Do consumer rights rules apply to an online seller?
Short answer
Yes, this is the core case. Pre-contract information, the withdrawal right, the price display and review handling all sit with the seller.
Read against the registers 2026-08-26.
Who the role is
A trader who sells to a consumer at a distance, on its own site or through a marketplace.
What the topic covers
The EU writes a detailed pre-contract information list, a withdrawal right and price display rules. The United States works mainly through unfair and deceptive practice enforcement, with state rules on top.
Duties the EU acts name for this role
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 6: Give the buyer the main characteristics, the total price, delivery and the withdrawal terms before the order is placed.
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 9: Give the consumer fourteen days to withdraw from a distance contract, counted from delivery.
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 13: Refund every payment, including standard delivery, within fourteen days of the withdrawal.
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 18: Deliver within thirty days unless another time is agreed, and let the buyer cancel when delivery fails.
- Omnibus Directive — Directive (EU) 2019/2161: State the lowest price applied in the thirty days before a price reduction is announced.
- Price Indication Directive — Directive 98/6/EC, Article 3: Show the selling price and the unit price of every product offered to a consumer.
- Price Indication Directive — Directive 98/6/EC, Article 4: Make both prices unambiguous, easy to read and placed with the product.
- Unfair Commercial Practices Directive — Directive 2005/29/EC, Article 6: Keep every claim about the product, the price and the seller from being misleading.
- Unfair Commercial Practices Directive — Directive 2005/29/EC, Article 7: Leave out no information the buyer needs to make an informed decision.
The rows behind the answer
European Union
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU: Pre-contract information, the 14 day withdrawal right and confirmation of the order on a durable medium.
- Omnibus Directive — Directive (EU) 2019/2161: Adds duties on price reduction announcements, review verification and marketplace ranking disclosure.
- Price Indication Directive — Directive 98/6/EC: Selling price and unit price must be shown unambiguously to the consumer.
- Unfair Commercial Practices Directive — Directive 2005/29/EC: Prohibits misleading actions and omissions that change the average consumer's decision.
United States
- FTC Act Section 5, unfair or deceptive practices in AI and data: Section 5 covers deceptive pricing, fake reviews and unsubstantiated claims in the same commercial ground.
- California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA: Adds opt-out signals and notice duties at the point where personal data is collected in the checkout.
China
No Chinese row in our register for this topic. That is a gap in the register, not a statement that no rule exists.
Where companies usually start
- Check the price history behind every reduction claim before the campaign starts.
- Write one checkout information block and translate it, rather than one per market.
- Keep review verification evidence with the product, not with the marketing team.
This page reads published registers and describes common practice. It is not legal advice and it is not a compliance verdict.
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