Your rights as a UK shopper
How to Return Something You Bought Online
8 November 2026
To return something you bought online from a UK business, tell the trader you're cancelling within 14 days of the goods arriving, then send them back within 14 days of telling them. You don't need to give a reason. The trader must then refund you, including the standard delivery charge, within 14 days.
Quick answer: The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let you cancel most online orders for any reason within 14 days of receiving the goods. You then have 14 days to send them back. The trader must refund the price and the standard delivery charge within 14 days of getting the goods back or of you showing you've sent them.
Key Takeaways
You have 14 days from delivery to cancel, without giving a reason.
You then have a further 14 days to send the goods back.
The refund must include the cost of standard delivery.
You usually pay the return postage, unless the trader agreed to or didn't tell you.
Some goods can't be returned, such as personalised items and unsealed hygiene products.
Where the right comes from
The right to cancel comes from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. It applies when you buy from a trader online, by phone or by mail order, and when you buy away from the trader's premises, such as at your home. It doesn't apply when you buy in a shop, although many shops have their own returns policy.
It's separate from your rights on faulty goods. If the item is faulty, our guide to your rights when goods are faulty explains what you can ask for.
How long you have
What you bought | When the 14 days end |
|---|---|
Goods delivered together | 14 days after the day you receive them |
Several items delivered on different days | 14 days after the day the last one arrives |
A service | 14 days after the day you agreed the contract |
You weren't told about the right to cancel | Up to 12 months later than normal |
The clock starts when the goods come into your physical possession, or that of someone you named to receive them, under regulation 30. If the trader doesn't give you the information it must about the right to cancel, regulation 31 extends the period by up to 12 months.
How to cancel an online order
Regulation 32 says you can use the trader's cancellation form or make any other clear statement that you're cancelling. An email is fine. Keep a copy, and note the date you sent it.
Once you've cancelled, regulation 35 gives you 14 days to send the goods back or hand them over, unless the trader has offered to collect them.
Who pays for postage
Under regulation 34, the trader must refund what you paid for delivery, up to the cost of its cheapest standard option. If you chose next-day delivery, you'll get back the standard amount rather than the extra.
You normally pay the direct cost of sending the goods back. That changes if the trader agreed to pay, or didn't tell you before you ordered that you'd have to.
When the refund must arrive
The trader must refund you without undue delay, and within 14 days of the day it receives the goods back, or the day you give evidence you've sent them, whichever comes first. If the trader offered to collect the goods, the 14 days run from when you told it you were cancelling.
The refund should go back the same way you paid, unless you agree otherwise, and the trader can't charge you a fee for it. If a refund doesn't arrive and you paid by card, our guide to Section 75 and chargeback explains your next steps.
Trying the item out
You can handle the goods to see what they are and how they work, in the way you could in a shop. If you go further than that and the item loses value as a result, regulation 34 lets the trader take the loss in value off your refund.
So try clothes on, but keep the tags on and don't wear them out. Look at a gadget, but think twice before you set it up and use it for days.
What you can't return
Regulation 28 lists goods that don't get the 14-day right. They include:
Goods made to your specification or clearly personalised
Goods that are liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly, such as fresh food
Sealed goods that can't be returned for health or hygiene reasons, once you've unsealed them
Sealed audio, video or software, once you've unsealed it
Newspapers and magazines, unless they're part of a subscription
Your rights on faulty goods still apply to all of these. And if a shopping site you don't know asks for a bank transfer, read our guide on how to spot a fake shopping website before you pay.
For a summary of all your rights, see our guide to your shopping rights.
Common questions
Do I have to give a reason for returning something bought online?
No. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you can cancel within the cancellation period without giving any reason.
Can a trader refuse a return because the box has been opened?
Not just for that. You're allowed to handle the goods as you would in a shop, which usually means opening the box. The exception is sealed goods that can't be returned for health or hygiene reasons, and sealed audio, video or software, once unsealed.
Does the 14-day right apply to marketplace sellers?
It applies when you buy from a trader. If you buy from a private individual, for example on a second-hand marketplace, you don't get this right.
Can a shop give me a credit note instead of a refund?
Not when you cancel under these rules, unless you agree to it. The refund must use the same means of payment you used.