Start selling online legally

Selling online means you must comply with both the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (quality standards and remedies) and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (distance selling rules). This journey takes you through everything you need to set up before launch.

1. Understand distance selling rules

When you sell online, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply automatically. The most important obligation: consumers get a 14-day cooling-off period to cancel for any reason, and you must provide detailed pre-contract information.

Cooling-off period: 14 days from delivery
Extended period: 12 months if cancellation rights not provided
Refund deadline: 14 days from receiving returned goods
Return shipping: Customer pays unless seller offers free returns
Restocking fees: ILLEGAL - cannot charge
Deduction for use: Only if customer handled goods beyond checking
Digital content: Cancellation lost if download begins with consent

Distance and off-premises selling requirements

Complete guide to your distance selling obligations including cancellation rights, pre-contract information, and refund processing

E-commerce legal compliance checklist

Scannable checklist for auditing your website against all distance selling requirements

Consumer rights compliance for traders

Full guide to goods, services, and digital content quality standards and the tiered remedies system

Consumer rights compliance for digital content sellers

Specific guide for software, apps, games, music, video, and e-books sellers covering quality standards and cancellation consent

5. Set up your refund processes

You need processes for two types of refund: cancellation refunds (14-day cooling-off) and faulty goods refunds (30-day rejection and beyond). Both have strict timelines you must meet.

When a consumer exercises their 14-day cancellation right, the trader has strict obligations for processing the refund under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Refund deadline (goods): Within 14 days of receiving the returned goods back, or evidence consumer has sent them
Refund deadline (services/digital): Within 14 days of being informed of the cancellation
Must refund: Full purchase price PLUS original standard delivery cost
Delivery cost refund: Only standard delivery rate - not premium or express delivery upgrades
Refund method: Same payment method as original purchase, unless consumer expressly agrees otherwise
No refund fees: Trader CANNOT charge any fee for processing the refund
No restocking fees: Illegal under the regulations - cannot charge
Deduction for handling: Trader can deduct for diminished value if consumer handled goods beyond what is necessary to check them
Withholding refund: Trader may withhold refund for goods until goods are received or consumer provides evidence of return
Consumer return deadline: Consumer must send goods back within 14 days of cancellation notification
Consumer return costs: Consumer pays return postage ONLY if trader informed them of this before purchase

Handle consumer complaints about faulty goods

Step-by-step procedure for handling faulty goods complaints using the tiered remedy system

Avoiding unfair terms in consumer contracts

Grey list of potentially unfair terms, transparency requirements, and how to write compliant consumer contracts

Start selling online legally