Can I cancel an online purchase within 14 days in the Netherlands?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Often yes. If you buy at a distance as a consumer from a business, you can usually withdraw without giving a reason within 14 days. The starting date, exceptions and information supplied by the seller determine whether this right applies.
On this page
1. Check whether the cooling-off period applies
This guidance concerns Dutch consumer law for a distance contract with a professional seller, such as a webshop, telephone seller or online platform. The statutory cooling-off period does not automatically apply if you bought from a private individual, for business purposes or in a physical shop. On a platform, check whether the seller acted as a business or a private person. Before buying, check the actual seller’s identity and contact details, product features, total price and extra charges, payment, delivery and complaints procedure. The order button must make the obligation to pay clear; retain the confirmation and warranty information. With dropshipping, your seller remains responsible even when an overseas supplier ships. Check the dispatch country, real delivery time and import/handling costs. A dropshipper established in the Netherlands must offer a Dutch return address; request it in writing if missing. A company-initiated sales call about recurring services, energy or water often requires written acceptance: merely saying yes or pressing a key is then insufficient. You can sign a contract or email your agreement. Exceptions include calling yourself, renewals/changes, one-off services and a connected product-and-service combination. Buying a standalone product can be valid orally. Without required written acceptance, dispute that a contract exists; this differs from terminating a valid contract.
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6 · artikelen 230o–230s ↗
ACM ConsuWijzer · Bedenktijd ↗
Rijksoverheid · Kopen op afstand ↗
ACM ConsuWijzer · Informatieplicht ↗
2. Calculate the period from the correct date
For goods, the period normally starts on the day after you or a person designated by you receives them. If one order contains goods delivered separately, receipt of the last item generally counts; for services and some digital supplies, the period usually starts after the contract is concluded. If the seller failed to provide the required information about withdrawal, the period can be extended by up to twelve months. Record the order, receipt and information dates.
3. Check the statutory exceptions
There is, among other things, no statutory withdrawal right for genuinely personalised goods, perishable goods, certain sealed hygiene products or software after the seal is broken, fully performed services after the required consent and waiver, and some bookings for a specific date. Separate conditions apply to digital content not supplied on a tangible medium. Assess the exact exception; a seller merely stating ‘no returns’ is not decisive.
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6 · artikelen 230o–230s ↗
4. Give clear and timely notice
Tell the seller unequivocally within the period that you are withdrawing. Returning the parcel alone is not enough. You may use the model form, the online cancellation function, email or another clear statement; identify the order and product. Since 25 June 2026, a trader must offer an accessible online withdrawal function for contracts concluded through an online interface, but other valid routes remain available. Keep the notice, date, time and acknowledgement.
5. Return the product and keep evidence
After giving notice, you normally must return the product without undue delay and no later than 14 days afterwards, unless the seller collects it. Use the correct return address and keep proof of posting and tracking. You may inspect the product as you would need to in a shop. More extensive use can lead to a deduction for diminished value if the seller properly informed you of the withdrawal right. Loss or damage on a return journey can cause a dispute about your refund and the carrier’s liability. Keep photos, packaging and proof of dispatch and consider suitable insurance for valuable goods; a free return label does not guarantee that every risk is covered. Use beyond what is needed for inspection does not automatically end your withdrawal right, but demonstrable loss of value may be charged. Without correct information about that right, you do not owe this deduction.
6. Check costs and repayment
Direct return costs are normally yours if the seller clearly disclosed this in advance. After full withdrawal, the seller must generally also refund the cost of the cheapest standard delivery offered. An upgrade chosen by you need not be refunded. The repayment deadline and evidence are explained separately on the page about a returned order without a refund. A defective or incorrect delivery may give different rights in addition to withdrawal. Outside the cooling-off period, annulment may sometimes be possible for decisive incorrect or withheld information (mistake), misleading or aggressive selling, threats or exploitation of circumstances. Regret or a later disappointing expectation is not enough. Record exactly what was said, why it caused you to buy and your evidence; state your legal ground in writing and request repayment against return. For an ordinary shop purchase, voluntary exchanges depend on the shop’s promise. Without a statutory cancellation right, reasonable compensation for loss or lost profit may be due; ask for an itemised calculation and assess the cancellation clause. There is no universal statutory 30% cap or automatic free cancellation within two days. If refused, use an affiliated disputes committee or the competent court; an ACM report does not determine your individual repayment claim.
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6 · artikelen 230o–230s ↗
ACM ConsuWijzer · Bedenktijd ↗
Rijksoverheid · Kopen op afstand ↗
ACM ConsuWijzer · Misleidende verkoop ↗
What short text can I use to cancel?
Draft to send yourself: ‘I hereby withdraw from my online purchase, order [number], ordered on [date] and received on [date]. The product is [product]. Please confirm receipt and send the return instructions.’ Keep a copy and proof of sending. This website does not send it for you.
Documents to prepare
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- Order confirmation and seller identity
- Receipt date for each product
- Terms and information supplied about withdrawal
- Check for a statutory exception
- Copy of your clear withdrawal notice
- Date, time and acknowledgement
- Return label, posting evidence and tracking
- Purchase, delivery and return cost overview
Sources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6 · artikelen 230o–230s ↗ACM ConsuWijzer · Bedenktijd ↗Rijksoverheid · Kopen op afstand ↗Your Europe · Consumentenrechten bij winkelen ↗ACM ConsuWijzer · Informatieplicht ↗ACM ConsuWijzer · Dropshipping ↗ACM ConsuWijzer · Telefonisch akkoord ↗ACM ConsuWijzer · Misleidende verkoop ↗Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 3 · artikel44 ↗Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek6 · artikelen228 en237 ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.