The withdrawal button, explained clearly.
For e-commerce shops concluding distance contracts with consumers, the European framework provides for an online withdrawal function. Here is what it should enable and what to check.
Scope
Who should ask the question?
Start with online sales to private consumers. Withdrawal rights and the related function concern distance contracts that fall within their scope.
A shop can combine business-to-business (B2B) sales, business-to-consumer (B2C) sales and contracts excluded from withdrawal rights. A single order does not establish a rule for the whole shop.
When you target several markets, a consumer may, depending on the circumstances, benefit from mandatory rules in their country of residence, particularly where your activity is directed to that market.
Run the under-one-minute checkArticle 11a
What the function must enable.
The European text describes an online withdrawal function; it does not create a literal “two-click” rule.
Prominent and accessible
The function must be prominent on the interface, easy to find and available throughout the withdrawal period.
Easy to complete
It lets the consumer provide or confirm their identity, the relevant contract and how to receive confirmation.
Confirmed unambiguously
The journey includes a confirmation function that clearly expresses the decision to withdraw.
Acknowledged on a durable medium
After use, the acknowledgement includes the content, date and time of submission.
Cases to check
Special cases do not fit in one sentence.
Exceptions
Some goods and services are not subject to withdrawal rights under the same conditions.
Marketplaces
The seller’s and platform’s roles depend on the contractual structure.
Dropshipping
If you are the trader concluding the contract with the consumer, your obligations still need checking.
Risks
Separate information, functionality and penalties.
Failure to provide information about withdrawal rights can extend the period under the directive. This mechanism is distinct from assessing how the online function works.
Penalties are set and applied nationally. In certain large-scale infringements subject to coordinated European action, the rules must allow maximum fines of at least 4% of the relevant turnover.
Exceptions
When withdrawal rights do not follow the general rule.
An exception is not determined by a product name alone. It depends on the circumstances of the sale and, often, on prior information or consent.
Personalised goods, genuinely perishable goods, sealed hygiene goods opened after delivery, digital content started with express consent or fully performed services are examples to check contract by contract.
State before purchase when the right does not apply and retain the consent needed for that conclusion.
Marketplaces and dropshipping
First identify who is actually contracting with the customer.
Marketplace
A platform may provide the technical journey without automatically becoming the seller under the contract.
Third-party seller
The trader shown to the customer and concluding the sale will generally be responsible for obligations related to that contract.
Dropshipping
A supplier may ship the parcel, but if your shop concludes the contract with the customer, your journey is the one to organise.
After the request
Withdrawal, return and refund are three separate steps.
The request opens the case. Returning the goods comes next where applicable. The refund has its own timetable and can depend on receiving the goods or proof that they were sent back.
Delivery and return-cost rules are not identical. They depend, among other things, on the delivery option chosen and what the customer was told before purchase.
BackToMe centralises the request and its tracking. Refunds and return logistics remain in your usual tools and procedures.
Your shop baseline
The button is part of compliance, not your entire compliance.
Before checkout
Seller identity, price, characteristics, delivery and applicable conditions should be accessible before purchase.
Your terms
Your terms should explain the contract, payment, delivery and withdrawal rules that apply.
Guarantees and disputes
Legal guarantees and complaint or mediation routes should be handled according to the rules of your markets.
Personal data
Your processing, processors and privacy information must stay consistent with your activity.
The customer request
A clear form is mainly how nothing gets lost.
The customer should be able to identify the relevant contract and express their decision clearly. Identity, contact details and the relevant order prevent needless exchanges.
The online journey adds a practical benefit: after confirmation, the acknowledgement records the request content, date and time on a medium the customer can retain.
With BackToMe, this form is part of the journey: the customer submits the request, receives the confirmation and you find the case in your dashboard.
Choosing a solution
Do not compare the button display alone.
Native feature
It can be a good starting point. Check that a guest buyer can withdraw without creating an account, as well as the acknowledgement, history, export and what remains available if you change platform.
In-house build
It gives you more control, but leaves you responsible for the interface, emails, retention, maintenance and regulatory monitoring.
BackToMe
One journey for the request, automatic acknowledgement, tracking and verifiable information. €25 excl. VAT/month or €250 excl. VAT/year per shop.
FAQ
Useful questions before acting.
Who should consider this?
What should the button say?
Must confirmation be a separate step?
Is an acknowledgement required?
Do marketplaces or dropshipping change the rule?
What BackToMe brings
The same requirements, from the product side.
What one installation produces against the points above.
A confirmation on its own screen
The second screen shows customers their declaration. They can go back and correct it. Nothing is sent before “Confirm my withdrawal”.
Button · Screen 2/2 Confirmation
An acknowledgement restating the declaration
It goes out at once, in the customer’s language, with the content of the request, the date and the time, time zone named.
E-mail · Acknowledgement
The official wording of their language
“Withdraw from contract here” by default, in its official wording for each of the twenty-four languages. Two equivalent variants stay available.
Settings · Button label