Buying Clothing Online: Consumer Rights and Returns

Author: Lucy Debenham

You might not have the time or inclination to trawl around the high street or shopping mall for hours on end, so you decide that buying your clothes and shoes online is your best bet. However, before you begin to start shopping online for your clothes, you should have a good understanding of your consumer rights, what to do if you decide to ask for a refund or need to return your clothing.

Your Basic Consumer Rights

When buying clothes from a UK-based online store, the first thing to look for are the following key pieces of information:

The trader or business owner's name
The address (no PO Box numbers) of the trader/retailer
An accurate description of the goods and services on sale to you
Clear terms and conditions outlining refunds, returns and cancellation policies. If there is no fair (i.e. affordable) returns policy, then the seller is entitled to pay the return shipping. The company's cancellation policy and your rights in relation to cancelling a product or service

Before you decide to buy an item of clothing online, be aware that the seller should also follow these fundamental rules:

Accurately describe the item on sale
Make sure the item is fit for purpose
Make sure the item is made to a satisfactory quality with no faults

In terms of the actual clothing, accurate description translates as being as precise as possible in regards to the size, colour, and materials used to make the clothing. However, you should be aware that there is no standard or official clothing guidelines currently set out for clothes manufacturers, so sizes may vary slightly. Fit for purpose means that the clothing retains the purpose and carries that out the job that it's meant for, such as being waterproof, water resistant or breathable. Satisfactory quality means that the item should be manufactured so that all the seams and stitches are in tact and without flaw.

Further to this, when buying online from a UK-based clothing store, you will also be covered by the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations (2000) and the E-Commerce Regulations. Basically, the key specifications are that:

You should have an opportunity check your order and shipping costs before you confirm payment
Other prior information, such as terms and conditions, item description, delivery arrangements and cancellation rights should be made available to you before you buy
You should be given or sent your payment confirmation, delivery and shipping information, as well as cancellation rights in writing (usually via email when shopping online)
You have a 7-day cooling off period of you change your mind about your purchase

But remember that clothes do effectively have their own 'shelf life', and depending on their use and how well you look after them, they will eventually wear out.

Online Purchase Rights Checker

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Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Refunds and Returns

Should you choose to have an item personalised or specifically tailored, then the normal consumer rights do not cover you. Once you have completed a contract and made the purchase, you cannot return the item and the trader may not oblige you with a refund.

You should also be aware that there are some clothing items such as briefs, thongs, and swimwear, control and shape wear garments that you may not be able to claim a refund for. The general consensus is that for hygienic purposes, these items should be tried on over other undergarments, and if it is clear or suspected that you haven't done this, then your claim for a refund can be refused.

If you believe that the item you bought is faulty, or doesn't fulfil the description given before you bought, then you are at least entitled to a refund. It's best to check the clothing item as soon as it's received, before wearing it. If you have worn the item, make sure that the fault was not caused by misuse. If you have washed the item, make sure that you have properly followed the care label instructions.

You are also entitled to have the item repaired, and if the price of repair is deemed to be uneconomical or unsatisfactory, then you will be entitled to a refund. However, bear in mind that the trader or seller has the right to deduct a relative proportion of the cost of the item of clothing if it has been worn.

As a goodwill gesture, many retailers will offer a replacement item, but they are not legally obliged to do so. You should know that it is the responsibility of the trader, not the manufacturer, to sort out any problem such as returns or refunds.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Online Purchase Rights Checker lets you find out your rights when an online order goes wrong, from faulty goods to late or missing deliveries. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 98 questions

Ask Online Shopping Rights a Question

Bk 20/05/2023 at 12:58 pm

My coat was 4 mo thx old, the stitching became loose. It went back to Moncler for a repair. 7 weeks later its return with littl tear marks, scratch marks all o Ed it.
What are my rights

Lorraine 30/03/2023 at 11:24 pm

I bought items of clothing which I thought was in the UK, but it was only when I got tracking info that I realised it was America. The items I received are faulty and sent several pictures to them. They are asking me to return items to a different country to where they were sent, they want them returned to Hong Kong. This is going to cost me a lot and was wondering if it's faulty should they be recovering the cost of postage? I paid via PayPal

Lynn 28/02/2023 at 12:32 pm

I bought a coat online from JulesB. It was too big and was sent back. They’ve issued me with a credit note which I don’t want as per their returns policy. Does an item of clothing (which is too big and therefore can’t be worn ) fall within the regulations around not fit for purpose?

Stu 10/02/2023 at 7:06 pm

I recently purchased a pair of trousers which were too small. I returned with tags labels in tact. Retailer saying item is showing signs of wear which is untrue. What are my rights.
Regards k elliott

XX 02/09/2022 at 6:42 am

Hi, Please could you advise. I purchased a skirt online from a shop in the UK. It was duly posted to me in France. When UPS asked for my signature to receive the package I was asked to pay a further 130 euros import tax. I was surprised as I have ordered from this company in the past and this was not the case. The UPS delivery man informed me that I had the right to refuse the package and it would be returned immediately. This is what I decided to do. So the package was never reception or opened by myself.

