Withdrawal right (derecho de desistimiento): returning online purchases

Key rules

• Reason: You never have to explain why you are withdrawing, and the seller cannot penalise you.
• Proof: You must be able to prove you sent notice in time, so keep a copy of what you sent.
• Late information: If the seller never told you about the right, your time grows to 12 months plus 14 days.
• Exceptions: Custom-made goods, unsealed hygiene items, unsealed media and dated bookings such as flights or hotels cannot be returned.

Can you return an online purchase?

Yes. When you buy online or at a distance from a business, you have 14 calendar days to withdraw from the purchase, counted from the day you receive the goods. You do not need to give a reason. This is the derecho de desistimiento.

When do the 14 days start?

• One item: the day you (or someone you name, other than the carrier) receive it.
• Several items ordered together but delivered separately: the day the last one arrives.
• Goods delivered in lots or pieces: the day the last lot or piece arrives.
• Regular deliveries: the day the first delivery arrives.
• Services: the day the contract is concluded.

Weekends and holidays count. Aim to send your notice well before the last day.

How do you tell the seller?

Any clear statement that you are withdrawing is enough: an email, a letter or the seller's web form. The standard withdrawal form is optional. The seller cannot charge you a penalty.

You must be able to prove you gave notice in time, so use a traceable method and keep a copy. Notice is on time if you send it before the 14 days end. The steps for sending the goods back are in the process below.

What if the seller never explained the right?

If the seller did not give you the required information about withdrawal, your time is extended by 12 months, so you have 12 months plus 14 days from the normal start date. If the seller gives you that information within the 12 months, your 14 days start from the day you receive it.

What can you not return?

The right does not apply to:

• custom-made or clearly personalised goods
• goods that spoil or expire quickly
• sealed goods that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons, once unsealed
• sealed audio, video or software, once unsealed
• goods that, after delivery, are inseparably mixed with other items
• sealed alcohol whose price was agreed at the sale and whose delivery takes over 30 days
• newspapers and magazines (subscriptions are not excluded)
• digital content with no physical medium, once it has started with your consent
• services fully performed after you agreed and acknowledged you would lose the right
• financial products whose price fluctuates
• urgent repair visits you requested
• accommodation, transport, car hire, catering and leisure services for a specific date
• public auctions

When do you get your money back?

The seller must refund you within 14 calendar days of learning you are withdrawing. It may wait until the goods come back or you show proof of posting, whichever comes first. The exception is when the seller offered to collect the goods itself.

The refund covers everything you paid, including standard delivery. If you chose a more expensive delivery than the seller's cheapest standard option, you do not get the extra cost back. The seller must refund to the same payment method with no fee, unless you agree to something else.

Returning an online order step by step

• Check what the seller told you about return costs: before you start the return

• Tell the seller you are withdrawing, by email, letter or the seller's web form. Use a method you can prove, and you do not need to give a reason: before the 14 calendar days to withdraw end

• Start the return in the seller's account or returns page, print the label or get a QR code, and pack the goods: right after you send your notice

• Send the goods back and keep the drop-off receipt or tracking number as proof of posting: within 14 days of telling the seller you are withdrawing

• Pay the return postage yourself, unless the seller agreed to pay it or never told you that you would pay. If the seller collects the goods, it pays. For bulky goods, the seller must state the estimated return cost in advance: when you send the goods back

• Handle the goods only as you would in a shop. You may open and test them, but the seller can deduct a proportionate amount if wear or use goes beyond that, and only if it can show the loss and its amount: until the goods are sent back

• If the refund does not arrive, write to the seller with your notice and proof of posting, then contact your town hall's consumer office: if the refund is late

• If the seller refuses the return or cuts the refund, ask for the reason in writing and for proof of the loss in value: if the seller disputes the condition of the goods

Documents you need

• Your order confirmation or contract from the seller, showing what you bought and the date you received it.

• Your written notice of withdrawal, such as an email, letter or the seller's web form. The standard withdrawal form is optional, but you must be able to prove you sent the notice on time.

• Proof that you sent the goods back, such as a drop-off receipt or tracking number. The seller may hold your refund until the goods arrive or you show this proof, whichever comes first.

Checklist

• Send your withdrawal notice before the 14 calendar days end, counted from the day you receive the goods.

• Skip giving a reason, because none is needed and no penalty may be imposed.

• Choose a traceable way to send the notice, and keep a copy as proof it was on time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still withdraw if the seller never told me about the withdrawal right?

Yes, you get a longer period if the seller did not give you the required information about the withdrawal right. The period grows by 12 months, so you have 12 months plus 14 days from the normal start date.

Does the refund include the original delivery charge?

Yes, the refund includes the original standard delivery cost.

Which online purchases have no withdrawal right?

Some purchases are excluded, including custom-made or personalised goods, goods that spoil quickly, and sealed goods you have unsealed that are unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons. Sealed audio, video or software once opened, newspapers and magazines (except subscriptions), and digital content you started using with your consent are also excluded. Accommodation, transport, car hire, catering and leisure bookings for a specific date, plus public auctions, have no withdrawal right either.

When does the 14-day period start if my items arrive separately?

If you ordered several items together but they arrive separately, your period starts when the last item arrives. For goods delivered in lots or pieces, it starts on receipt of the last lot or piece. For a regular supply, it starts with the first delivery, and for a service it starts the day the contract is concluded.