Returns and refunds: what a discount does not change
Aug 23, 2026 · 15:00
Buying something on sale does not reduce your rights. Stores sometimes suggest otherwise.
It is worth knowing where you stand before you need to, because the moment you want to return something is the worst time to start reading rules.
In the EU, you have fourteen days to withdraw from an online purchase without giving a reason. This is a legal right, not a store policy, and it applies to discounted items exactly as it applies to full-price ones. The clock starts when you receive the goods, not when you order them.
"Sale items cannot be returned" is not accurate for online purchases in the EU. Stores may set their own more generous policies, and many do offer longer windows, but they cannot go below the statutory minimum. A shop telling you that a coupon code voids your right of withdrawal is wrong.
There are genuine exceptions, and they are specific: personalised goods, sealed hygiene products once opened, perishables, and digital content you have started downloading with explicit consent. Software and services have their own rules.
Refunds must include the standard delivery cost you paid outbound. If you chose an expensive express option, the store only has to refund what the cheapest standard option would have cost. Return postage can be charged to you if the store said so before you bought.
Faulty goods are a separate matter entirely, with a two-year guarantee period in the EU. This is not the same as the fourteen-day withdrawal right and cannot be signed away by a sale price.
The practical advice: keep the order confirmation email, note the delivery date, and if you are unsure about a purchase, do not remove tags or open sealed packaging until you are. And when comparing two stores, look at the returns policy alongside the price. A ten percent discount is not worth much if returning the item costs you fifteen.