I informed the shop by email and they agreed that once they received the package they would refund me. One month later, they have not received the package and they inform me I will only be refunded once they receive it. I feel powerless as I paid 30 pounds delivery charge and have no way to solve this problem. Can you advise on my rights to claim refund.

Andy 11/05/2022 at 5:36 pm

I bought some boxer briefs online and when they arrived the box was open and their was no sticky label to keep the box closed, does this indicate that the item was once returned by another customer? Meaning these boxers may well have been worn by someone else.

Annie 04/08/2021 at 7:16 pm

My daughter, bought £100 worth of clothes from AX Paris which sadly weren’t suitable. They arrived on 30th June, and were collected as returns by Royal Mail on 13th July. She paid by Klarna, where they automatically took the first payment of 3, and they will also take the other 2 payments. AX are saying the goods were returned after the 14 days so have issued a gift card, this means she will now have a gift card she’ll never use, and will still be paying Klarna for the goods she no longer has. Surely this isn’t right?

Elaine 28/10/2020 at 10:43 am

I bought some items from an online company and when they came I did not like the colour or the material but tried them on anyway. They are too short and do not fit very well but the company are now saying there is nothing wrong with the quality of the items and that I am not entitled to a full refund and want to pay me 10% as a good will gesture. Is this legal?? Please advise.

Thanks

Pollyhants 17/10/2020 at 10:46 am

I too have made a purchase from Etsy - it’s a faux fur throw which I purchased from a drop down size/ colour ordering system which says “ low on stock”
However, the throw arrived yesterday looking cheap and definitely not luxury as described.
I would like to return as not up to my expectation . The accompanying letter states that I cannot return for refund as it has been hand made for me? - as stated in their Ts & Cs
I do not consider this a customised item as I have chosen from their stock offer !
(Replying to JUP 20/9/20 who has had a similar experience )Pat

M 01/10/2020 at 3:58 pm

Pl advise - clearance / end of line garments sold online can be returned by customers ?

JUP 16/09/2020 at 2:38 pm

What are our rights on a handmade item on Etsy, which is not as described? We are told no returns as it was made to order, but this was not mentioned when the order was placed

jen 29/08/2020 at 11:14 am

I ordered my son a P.E top from an online shop where I have to buy the school clothes from. I had him try his brothers on and decided it was a good fit so i ordered him the same size. When it arrived, it didn't fit! Apparently they've changed sizing but haven't put it anywhere on the site and now i have to pay to get it returned! I don't think its right!

Tay 18/06/2020 at 9:59 am

Hi so my mum bought from this company and they’re requesting photos of the faults before issuing a refund. However, the faults are that the items are too small. My mum shouldn’t have to send photos of herself to the company for the manager to see if their is anything wrong with them? Right?

D 28/03/2020 at 7:48 am

I have purchased a prom dress from what I believed to be a uk based online retailer. They requested size specifications which I gave abs they wanted more money for tailoring. I said I didnt want tailoring as that would prevent me from a refund and they said ok. The dress is huge and not good quality and they are refusing a refund saying its tailored and by the emails they sent clearly not a uk company due to poor English and customer service I think they are in china. What can I do

Jkjj 17/02/2020 at 2:48 pm

Hi, I bought a coat and it didn’t fit so am I allowed to get the coat in a size that is out of stock even if I had to wait a couple of weeks

A 02/01/2020 at 9:17 pm

Hi, I've bought a handbag in online shop. During order there was option to add monogram for free, which I did. The personalisation appeared to be just an additional tag manually added attached to handbag. It's for sure not part of original item. When I received handbag the colour of it looks much different than on a website.
I wanted to return it, but seller said it's personalised item and cannot be returned.
Please advice are they right?

Faye 04/12/2019 at 6:39 am

I had two separate orders from chi chi London and returned them in one parcel to make it easier. They are now claiming only to have received 2 out of the 3 dresses in the box and want me to prove the additional dress was there, how can I prove this? It’s very confusing as they confirm to have received the parcel but not with all dresses. They refuse to look internally and instead want me to provide proof. Coincidentally they are refusing to refund the most expensive dress at £140!

Lou 11/09/2019 at 7:45 pm

Ordered a dress from stacees size 8 my size does not fit too small they are wanting money off me too alter all I want is an exchange

Bekah28 07/08/2019 at 8:47 pm

Help I purchased a coat from Childsplay clothing I paid £395 for my son the zip was faulty so I returned the coat to be repaired even thought the shop was not happy about doing so and was trying to say it wasn’t there problem as they do not make the item they just buy and sell so they kept trying to pass me off to the brand moncler however I returned it to be repaired received it back with another faulty zip this time it had a sharp end that has scratched my sons neck to bits so I cannot use the coat due to health and safety and the company is refusing to do anything about it just telling me that it’s not down to them and I’m basically left with a £395 coat that I can’t do nothing with help!!! As it’s a lot of money the coat is still brand new

mk 31/07/2019 at 11:27 am

Hi,

I ordered a pair of shorts off a well known company, upon undoing the button it quite literally fell off, the quality was not up to standards.

I have now got a response saying that they cannot refund me, the shorts were £50!

any advice please? Thanks

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