§ 7. Local delivery purchase (plasskjøp) and shipment purchase (sendekjøp)
If the item is to be delivered to you by the seller (selger) or the seller's own courier (local delivery purchase), it is delivered when you receive it. If it is to be sent with a carrier (fraktfører) — Posten, Bring, a transport company — it is delivered as soon as the seller hands it over to the carrier. This means that you bear the risk (risiko) while the item is in transit in the post.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
(1) If the item is to be brought to the buyer (kjøper) in the same place or within the area where the seller usually arranges for such items to be brought out (local delivery purchase), delivery (levering) takes place when the item is received there.
(2) If the item is otherwise to be sent to the buyer (shipment purchase) and nothing else follows from a transport clause or other agreement, delivery takes place when the item is handed over to the carrier who undertakes the transport from the place of dispatch. If the seller carries out the transport himself, delivery takes place only when the item is received by the buyer.
(3) If the item is sold "free", "delivered" or "delivered free" with a specific place stated, it is not considered delivered until it has arrived at that place.
What does this mean?
The law distinguishes between three situations — and this is not just legal hair-splitting. It decides who loses if the item is lost or damaged on the way.
Local delivery purchase (first paragraph): The seller brings the item to you as part of their service — typically within the same town or area. Think of the furniture shop that drives the sofa to your home. The item is delivered when you actually receive it. The risk passes at your door.
Shipment purchase (second paragraph): The seller sends the item with a carrier — Posten, Bring, DHL. Then the item is delivered as soon as the seller hands the parcel over to the carrier. If the parcel disappears between the post office and you, it is unfortunately your problem to take up with Posten — not the seller's problem.
The seller drives it himself: If the seller carries out the transport himself (not as a regular service, but as a one-off), delivery takes place only when you have received the item.
Delivered free clause (third paragraph): If the seller has said that the item is "delivered free" (fritt levert) to a specific address, it is not delivered until it is there. Then the seller bears the risk all the way.
Comparison: Who bears the risk during transport?
| Type of purchase | Delivered when | Who bears the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Collection purchase (hentekjøp) | You collect | The seller (until collection) |
| Local delivery purchase (the seller drives) | You receive it at home | The seller |
| Shipment purchase (Posten/Bring) | Handed over to the carrier | You (the buyer) |
| Delivered free to X | The parcel has arrived at X | The seller |
Examples
Anne buys a sofa from a small furniture company in Oslo for NOK 18,000. They have their own delivery within Oslo and drive it to her home. On the way, it slides off the truck bed and gets scratched. This is a local delivery purchase. The sofa is not delivered until Anne has it at home. The furniture company must either repair it, deliver a new one or give a price reduction (prisavslag) — Anne does not have to pay for the scratches.
Tom orders a racing bike for NOK 32,000 from a small specialist workshop in Bergen. They send it with Bring. Between Bergen and Oslo the box is damaged, and the bike is bent. This is a shipment purchase. The bike was "delivered" as soon as the workshop handed it over to Bring. Tom therefore bears the risk for the transport damage. He must go after Bring, not the seller. Exception: In practice, the seller often takes out transport insurance (transportforsikring) or writes "delivered free" in the agreement. Then the seller bears the risk after all. Always check what it says.
Common mistakes
- Thinking that because you paid for shipping, the seller bears the risk — that is not true in a shipment purchase
- Demanding your money back from the seller when Posten has lost the parcel — you must normally go after Posten
- Forgetting to agree on "delivered free" when you buy something valuable at a distance
- As a seller: thinking you are done when the parcel is sent — make sure you document the handover to the carrier
What should you do?
As a buyer:
- Ask for "delivered free" when you buy something valuable at a distance
- Ask for transport insurance where possible — check what the seller offers
- Unpack and check the item the same day — visible transport damage must be reported quickly to the carrier
- Take photos if the packaging is damaged
As a seller:
- Be clear about shipping terms in the advert or the contract
- Use trackable shipping for expensive items
- Document the handover to the carrier