The distance selling regulations are the UK rules for selling to consumers without meeting them: online, by mail order, by phone or text. Today they sit in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. You must give buyers set information before they order, let them cancel for any reason within 14 days of delivery, refund within 14 days of getting the goods back, and deliver within 30 days unless you agreed otherwise.
People still call them 'the distance selling regulations' because that's what the older rules were named, and GOV.UK still uses the phrase. Get them wrong and GOV.UK warns you could be made to supply the goods as agreed, pay compensation, or face an unlimited fine or prison. Everything below comes from the GOV.UK guides to online and distance selling and to returns and refunds, and the regulations' entry on legislation.gov.uk.
What you must tell buyers before they order
- Your business name, contact details and address.
- A description of the goods, services or digital content, and the price including all taxes.
- How they can pay, and the delivery arrangements, costs and timescale.
- The minimum contract length, billing period and conditions for ending a contract.
- How and when they can cancel, when they lose that right, and a standard cancellation form if they can cancel.
- Whether they'll still pay reasonable costs for a service used before cancelling.
- What digital content does, for example its language or how software updates.
- The cost of any phone line or other channel used to complete the contract, if it's above the basic rate.
All of this has to be easy to understand and given on paper, by email or in another format the customer can save.
Extra rules when you sell online
- Make it clear the customer has to pay when they place the order, for example with a 'pay now' button.
- Show the payment methods, delivery options and costs, and be honest about sales promotions.
- List the steps to place an order and let customers correct mistakes.
- Give your email address and, if you're VAT registered, your VAT number.
- Get the customer's active consent, such as ticking a box, before charging for optional extras.
- Let them store and reproduce your terms and conditions, and confirm the contract as soon as possible, for example by email.
After the order
Once someone has ordered, you must send a copy of the contract on paper, by email or in another format they can keep, no later than when the goods are delivered. For digital content, the confirmation has to go out no later than the download starts, even if the content arrives separately. And you must deliver within 30 days unless you've agreed a different date with the customer.
The 14-day right to cancel and refunds
| Rule | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Customer can cancel for any reason | Up to 14 days after the order is delivered |
| Customer returns the goods after cancelling | Another 14 days from telling you |
| You refund the customer | Within 14 days of receiving the goods back |
| If you never told them about the right to cancel | They can cancel at any time in the next 12 months |
| If you tell them during those 12 months | 14 days from when you told them |
You must refund standard delivery too. If they paid for a faster option, you only refund the cost of standard delivery. You can't deduct fees unless the item has been used or damaged, and customers can handle it the way they would in a shop, such as trying it on or taking it out of the box.
Downloads and streaming
For digital content such as apps, games, ebooks, films or software, the customer loses the 14-day right to cancel only if, before the download or stream starts, they confirm they know they'll lose it and agree to the instant download. Put that in your contract confirmation as well. Miss it and the customer keeps the right to cancel without paying.
Items you don't have to take back unless faulty
- Personalised or custom-made items.
- Perishable goods such as food or flowers.
- Newspapers and magazines.
- Unwrapped CDs, DVDs and software.
- Sealed items that can't be returned for health or hygiene reasons once opened.
Faulty goods after the 14 days
The cancellation window is separate from what happens when something's faulty. GOV.UK's refunds guide says that if a customer has accepted an item and later finds a fault, you may have to repair or replace it. If they return it within 6 months, you must repair or replace it unless you can prove it wasn't faulty when they bought it. After 6 months you can ask them to prove it was. Customers have up to 6 years to make a claim (5 years in Scotland), and a warranty running out doesn't remove those rights.
Sales the rules don't cover
GOV.UK lists exceptions including goods and services worth £42 or less (as of October 2026), financial services, NHS prescriptions and treatment, gambling, package holidays and timeshares, passenger transport tickets, regular food and drink deliveries, vending machines, and lettings of a home to live in. Faulty goods are a separate matter: those rights come from the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and apply however the item was bought.
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A clear returns page is also one of the easiest trust signals for an online store, so the legal minimum doubles as conversion copy.
The verdict
If you sell online in the UK, build the rules into your checkout rather than your terms page: a cancellation form in the order email, a clear 14-day returns statement, a refund process that hits 14 days, and an explicit tick box before any digital download. Forgetting to mention the right to cancel is the costly mistake, because it stretches the customer's window to 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
Do the distance selling regulations still exist?
The rules now sit in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, but GOV.UK still calls this distance selling.
How long does a customer have to cancel an online order?
Up to 14 days after the order is delivered, without giving a reason, then another 14 days to send it back.
How quickly must an online seller refund?
Within 14 days of receiving the goods back, including standard delivery costs.
What if I don't tell customers about the right to cancel?
They can cancel at any time in the next 12 months.
