EU Consumer Rights for Online Shops: A Checklist
Selling online to consumers in the EU means following a set of shared consumer protection rules, whether you are based in Lisbon, London or Los Angeles. Most of them are about being clear and fair: telling customers who you are, what they will pay and what they can do if they change their mind or something goes wrong. Use this checklist to review your store page by page. It is general information, not legal advice, and each country applies the rules through its own law, so check national details or ask a specialist.
Key takeaways
- Before the order, customers must see who you are, the total price including taxes, delivery costs and their withdrawal rights.
- Online shoppers usually have a 14-day right of withdrawal without giving a reason.
- Goods carry a legal guarantee of conformity of at least 2 years from delivery, separate from any warranty you offer.
- Discount announcements must show the lowest price from at least the 30 days before the reduction.
- New rules keep arriving, including an online withdrawal function from 19 June 2026, so review your store regularly.
Consumer rules can feel like a long list of legal texts, but for a small online shop they boil down to a handful of practical questions. Does your store tell people everything they need before they buy? Can they cancel easily? Do you handle faulty goods properly? Are your prices and discounts honest?
The main EU laws behind this checklist are the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), the Sale of Goods Directive (2019/771), the Omnibus Directive (2019/2161) and the Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302. Because directives are implemented by each member state, details can differ between countries. UK sellers selling to UK consumers follow separate UK law, mainly the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations, but must follow EU rules when they sell to EU consumers.
1. Pre-contract information
Before a customer is bound by an order, the Consumer Rights Directive requires you to give them clear information. Check that your store shows:
- Your identity: your business name and, where relevant, trading name.
- Your address and contact details: a geographical address and ways to contact you quickly.
- The main characteristics of the goods: enough description for an informed choice.
- The total price, including taxes: VAT and all unavoidable charges included.
- Delivery costs: shown before checkout, not added as a surprise at the end.
- Payment, delivery and complaint arrangements.
- Withdrawal terms: the conditions, time limit and procedure, plus the model withdrawal form.
- The legal guarantee: a reminder that it exists, and details of any commercial warranty or after-sales service.
Some countries add their own requirements. Germany and Austria, for example, require an Impressum, a legal notice with business details, on commercial websites.
Pro tip
Put the key facts in more than one place. A short summary of delivery costs, returns and the legal guarantee near the "add to cart" button, plus full details on dedicated pages, helps customers and reduces support questions.
2. The order button
EU rules require that the button which places the order makes clear the customer is committing to pay. Wording like "order with obligation to pay", or a clear equivalent such as "buy now" or "pay now" depending on national practice, is expected. Vague labels like "continue" or "submit" on the final step can make the contract unenforceable in some countries.
Right before that button, show a summary of the order: the products, the total price including taxes, delivery costs and any recurring charges for subscriptions.
Common mistake
Using a generic checkout template that says "Complete" or "Next" on the final button. Check your platform's final step in every language you sell in, and change the label if needed.
3. The right of withdrawal
Consumers buying online generally have 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason, starting when they receive the goods. Your checklist:
- Explain the right clearly before the order and in your order confirmation.
- Provide the model withdrawal form.
- Refund within 14 days of being told of the withdrawal. You may wait until you get the goods back or proof they were sent.
- Refund the standard outbound delivery cost too.
- Say in advance if the customer pays return shipping. If you do not, you may have to pay it.
- Know the exceptions that apply to you, such as custom-made or personalized goods, perishable goods and sealed hygiene items once unsealed.
There is also a newer requirement to check. Directive (EU) 2023/2673 introduces a "withdrawal button", an online function that lets consumers withdraw easily from contracts concluded online, applying from 19 June 2026. How it is implemented varies by country, so confirm what your store needs.
Our separate article on the 14-day right of withdrawal covers refunds, deductions and exceptions in more detail.
4. The legal guarantee
Under the Sale of Goods Directive, goods must conform to the contract: match the description, be fit for purpose and have the quality customers can reasonably expect. If they do not, consumers have legal remedies.
