A statue reservation asks you to pay a deposit now for a piece that may not exist for a year. This page explains the protection UK law and your card give that money, in plain English, so you can decide how to pay with your eyes open.
The short version
If you pay the deposit for a piece priced between £100 and £30,000 with a credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card issuer jointly responsible with the retailer for the whole purchase. Should the retailer fail to deliver, or go out of business before your piece arrives, you can claim from the card issuer instead — not just the deposit, but everything you paid towards the piece. That protection applies even though only the deposit went on the card, because what matters is the cash price of the item, not the size of the payment.
If you pay by debit card, you have chargeback instead. It is a card-scheme rule rather than a law, the window is shorter, and the bank decides — but it is still a real route to your money.
How Section 75 works
Section 75 says that where you use a credit card to buy goods with a cash price of more than £100 and no more than £30,000, the card issuer is “jointly and severally liable” with the seller for any breach of contract or misrepresentation. In practice that means three things for a collector:
- The £100 test is the price of the piece, not the payment. A £25 deposit on a £250 statue qualifies, because the statue costs more than £100. A £95 accessory does not, however you pay for it.
- Part-payment is enough. You do not have to put the whole price on the card. Paying any part of it by credit card — the deposit, or the balance — brings the whole transaction under Section 75.
- The claim is for the loss, not the card payment. If the retailer fails and you had paid a deposit by credit card and the balance by bank transfer, the claim against the card issuer can cover the full amount you are out of pocket.
There is no time limit written into Section 75 itself; the ordinary six-year limit for contract claims in England and Wales applies. You claim by writing to your card issuer, and if you disagree with their answer you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge.
What Section 75 does not do
It does not cover payments made through a third party that breaks the direct link between you, the card and the retailer. PayPal funded by a credit card is the usual example: the card issuer paid PayPal, not the shop, so Section 75 generally does not apply (PayPal’s own buyer protection may). The same is true of some buy-now-pay-later services. It also does not apply to debit cards, prepaid cards or bank transfers, and it will not help with a change of mind — it is protection against the retailer failing to keep its side of the bargain, not a right to cancel.
Paying by debit card: chargeback
Chargeback is the Visa and Mastercard process for reversing a card payment when goods are not delivered. It is not a legal right, but the schemes require your bank to consider it. For pre-orders the important point is timing: the clock normally runs from the date the goods were due, not the date you paid, but there is an outer limit — typically 540 days from the original payment. A statue reserved today for delivery in eighteen months sits close to that edge, so if a debit-card reservation ever goes wrong, contact your bank as soon as the promised date passes rather than waiting.
What Halidom does on top
None of the above should ever be needed, and we run reservations so that it is not. The balance is only requested once your piece has arrived with us and passed inspection — you are never asked to pay in full for something still in a factory. If a studio cancels an edition or our allocation falls through, we refund everything you have paid within fourteen days. And Halidom is a trading name of Loaded Dice Ltd, a company incorporated in January 2020 and trading from the Vale of Glamorgan, whose registered details are in the footer of every page.
Questions
Is a statue deposit covered by Section 75?
Yes, if you pay it with a credit card and the piece costs more than £100 and no more than £30,000. The cash price of the item is what counts, so a small deposit on an expensive statue is covered for the full purchase.
Do I need to pay the whole price on my credit card?
No. Paying any part of the price by credit card — the deposit alone is enough — brings the whole purchase under Section 75.
Does Section 75 apply to purchases over £30,000?
Not to the purchase itself. Section 75 covers goods with a cash price of £100.01 to £30,000. Above that, a related provision (Section 75A) can apply to certain linked credit agreements, but not to ordinary credit-card payments.
What if I pay with PayPal or a debit card?
Section 75 does not apply. PayPal offers its own buyer protection, and debit cards have chargeback, which your bank handles under card-scheme rules — normally within 120 days of the date the goods were due, and no later than 540 days after the payment.
Can I use Section 75 if I just change my mind?
No. It protects you if the retailer breaks the contract or misrepresents the goods. Cancelling a reservation is handled under our own terms: we retain 10% of the price, which for a deposit reservation is the deposit.
This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. The legislation is the Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75, available on legislation.gov.uk; chargeback time limits are set by the card schemes and can change. If you are unsure about your own position, your card issuer or the Financial Ombudsman Service can advise.