation of receipt, the informant receives notification of the planned or already initiated measures from the ombudswoman together with the reasons for these, provided that (internal) investigations and the rights of the persons who are the object of the information are not prejudiced by this and it is also legally permissible.

Introduction of remedial measures, tracking of measures and examination of effectiveness

The preventive and/or remedial measures decided on are introduced and their implementation is tracked by Company Management or a committee entrusted with this task.

In addition, mbo Osswald examines the effectiveness of the complaints procedure annually or whenever appropriate. In particular, feedback from informants is examined to this end. Adaptations are made if necessary.

You will not suffer any disadvantages within the company if you submit information in good faith and to the best of your knowledge. However, mbo Osswald reserves the right to take legal action if you knowingly make a false or malicious report or if you yourself infringe existing rules of contact.

The important thing is that, at the time you reported the information, you believed or assumed that its content was true and that you did not make the report with abusive intent. If clarification of the subject matter reveals that the information was unfounded then you need fear no negative consequences.

In such cases, you are again encouraged to report the dubious subject matter. Insofar as it is legally possible, this will be taken into account appropriately during the investigation of the subject matter and in any sanctions that arise from it.

There are no costs to informants.

No, no client-lawyer relationship arises. The ombudswoman is and continues to be commissioned by mbo Osswald. However, the informant benefits from a “(protective) effect” due to the legal relationship between the ombudswoman and mbo Osswald as her client. As a result, the ombudswoman can advise the informant with regard to the practical issues of the respective case. Nevertheless, it is not possible for her to represent your legal interests as “your” lawyer.