Right to return items (Right of withdrawal)
Under the EU and UK’s distance selling laws, buyers have the right to return certain products for any reason by contacting the seller within 14 days. This 14-day period will start the moment a customer receives a product, rather than at the time he or she purchases it. Within that time frame, buyers can change their minds and return products without providing a reason. Sellers must clearly inform buyers that they have 14 days to contact them about returning an item. If not clearly stated, this returns period will automatically extend to one year.

When filling out your shop policies, make sure to accept returns and exchanges. You can set the number of days that a buyer has to contact you to return an item. If you sell to the EU and UK, you can set this to a minimum of 14 days.

This rule does not apply to custom-made products, digital items, certain perishable goods, or goods that can’t be reused for health or hygiene reasons and are unsealed after delivery.

Goods which can’t be reused for health or hygiene reasons could include items such as earrings and underwear. If you sell items of this nature and wish to refuse returns for health and hygiene reasons, you must seal them in protective wrapping or packaging. If you seal an item of this nature and a buyer then unseals it after delivery, the buyer won’t be able to return it.

For custom-made products, digital items, certain perishable goods, or goods which can’t be reused for health or hygiene reasons and are unsealed after delivery, sellers must clearly warn buyers that they won’t be able to return these types of items. If not clearly stated, then buyers can return those items. If you sell items that are exempt from the right of withdrawal, you can specify which types of items may not be returned by selecting the appropriate options from the dropdown menus in your shop policies.

Model withdrawal form
You must also provide buyers with a model withdrawal form (in other words, a cancellation form) that they can — but are not obliged to — use if they change their mind and wish to return a product. We’ve created sample forms which fulfil the legal requirements for sellers to give to buyers.

Refund rules
Under the current regulation, if buyers properly exercise their right of return, sellers must issue a refund within 14 days of receiving the returned item or evidence that the item has been delivered back. Please note that in the EU and UK, the refund a seller provides in the event of a return is required to include the postage cost for the initial delivery to the buyer.

Prices, taxes, and fees
Under the regulations, sellers must disclose the total price of each product — including taxes, postage charges, and any extra fees — to buyers before they place an order. If you don’t inform buyers of costs before they place an order, they will not have to pay them. Read more about adding Value-Added Tax (VAT) to physical goods here.

Note that any potential customs and duties fees are not included in this, since a seller will generally be unable to predict them.