Selling at a distance (via the Internet, telephone, post etc.)
(for England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Enter your postcode in the field at the bottom of this page to see if your local authority trading standards department has the full leaflet version available on its website.
Existing consumer protection law, including that on the sale of goods and misleading advertising, applies both online and when selling to consumers at a distance by other means. Additional pieces of legislation more specific to distance selling and Internet trading are the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 (as amended) and the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002.
These Regulations require consumers to be given clear information about the goods and services offered, and the right to cancel within seven working days. Clear information including the company details, terms and conditions, description of goods, cancellation rights and pricing information must be available on the website. Trading standards services enforce other consumer and trading legislation which might apply. Examples include dealing with misleading prices, product safety legislation and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
