The short version
General information, not advice
- Online purchases usually include a 14-day cooling-off period
- In-store purchases do not automatically include cancellation rights
- Faulty goods rights apply regardless of where purchased
- Some items are excluded from cancellation rights
See it step by step
Changed your mind, or is it faulty?
Step 1 of 6
Where you buy changes things
Buy online and you usually get the right to change your mind. Buy in a shop and you usually don’t.
Faulty goods are a separate matter, and there the law treats both the same.
General information about UK consumer law, not legal advice.
Periods and rules from the Switch4Good guide, Buying online vs in-store explained, checked 4 October 2026. The 14-day cooling-off and 30-day early rejection periods are checked at the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (reg 30) and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (s22), and the refund timing at regulation 34; the guide does not say whether they run from purchase or delivery, and day 0 here is the day you buy. The timeline has no end date because the guide gives none. General information, not legal advice. Not to scale.
How you buy something changes what you can do if you later want to send it back. The big difference is the right to change your mind: buy online and you usually get it, buy in a shop and you usually don't. Faulty goods are a separate matter, and there the law treats both the same.
This is general information about UK consumer law. It is not legal advice.
What is distance selling?
A distance contract is any purchase made without you and the seller being face to face: online, over the phone, or by mail order. These are covered by the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which is where the right to cancel comes from.
Buying online
For most online purchases you get a 14-day cooling-off period. You can cancel from the moment you place the order, and the period runs until 14 days after the day the goods arrive with you, not 14 days from ordering (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30). You can cancel without giving a reason, you then have 14 days to return the goods, and the refund must be issued within 14 days of that. The goods do need to come back in reasonable condition, so it is cancellation, not free use.
Not everything qualifies. There is no automatic right to cancel perishable goods, personalised items, sealed hygiene goods once they have been opened, digital downloads once you have accessed them, or accommodation and event tickets booked for specific dates.
Buying in-store
Buy in a shop and there is no automatic cooling-off period. If you simply change your mind, the refund is at the retailer's discretion, and many do offer goodwill returns as a matter of policy rather than law. What does not change is your right over faulty goods, which applies in the shop exactly as it does online.
Faulty goods are the same everywhere
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. This holds regardless of where you bought them.
Within 30 days you can reject faulty goods for a full refund. Those 30 days start the day after the goods have been delivered to you and any installation by the seller is done, not the day you paid (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22). After 30 days you move to repair or replacement, and if that fails, to a price reduction or a final refund.
Delivery and refunds
The seller is responsible for the goods until they are delivered to you, so if something is lost in transit it is the seller's problem to resolve, not yours to chase the courier.
Online refunds must be made within 14 days of the seller receiving the goods back, or of you showing proof that you sent them if that comes first (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 34), and must include the standard delivery cost you originally paid. In-store, a refund depends on the shop's own policy unless the goods are faulty.
Key takeaways
- Online purchases usually include 14-day cancellation rights
- In-store purchases do not
- Faulty goods rights apply in all cases
- Some goods are excluded from cancellation
- Delivery risk remains with seller
Common questions
Can a store refuse a refund if I change my mind?
Yes, if purchased in-store and goods are not faulty.
Do online sellers have to pay return postage?
Only if goods are faulty or they failed to inform you otherwise.
Are digital downloads refundable?
Not if you consented to immediate access and waived cancellation rights.
What if goods arrive damaged?
You can reject within 30 days for full refund.
Does this apply to services?
Services have separate rules but distance contracts still apply.