A cardboard parcel being opened on a kitchen table in morning light, with a folded jumper and tissue paper inside
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
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WHAT THE LAW SAYS

Changed your mind?
You have 14 days.

14 DAYS to change your mind

  • The clock starts at delivery
  • Refunds have a deadline
  • Faulty is a different right
  • Your rights when you shop online

Buying online comes with a cooling-off period.

For most goods you order online, UK law gives you 14 days from delivery to cancel, and the seller then has a deadline to refund you. A few kinds of order are excluded, and faulty goods follow different rules.

Updated

Can I send it back?

THE SHORT ANSWER

Cancel, return,
get refunded.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 set the timings.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers faulty goods.

CANCELLING

Fourteen days from delivery

For goods, the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day they come into your physical possession. If an order arrives in parts, it runs from the last item.

Check an order

RETURNING

Send it back in time

Once you cancel, you must return the goods no later than 14 days after telling the trader. You usually pay the direct cost of return, unless you were not told that.

How to do it

REFUNDS

The money comes back

The trader must refund you within 14 days of getting the goods back, or of your proof of sending them, whichever is earlier, including standard delivery.

See the numbers

General information only, not financial advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser or a free money-advice service.

A QUICK ORDER CHECK

Can I send
this one back?

Pick a kind of online order to see whether the 14-day right to cancel applies. The bar shows how strongly the law backs a return.

Order check

Choose an order
A jumper that does not suit youYes, 14 days

Ordinary goods bought online can be cancelled within 14 days of delivery. Handle them only as you would in a shop, or the trader may deduct for lost value.

A faulty kettle30 days to reject

Faulty goods are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The short-term right to reject lasts 30 days from the day after ownership passes and the goods are delivered.

A hotel room for a set dateNot covered

Accommodation and leisure services booked for a specific date or period are excluded from the right to cancel. Check the booking's own terms.

A mug printed with your nameNot covered

Goods made to your specifications or clearly personalised are excluded from the 14-day right to cancel, unless they turn out to be faulty.

Fresh flowers or foodNot covered

Goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly are excluded from the right to cancel.

Sources: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulations 28, 30 and 34; Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22.

Based on the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. General information, not legal advice.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A lot of shopping
happens online.

One figure on how much retail spending goes online,
one on how long a refund may take.

28.8%

Share of retail sales made online, August 2026

The Office for National Statistics reported in September 2026 that 28.8% of retail sales were made online in August 2026, up from 28.4% in July.

ONLINE SHARE · ONS

14 days

Longest wait for a refund after a return

Regulation 34 says the refund must come without undue delay and no later than 14 days after the trader receives the goods back, or after you give evidence of sending them, if earlier.

REFUND DEADLINE · CCR 2013

The refund must go back by the same means of payment you used, unless you expressly agree otherwise, and the trader cannot charge a fee for making it.

FOUR STEPS TO A REFUND

Cancel clearly,
keep the proof.

A small stack of plain cardboard parcels left on a doorstep beside a front door mat
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

These steps follow the timings set in the regulations. Keep a note of each date as you go.

  1. Note the delivery date

    The 14 days for goods start from the day they reach you, or someone you chose to take them in. For an order in several parts, count from the last part.

  2. Tell the seller you are cancelling

    Let the trader know within the 14 days, in writing if you can, so you have a record of when you cancelled.

  3. Send it back within 14 days

    Return the goods no later than 14 days after telling the trader, and keep proof of sending: it can start the refund clock.

  4. Check the refund

    Expect the price plus standard delivery back within 14 days. If you paid for faster delivery, only the cheapest standard option must be refunded.

CHANGE OF MIND VS FAULT

Two different rights,
two different clocks.

Hands taping up a cardboard box for return beside a roll of parcel tape on a wooden desk
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

The 14-day right to cancel is about changing your mind, and it applies to most goods bought at a distance. It does not cover everything: personalised goods, perishable goods, newspapers outside a subscription and services booked for a set date are among the exclusions.

If goods are faulty, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a short-term right to reject them within 30 days. That clock starts the day after ownership passes and the goods are delivered, and it pauses while you wait for a repair or replacement.

Questions

Questions people ask

When does the 14-day period start?

For goods, it ends 14 days after the day they come into your physical possession, or that of someone you chose. For services and digital content not on a physical medium, it ends 14 days after the contract is made.

Do I have to pay to send it back?

Usually yes, the direct cost of returning goods falls on you. The trader pays instead if it agreed to, or if it failed to tell you before the contract that you would bear the cost.

Will I get the delivery charge back?

Yes, up to the cost of the cheapest standard delivery the trader offered. If you chose a more expensive option, the extra is not refunded.

Can the seller reduce my refund?

Only for loss in value caused by handling the goods more than you could reasonably in a shop. It cannot deduct anything if it did not tell you about your right to cancel.

What if the item is broken?

That is a separate right under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. You can reject faulty goods within 30 days, starting the day after ownership passes and the goods are delivered.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 (cancellation period)
  2. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 34 (reimbursement)
  3. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 35 (returning goods)
  4. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 (exceptions)
  5. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (short-term right to reject)
  6. Office for National Statistics: Retail sales, Great Britain (September 2026 release)

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