Your rights when you shop online in the UK: returns, refunds and the 14-day cooling-off period
Quick answer: When you buy goods online from a UK business, you can usually cancel for any reason up to 14 days after the day your order arrives, and you then have another 14 days to send it back. If something is faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you reject it for a full refund within 30 days of delivery. A shop's own returns policy can add to these rights but can't take them away.
Last updated: 12 November 2026
Two pieces of legislation do most of the work when you shop online in the UK. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 cover changing your mind. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers goods that turn out to be faulty or different from their description. They answer different questions, run on different clocks and are often confused, so this guide takes them one at a time.
Your rights at a glance
| Situation | Which law | What you can do | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| You changed your mind | Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 | Cancel without giving a reason and get a refund | 14 days after the day of delivery to cancel, then 14 days to send the goods back |
| The item is faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose | Consumer Rights Act 2015 | Reject it for a full refund | 30 days from delivery |
| The same, after 30 days | Consumer Rights Act 2015 | Ask for a repair or replacement; if that fails, a price reduction or a refund | Claims can be brought for up to 6 years (5 in Scotland) |
| You paid by credit card and a single item cost more than £100 and no more than £30,000 | Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 | Claim against your card provider as well as the seller | Ask your card provider |
These rights apply when you buy as a consumer from a business. If you buy from a private individual, Citizens Advice points out that there is no cooling-off period.
The 14-day cooling-off period
When you buy something online, by phone or by mail order, you haven't been able to see it in person first. The Consumer Contracts Regulations give you time to examine it at home and change your mind.
- When the clock starts. The cooling-off period starts the day after you receive your order and ends 14 days later. If one order arrives in several parcels, it runs from the day after the last parcel arrives.
- How to cancel. Tell the seller clearly, for example by email. You don't have to give a reason. Sellers must provide a model cancellation form, but using it is optional.
- Sending the goods back. Once you have told the seller, you have another 14 days to return the item.
- Getting your money. The seller must refund you within 14 days of receiving the goods back, or of you providing evidence that you have sent them, whichever comes first. The refund must use the payment method you paid with, and the seller can't charge a fee for it.
- Delivery charges. If you paid for standard delivery, that is refunded too. If you chose a more expensive option, such as express delivery, the seller only has to refund the cost of the least expensive standard option.
- Return postage. You pay the cost of sending the item back unless the seller has agreed to pay, or failed to tell you beforehand that you would have to.
- Trying the item. You can handle goods as you would in a shop. If you go further than that and the item loses value, the seller can reduce your refund.
If a seller never told you about your right to cancel, the period is extended: GOV.UK's guidance for businesses says the customer can then cancel at any time in the next 12 months.
What the cooling-off period doesn't cover
Regulation 28 lists the exceptions. For goods, the main ones are:
- items made to your specification or clearly personalised;
- goods that are liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly, such as fresh food and flowers;
- sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, once you have unsealed them;
- sealed audio or video recordings and sealed computer software, once unsealed;
- goods that have become inseparably mixed with other items after delivery;
- newspapers and magazines, apart from subscriptions.
An exception only removes the right to change your mind. If the item is faulty or not as described, the Consumer Rights Act still applies.
Faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for their purpose and as described. If they are not, the remedy depends on how much time has passed.
| When | What the law gives you |
|---|---|
| First 30 days after delivery | The short-term right to reject: you can return the item for a full refund. The period is shorter for goods expected to perish sooner. |
| After 30 days | A repair or a replacement, at the seller's cost. |
| If one repair or replacement doesn't fix it | A price reduction, or the final right to reject the goods for a refund. |
| First 6 months | A fault that appears is treated as having been there on delivery, unless the seller can show otherwise. If you use the final right to reject in this period, no deduction can be made for the use you have had (motor vehicles are an exception). |
| After 6 months | The seller can ask you to show that the fault was there when you bought the item, and a refund can be reduced to reflect use. |
When you reject faulty goods, the seller must refund you within 14 days of agreeing that you are entitled to a refund, using the same payment method and without a fee. The seller also bears the reasonable cost of returning them. GOV.UK notes that customers have up to 6 years to make a claim (5 years in Scotland); that is a limit on how long you have to bring a claim, not a promise that every product will last that long.
Extra protection when you pay by card
- Section 75. If you pay by credit card for a single item with a cash price of more than £100 and no more than £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card provider jointly liable with the seller for a breach of contract or misrepresentation. You can claim from the card provider, which matters most when a seller will not respond or has stopped trading.
- Chargeback. For debit cards, and for credit card purchases that fall outside section 75, you can ask your card provider to reverse the payment through chargeback. Citizens Advice notes that your provider might not agree and the seller can challenge it. MoneyHelper gives a time limit of 120 days for chargeback claims, so don't wait.
Shop returns policies: extra, not instead
Many retailers offer more than the law requires, such as a longer returns window or free return postage. They are free to set conditions on those extras, for example that an item is unused, but they can't use a policy to reduce your statutory rights.
Bargain Catcher's policy works the same way. Returns are free within 30 days of delivery for items that are unused and in their original packaging. We email you a prepaid returns label, and we don't ask for a reason. That is 30 days rather than 14, with nothing to pay for postage. We pay refunds to the payment method you used, within 10 working days of your return reaching us. The details are on our Returns & refunds page and in our Refund policy.
If something goes wrong: a five-step checklist
- Note the dates. Write down when the order arrived, and work out when the 14-day and 30-day periods end.
- Put it in writing. Email the seller and say which right you are using: cancelling under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, or rejecting faulty goods under the Consumer Rights Act.
- Keep evidence. Save the order confirmation, photos of any fault and your proof of postage.
- Go to your card provider if the seller doesn't respond, and ask about section 75 or chargeback.
- Get free advice. Citizens Advice runs a consumer service and can pass complaints to Trading Standards.
Related reading
More guides: How to tell if a discount is real · How to check if a product has been recalled in the UK · Buying electricals online. On this site: Returns & refunds · Delivery · How we price · FAQ. Departments where returns questions come up most: Electronics & Tech, Home & Kitchen, Toys & Games and Beauty & Personal Care.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It describes the position for consumers in the UK on the date shown above; for advice about your own situation, contact Citizens Advice or a qualified adviser.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75
- GOV.UK: Accepting returns and giving refunds – the law
- GOV.UK: Online and distance selling for businesses
- Citizens Advice: Changing your mind about something you've bought
- Citizens Advice: Return faulty goods
- Citizens Advice: Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal
- MoneyHelper: How to sort a problem with a payment