Important: This article provides general information as a starting point. It is not legal advice. You are responsible for checking how these rules apply to your business and, where needed, consulting a qualified legal adviser.
Quick summary
If you sell online to consumers in the EU, two things matter:
- The right of withdrawal — your EU customers can cancel most online purchases within 14 days, no reason needed. This has been the law for years.
- A new requirement from 19 June 2026 — under EU Directive 2023/2673, you must add a clearly visible electronic withdrawal function (a button or link) that customers can use to cancel directly from your store.
If you sell to EU consumers and haven't added a withdrawal button yet, this is the part to act on now.
What is the right of withdrawal?
When a consumer buys from you online, by phone, or off-premises (in legal terms, a "distance" or "off-premises" contract), they have the right to cancel the contract within 14 days without giving any reason. This is commonly called the cooling-off period.
When the 14 days start depends on what you're selling:
- Goods: 14 days from the day the customer (or someone they nominate) receives the goods.
- Services: 14 days from the day the contract was agreed.
If the deadline falls on a non-working day, it is extended to the next working day. A few EU countries allow 30 days for purchases made during unsolicited doorstep selling or sales excursions.
Who has to comply?
The right of withdrawal applies to any business selling goods, services, or digital content online to consumers in the EU — regardless of where the business is located. A non-EU seller shipping into the EU is covered just the same as an EU-based one.
Who pays for returns?
- Change-of-mind returns (within the cooling-off period): the customer normally pays return postage and packaging — but only if you told them about this before they bought. If you didn't inform them, or if you offered to cover it, the cost falls on you.
- Defective goods: the seller always pays the return cost.
So clear pre-purchase information about return costs is itself a compliance point.
What's exempt from the 14-day cooling-off period?
The right of withdrawal does not apply to certain categories. The main exemptions are:
- Transport, accommodation and leisure bookings for specific dates — plane/train/concert tickets, hotel bookings, car hire, catering for a set date.
- Perishable goods with a short shelf life (e.g. food or drink with a near "use by" date).
- Made-to-order or clearly personalised goods (e.g. a tailored suit).
- Goods or services whose price tracks financial markets (e.g. heating fuel priced on global markets).
- Fully delivered services, where the customer expressly agreed to start immediately and acknowledged losing the right of withdrawal.
- Sealed audio, video or software (e.g. DVDs) once unsealed.
- Online digital content (e.g. a film or song) once the customer expressly agreed to begin streaming/downloading and to lose the withdrawal right.
- Urgent repairs and maintenance the customer specifically requested.
Note: in some EU countries the customer keeps the withdrawal right on some of these if bought during unsolicited doorstep selling. Goods bought from a private individual (not a professional trader) are not covered at all.
The new requirement: the withdrawal button (from 19 June 2026)
EU Directive 2023/2673 adds a new obligation on top of the existing right. If you sell online to EU consumers, you must give them an easy electronic way to exercise their withdrawal right directly on your store.
There are three things this function must do:
- Visible withdrawal button — a clearly labelled button or link that is easy to find and accessible without the customer needing to log in.
- Two-step confirmation — after clicking, the customer confirms the withdrawal and provides their name and the details of the order or contract they are cancelling.
- Automatic confirmation — your store sends the customer a confirmation of the withdrawal request on a durable medium (email is the standard way to do this).
What happens if you don't comply?
After 19 June 2026, failing to provide the withdrawal function can expose you to:
- Legal warnings.
- Fines of up to 4% of annual turnover in some EU member states.
- An extended withdrawal period — the 14-day window can stretch to 12 months and 14 days if the function isn't provided.
That last point is the one merchants tend to underestimate: without a compliant button, customers may be able to cancel orders for over a year.
How to comply on your platform
Whatever platform you use, you're aiming for the same three outcomes: a visible, no-login withdrawal link → a confirmation step that captures name + order details → an automatic email confirmation.
Shopify
Shopify has published its own step-by-step guidance on this requirement. For the exact setup steps and current options, follow Shopify's official article: EU right of withdrawal compliance for merchants (Shopify Help Center).
In short, here's what you need to cover the three outcomes:
- Add a visible, no-login link. Create a dedicated "Cancel your order / Right of withdrawal" page and link to it somewhere always visible and reachable without signing in — typically the footer menu. (Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu, and Online Store → Pages for the page itself.)
- Capture the withdrawal with a confirmation step. The page needs a form that collects the customer's name and order/contract details and includes a confirmation action. Shopify's native contact form is limited, so most merchants use a form app from the Shopify App Store, or a purpose-built EU withdrawal-button app. Search the App Store for "right of withdrawal" or "EU withdrawal" to see current options.
- Send an automatic confirmation. Make sure submitting the form triggers an automatic email back to the customer (handled by the form/withdrawal app, or via a Shopify notification/automation).
For the precise menus, recommended apps, and any updates, always point merchants to Shopify's own help article rather than to us — it's kept current by Shopify.
WooCommerce
- Add the link. Create a "Right of withdrawal / Cancel order" page and add it to a footer or primary menu so it's visible without logging in (Appearance → Menus).
- Add the form. Use a forms plugin (e.g. a contact-form or form-builder plugin) to capture name + order details with a confirmation step, or a dedicated withdrawal-form plugin if one is available for your setup.
- Auto-confirmation. Configure the form plugin to send an automatic confirmation email to the customer on submission.
Other platforms / custom stores
The directive is platform-neutral — the obligation is the same regardless of how your store is built. On any other hosted platform (e.g. Wix, BigCommerce, Squarespace) or a custom build:
- Place a clearly labelled withdrawal link somewhere always visible and reachable without login (footer is the usual choice).
- Build or embed a form that captures the customer's name and order/contract details with an explicit confirmation step.
- Trigger an automatic confirmation email on submission.
Check your platform's own documentation for the specific feature or app that delivers a withdrawal form, and confirm it meets all three requirements above.
A few practical tips
- Don't hide it behind a login. "Accessible without logging in" is an explicit requirement — a cancellation option buried in a customer account area won't satisfy it.
- Label it plainly. Use wording customers actually recognise, such as "Cancel your order" or "Right of withdrawal", rather than legal jargon.
- Keep your pre-purchase information accurate. Telling customers up front who pays return costs is part of getting the wider rules right — and affects who bears the return cost.
- Check product exemptions carefully. If you sell personalised, perishable, or digital products, get local legal advice on which of your lines are exempt and how to document the customer's express agreement.
Sources and further reading
- EU right of withdrawal compliance for merchants (Shopify Help Center)
- Returns and the right of withdrawal (Your Europe)
- Consumer information, right of withdrawal and other consumer rights (EUR-Lex summary)
This article is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Requirements can vary by EU member state. For advice specific to your business, please consult a qualified legal professional.