Changed your mind about something bought online? In many cases, UK law lets you cancel the purchase even when nothing is wrong with it. Similar protection can apply to orders made by telephone or mail. But the rules are not a blanket right to return everything.
Distance selling cancellation rights in the UK mainly come from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Your entitlement depends on how the contract was made, what you bought and when you tell the seller you are cancelling.
Which purchases count as distance sales?
A distance contract is generally agreed between a consumer and a trader through an organised remote-selling system, without them being physically together before the agreement is concluded. Online checkouts, telephone orders and mail-order purchases are common examples.
Buying from a business on an online marketplace can qualify. Buying from a private individual usually does not carry the same statutory cooling-off right. Reserving an item online but completing the purchase in a physical shop may also be treated differently.
How does the 14-day cooling-off period work?
Goods: count from receiving the order
For eligible goods, you can cancel from when the contract is made until 14 days after the day you receive the item. You need not give a reason. If several products in one order are delivered separately, the period normally ends 14 days after the last one arrives.
Say you order a desk and chair together. The chair arrives on 5 November and the desk on 9 November. If they are part of one order delivered separately, your normal cancellation deadline is 23 November. It is the delivery date, not the date you unpack the desk, that matters.
Certain contracts for regular deliveries over a defined period use the first delivery instead. Always check the arrangement rather than assuming each parcel restarts the clock.
Services: count from making the agreement
For most eligible services, the cooling off period UK law provides ends 14 days after the day the contract was concluded. If you expressly ask for work to start during this period, then cancel, the trader may charge a proportionate amount for the work already supplied.
If a service has been fully performed following your express request and acknowledgement that your right will end on completion, cancellation rights can cease earlier. Those conditions matter: a trader cannot simply claim that starting work automatically removes your protection.
What can you cancel, and what is excluded?
Ordinary clothes, books, electronics and household goods purchased remotely from a trader will often qualify, even if you simply dislike them. Important exceptions include genuinely personalised products, goods that perish rapidly, and sealed hygiene-sensitive items once their seal has been broken.
Unsealed sealed recordings or computer software may also be excluded. Accommodation, vehicle hire and certain leisure bookings for specific dates are among other exemptions. Passenger transport and some financial services have different legal arrangements.
Watch out for the expression “made to order”. A standard sofa manufactured after purchase is not necessarily a personalised product under the law. The statutory exception, rather than the retailer’s label, decides whether cancellation rights are excluded.
Digital downloads and streaming
Digital content supplied immediately has special rules. You can lose the standard cancellation right once supply begins if you expressly consented to immediate access and acknowledged that the right would be lost, with the required confirmation from the trader.
Without those steps, the trader cannot assume that clicking download automatically waived your rights. Separate legal remedies may apply if digital content is faulty.
How to cancel an online order
Tell the trader clearly that you are cancelling. Email, letter or the seller’s online cancellation form can work; you do not generally have to use a particular form. A clear message saying “I am cancelling order 123 under the Consumer Contracts Regulations” is more useful than simply asking about returns.
Send the notice before the deadline and save evidence of sending it. A cancellation communication sent within the period counts even if the business reads it afterwards.
For goods, you generally have another 14 days after notifying the seller to send the item back, unless collection is arranged. Keep postal receipts and tracking details. Returning a parcel without communicating your decision may create an avoidable dispute.
What must the trader refund?
After a valid cancellation, the business usually owes you the price paid plus its basic outward delivery charge. If you selected a costly express service, it generally need not refund the extra amount above its cheapest standard delivery option.
For goods, the seller can normally wait until it receives the return or evidence that you sent it, whichever happens first, and must refund within 14 days of that point. For services and contracts without goods to return, reimbursement is generally due within 14 days after cancellation is communicated.
You may need to pay return postage if the trader informed you beforehand. It can also sometimes deduct for diminished value if you handled goods more than necessary to inspect them as you would in a shop. Trying on a jacket or opening ordinary packaging does not automatically justify a deduction.
Refunds should normally be made using the original payment method unless you expressly agree otherwise. Store credit cannot simply be substituted for a statutory refund.
What if the retailer refuses cancellation?
Check the deadline and any applicable exception, then send a written explanation with order confirmation, delivery evidence and your cancellation message. Ask for the relevant refund and retain copies of the correspondence.
If the trader failed to provide required information about your cancellation right, the deadline may extend by up to 12 months beyond the normal period. Giving the missing information during that extension generally starts a fresh 14-day window.
Citizens Advice and other consumer advice services can help with disputes. You might also ask your card provider about payment remedies. Faulty or misdescribed goods raise separate rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, even where the change-of-mind cancellation window has closed.
A practical way to protect your rights
Identify whether you bought from a trader at a distance, calculate the deadline using the right starting date and notify the business in writing. Keep delivery and postage records. A “no returns” sign does not defeat statutory rights, but neither does the 14-day rule cover every customised item or dated booking.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel an online order before dispatch?
Usually, yes, where the statutory cancellation right applies. You need not wait for delivery. Contact the seller promptly to avoid an unnecessary shipment.
Do I have to explain why I changed my mind?
No. An eligible distance contract can be cancelled within the applicable period without giving a reason. You still need to communicate the decision clearly.
Can a retailer give store credit instead of a refund?
Not without your express agreement where you are exercising a valid statutory cancellation right. Its voluntary returns policy cannot override that protection.
What if my item is faulty after the cooling-off period?
Consider your separate rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A defect can entitle you to a repair, replacement or refund depending on the circumstances, regardless of whether the cancellation period has expired.