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| At least 2 years from delivery | You are liable for lack of conformity that appears in this period. Some countries set longer periods. |
| Burden of proof in year 1 | A defect appearing within 1 year is presumed to have existed at delivery. Some countries extend this to 2 years. |
| Order of remedies | Repair or replacement first, then a price reduction or refund. |
| Commercial warranty | Optional and separate. It cannot reduce the legal guarantee. |
Avoid wording like "no refunds on faulty items" or "30-day warranty only". If you offer a voluntary warranty, describe it as additional to the customer's legal rights.
5. Prices, discounts and reviews
The Omnibus Directive, applying from 28 May 2022, tightened rules on how online shops present prices and reviews.
- Price reductions: any announcement of a price reduction must show the prior price, meaning the lowest price applied in at least the 30 days before the reduction.
- Reviews: if you show customer reviews, say whether and how you check that they come from people who actually bought or used the product. Fake reviews and misleading review practices are banned.
- Personalized pricing: if a price is personalized based on automated decision-making, you must tell the customer.
- All-inclusive prices: consumer prices must include VAT and unavoidable charges, under the Price Indication Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive.
Example
For example, imagine a lamp sold at €80 for most of the month, briefly raised to €100 for a week and then advertised as "€70, was €100". Under the 30-day rule, the reference price must be the lowest price in the prior 30 days, €80 in this made-up case, so the honest label is "€70, was €80".
6. Treating customers across the EU fairly
The Geo-blocking Regulation, in force since 3 December 2018, stops online shops from discriminating against EU customers based on nationality or place of residence.
- Do not block access or automatically redirect customers to another country version of your site without their consent.
- Apply the same general conditions to customers from other EU countries as to local customers, for example when they collect goods or arrange delivery to a country you serve.
- Within the payment methods you accept, do not refuse a card or account because of the country where it was issued.
The regulation does not oblige you to deliver everywhere. You can still choose your delivery countries.
Putting it into practice
Here is a practical order of work for reviewing your store.
- Walk through your own checkout. Buy a test product as if you were a customer in your main EU market and note what information appears, and when.
- Fix the essentials first. Prices including VAT, delivery costs before checkout and a clear final order button.
- Rewrite your returns and guarantee pages. Separate the 14-day withdrawal right, the 2-year legal guarantee and any voluntary warranty.
- Check discounts and reviews. Set up a way to track the 30-day lowest price and write a short note on how reviews are collected.
- Review country-specific additions. For example, an Impressum for Germany and Austria, and the online withdrawal function.
- Repeat in every language. Translations must carry the same legal meaning.
Your consumer rights checklist
- Business name, geographical address and fast contact details are visible
- Prices include VAT and unavoidable charges
- Delivery costs are shown before checkout
- The final button clearly states an obligation to pay
- An order summary appears right before the button
- The 14-day withdrawal right and model withdrawal form are provided
- Refunds go out within 14 days, including standard delivery cost
- Return shipping responsibility is stated in advance
- The 2-year legal guarantee is explained separately from any warranty
- Discounts show the lowest price from the prior 30 days
- Reviews come with a note on how they are checked
- Customers from other EU countries are not blocked or redirected
- The online withdrawal function is checked for 19 June 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do these rules apply if my business is outside the EU?
Generally, if you direct your sales to consumers in the EU, for example by shipping there, pricing in euros or using EU languages, they can rely on their EU consumer rights. Assume the rules apply when you actively sell to EU consumers.
Do the rules apply to business customers?
Most of these protections are for consumers, meaning individuals buying outside their trade or profession. Sales to businesses follow different rules, but make sure your store can tell the two apart if you serve both.
Can I offer a shorter guarantee for cheap products?
No. The legal guarantee of at least 2 years applies regardless of price. You can choose whether to offer an extra commercial warranty, but it cannot replace or reduce the legal guarantee.
Where can I check the official rules?
The European Commission's Your Europe portal explains consumer rules for businesses, and national consumer authorities publish local guidance. UK sellers should check GOV.UK for UK rules.
Related reading
The bottom line
EU consumer rights for online shops come down to clear information, a fair right to cancel, honest prices and proper handling of faulty goods. Work through the checklist above, fix your checkout and policy pages first and repeat the review in every language you sell in.
Consumer law is implemented nationally and keeps changing, with new requirements such as the online withdrawal function arriving in 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Check Your Europe, your target countries' consumer authorities or a specialist adviser before relying on it.
