Do resellers have to accept returns in the UK?
Whether you must accept a return depends on one question: are you a private seller or a business? A private seller can usually refuse a return for a change of mind. A business selling online usually cannot. In both cases, an item that is not as described can come back.
This is general information about UK consumer law, not legal advice.
TLDR: A trader selling online must give buyers 14 days to cancel after delivery, for any reason. A private seller does not have to. Everyone must describe the item accurately, and marketplace buyer protection can force a refund even when your listing says "no returns".
Are you a private seller or a trader?
Consumer law protects people who buy from a trader, meaning someone who sells as part of a business. If you buy stock in order to sell it at a profit, you are very likely a trader, even part time.
Selling your own unwanted possessions makes you a private seller. The same line decides whether you owe tax, which our guide on whether you pay tax on reselling explains.
Marketplaces draw a similar line. On eBay, someone who buys to resell is expected to use a business account. Calling yourself private does not change your legal position if you are trading.
The 14-day right to cancel for business sellers
When a trader sells online, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give the buyer a right to cancel:
- The buyer has 14 days from delivery to tell you they want to cancel. They do not need a reason.
- After they tell you, they have a further 14 days to send the goods back.
- You must refund within 14 days of getting the goods back, or of getting proof that they were sent.
- The refund includes the standard postage the buyer paid you.
- The buyer pays the return postage only if you told them so before they bought.
If you do not tell the buyer about the right to cancel, the cancellation period can extend by up to 12 months. Put the returns information in every listing.
There are exceptions, for example personalised items and some sealed goods that cannot be returned once opened for health or hygiene reasons. Sealed trading cards and sneakers are not personalised goods, so plan on the normal rules.
Faulty goods and "not as described"
A trader must sell goods that are of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. That comes from the Consumer Rights Act. For faulty goods, the buyer usually has 30 days to reject them for a full refund.
A private seller has a lighter duty, but must still describe the item accurately. A listing that says "sealed" when the box has been opened, or "size 9" when it is a size 8, gives the buyer a claim whoever the seller is.
What eBay and Vinted add on top
Marketplace rules sit on top of the law, and they are often what decides a dispute in practice.
- eBay. Private sellers can choose not to accept returns. But eBay's Money Back Guarantee lets a buyer claim when an item does not arrive or is not as described, and that applies even if the listing says "no returns".
- Vinted. Vinted's Buyer Protection gives the buyer a short window after delivery to report a problem. If an item is significantly not as described, the buyer can open a claim.
Check each marketplace's current rules, because they change more often than the law does. Our comparison of eBay, Vinted and Depop covers how each one treats sellers.
How to cut down on returns
Most returns come from a gap between the listing and the item. Close the gap:
- Photograph the actual item, every side, and every flaw.
- Name the condition exactly: sealed, opened, new with tags, worn once.
- Pack it to arrive in the same state. A crushed box turns a sealed collectable into a damaged one. Our guide to posting Pokémon cards shows how to pack cards and sealed boxes.
- Use tracked postage for anything of value, so a "not received" claim has an answer.
Where this connects
Returns cost a reseller twice: the postage, and the time the stock is out of your hands. Fewer returns come from buying stock that is genuinely new and in perfect condition, which in practice means buying at retail. Paragn runs monitors across more than 1,000 UK retailers and alerts members when limited stock lands at RRP.
Common questions
Do I have to accept returns as a private seller in the UK?
Not for a change of mind. A private seller can refuse those. But the item must be as described, and eBay's Money Back Guarantee can still give the buyer a refund for an item that is not as described.
How long does a buyer have to return an item bought online from a business?
The buyer has 14 days from delivery to say they want to cancel, without giving a reason. They then have a further 14 days to send the item back.
Who pays return postage on a change-of-mind return?
The buyer pays, if the business seller said so before the sale. If the seller did not say so, the seller pays.
Does a no returns policy on eBay protect me from all claims?
No. eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers items that do not arrive or are not as described, whatever the listing says about returns.
Am I a business seller if I resell trainers or Pokémon cards?
If you buy items in order to sell them at a profit, you are very likely trading, and consumer law treats you as a business seller.