Returning something you bought online: how long you have and who pays

Whether you can send something back just because you’ve changed your mind depends on where you live and where the shop is. In the EU and the UK, the law gives you that right for most things bought online. In the US, Canada and Australia, it mostly depends on the shop’s own policy. This guide covers changing your mind. If the item is faulty, you have separate and stronger rights, covered in when something you bought breaks.

In the EU: 14 days, no reason needed

Under the Consumer Rights Directive, you can withdraw from an online purchase within 14 days without giving a reason. The 14 days start on the day you, or someone you named, take delivery, not the day you ordered. If an order arrives in several parcels, they run from the day the last one arrives.

• Telling the shop. Any clear statement works, such as an email or the shop’s own form. Since 19 June 2026, EU law has also required online shops to provide a clearly labelled withdrawal function on the site or app itself, such as a “withdraw from contract here” button. A few countries were late in writing this into national law.
• Sending it back. You then have another 14 days to return the goods.
• The refund. The shop must refund you within 14 days of hearing from you, including the standard delivery cost you paid. It can wait until the goods are back, or until you show proof that you’ve sent them. If you chose a dearer delivery option, the extra isn’t refunded.
• Return postage. You pay it only if the shop told you so before you ordered. Otherwise the shop pays.
• If the shop never told you about the right. The withdrawal period is extended by up to 12 months.

You can handle the item as you would in a shop to see whether it suits you. If you use it beyond that and its value drops, the shop can deduct the loss from your refund.

In the UK: the same, under UK law

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days from delivery to cancel an online order, then 14 days to send the goods back, with the refund due within 14 days. The rules on return postage and on handling the item match the EU’s closely, because they come from the same directive.

What you usually can’t return

The EU and the UK both exclude some goods from the right to change your mind:

• items made to your specifications or clearly personalised;
• goods that go off quickly, such as fresh food or flowers;
• sealed goods unsealed after delivery, where hygiene or health makes them unsuitable to resell;
• sealed audio, video or software that you’ve unsealed;
• digital content you’ve started downloading or streaming, if you agreed to lose the right.

Buying from a private person on a marketplace is different again. These rights only apply when you buy from a business. See buying on a marketplace.

In the US: the shop’s policy

There’s no general federal right to return an online purchase because you’ve changed your mind. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers some sales made at your home or at temporary venues, not orders placed online. What you can return, for how long and at whose cost is set by the shop’s policy, so read it before you buy, especially for large or expensive items where a restocking fee may apply.

In Canada: mostly the shop’s policy

Canada has no general change-of-mind right either. Provincial laws on internet sales mostly govern what the shop must tell you before you buy. In several provinces you can cancel if the shop failed to give you the required information, or if it didn’t deliver within a set time after the promised date. Check the shop’s return policy and your province’s consumer protection office.

In Australia: no right to a change-of-mind refund

The ACCC is clear that shops don’t have to give a refund when you simply change your mind, though many do as a matter of policy. What they can’t do is display a “no refunds” sign, because that suggests you can’t get a refund for a faulty product, which you can. Cooling-off periods apply to unsolicited sales, such as door-to-door selling, not to ordinary online shopping.

How to make a return go smoothly

• Keep the packaging until you’re sure, and photograph the item and the box before you send it back.
• Tell the shop in writing, by email or through its form, and keep a copy with the date.
• Use a tracked service and keep the proof of postage. It’s also your proof of the date you sent it.
• If the refund is late, remind the shop in writing of the deadline that applies.
• If the shop won’t refund what it owes, a card dispute may help. See paying safely online.

If return costs are likely, count them when you compare shops. A shop with free returns can be the cheaper choice even at a slightly higher price.

Sources

1. Your Europe: Returning goods bought online
2. Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU (EUR-Lex)
3. Directive (EU) 2023/2673, the online withdrawal function (EUR-Lex)
4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (legislation.gov.uk)
5. Citizens Advice: If you’ve changed your mind
6. ACCC: Consumer rights and guarantees
7. Office of Consumer Affairs (Canada): Online shopping

Rules change. If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us and we’ll fix it. This guide is general information, not legal advice.