Can Websites Change Prices Once Ordered?

Originally written by Lucy Debenham, updated by the editorial team on 25th July 2026

Mr Darren Kendrick asks

I've just ordered a Nintendo Wii online and when I placed my order it was advertised at £159.99. After an hour or so went by, I contacted them as I hadn't received any confirmation e-mails back from them.

They said they hadn't confirmed the order because they had just changed the price to £169.99 and were refusing to sell me the item for the advertised price when I ordered it. It is now showing the updated price of £169.99 on their website, can they do this?

Advertised Prices Are Not Binding Contracts

When you see a price on a website and click to buy, you might assume the deal is done. In practice, UK law generally treats advertised prices as an invitation to treat, not a firm offer. The seller is inviting you to make an offer, which they can then accept or decline.

This means a retailer can often refuse to sell at an incorrect price, even after you have placed your order. Until the seller formally accepts your order, no contract typically exists between you. However, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 provide additional protections for distance selling, and situations where retailers make specific confirmations may create binding obligations.

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When Does a Contract Actually Form?

The timing varies between retailers, but a contract typically forms when the seller sends a dispatch confirmation or actually ships the goods. An automated order acknowledgement is usually just that: an acknowledgement that your order has been received, not an acceptance of the sale.

Most retailers state in their terms and conditions exactly when acceptance occurs. It is worth checking these if you are unsure. If a company spots a pricing error before dispatch, they may cancel the order and refund any payment taken.

This principle also applies to physical retail stores. If an item is labelled incorrectly on a shelf, the shop can remove it rather than sell at the wrong price. However, consumer expectations and specific circumstances can complicate matters, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides protections against misleading practices and unfair trading.

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

What Happens With Pricing Errors?

Retailers will sometimes honour a mistaken low price as a goodwill gesture, particularly larger companies concerned about customer relations. However, this is generally their choice rather than a legal requirement.

If you have paid and the order is later cancelled due to a price error, you are entitled to a full refund. The retailer cannot keep your money for goods they have declined to supply. If you have incurred costs or made commitments based on the order, you may have grounds to contest the cancellation, particularly if terms were not transparently communicated.

If a price appears unusually low, it may indicate an error. Retailers will often treat such orders as void once the mistake is discovered.

Your Options If This Happens

If a retailer cancels your order due to a pricing mistake, you can:

Request a full refund if payment has been taken
Ask the retailer to honour the price as a goodwill gesture
Shop elsewhere if you are unhappy with their response

You may wish to check the retailer's terms and conditions to understand their policy on pricing errors. Many state clearly that they reserve the right to cancel orders where prices are incorrect.

If you believe pricing was systematically misleading rather than an isolated error, you can report this to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline. Deliberately deceptive pricing may breach consumer protection rules, though honest mistakes are handled differently under the law.

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 →

44 questions

Ask Online Shopping Rights a Question

Parker 04/05/2023 at 3:27 pm

We placed order for a product that the web page showed as a one day lead time, we actually received the item 10 months later and in that time the supplier had a price increase and are now trying to charge me the new price, where do I stand with this.

D2440 03/01/2023 at 4:58 pm

I bought and paid for an item online.
The payment has been processed & I received an email conformation/invoice
The company has since emailed to say the item was priced wrong online & I need to pay an additional £850
Don't they have to honour my sale as they have entered into a contract of sale?

Ema 24/10/2022 at 2:09 pm

Hello I order a ring on selfridges yesterday for 700€ payed and confirmed this morning they cancelled the order without sending me an email telling me they don’t have the size they corrected the price and still have the size wich is not normal they should send me my order no? Not my fault if they done a mistake… and now they ban me from the chat.

PaddyJohn 20/09/2022 at 6:53 pm

I recently ordered an air fryer online at an offer price. The payment was taken and order confirmed.

After approximately 10 days I received an email saying my order was being cancelled and my account credited (not refunded) due to the item being out of stock, the item was still advertised with stock available but at a greatly increased price.

I contacted their CS and and was told I could have a refund and reorder via the website at the increased price.

My question is: Am I entitled to the item at the price originally advertised, confirmed & paid for?

Thanks in advance

Inneedoffurniture 24/09/2021 at 5:16 pm

Hi, hope someone can clear this up… ordered garden furniture in May with ETA of end July/beginning of August. Paid a deposit on ordering with the balance due on delivery. Chased beginning of August… told its being shipped over and new ETA end of August/beginning of September.
Chased again. Awaits response.
Same set is still advertised on their website but at £1000 increase in price.
I suspect on reply that they will offer my deposit back; this doesn’t assist; I want the goods at the price agreed.
Where do I stand with this?

Jones 13/04/2021 at 5:31 pm

I've purchased a chainsaw online yesterday from Congleton Garden machinery for £766 advertising a 16% discount, I spoke with a rep on the phone who told me the saw was £1259 . But I had already purchased at £766 online . Do they have to honour the original price of £766 .. ???
I see the listing has been removed the following day . But they have taken my money .

Litkat12 01/02/2021 at 9:11 am

Question:
My sister and I bought 2 sunloungers online for 19.99 each . After paying and receiving them . 3 hours later the company has emailed saying they shouldn't have been sold at that price and there was a mistake of the online price. They want us to ship them back (even though we have put 1 up) and they will give us a refund. Do we have to send them back? Please advise

Pavitt 27/11/2020 at 10:18 am

I booked a holiday for 2021 via a website.
I paid the deposit and today Received an email advising that the price was wrongly advertised.

When I spoke to the company they said they didn’t need to honour the price. I was under the impression that as I paid the deposit at this price it a legally the price of my holiday can you please advise

Nervous 28/09/2020 at 6:38 am

An item of furniture on an established website is advertised at £0.20 with free delivery. Would I be crazy to buy this using my Debit Card? Part of me wants to have a bash and another part (my gut feeling) is saying No! Please advise. What would you do?

Santa clause 29/07/2020 at 8:59 am

15 July ordered Samsung A10 phone from Currys through e.bay, advertised at a reduced price. Took my money. advised tracking number,gave me an order number.
After numerous e-mails advised that the item had been despatched still not received it and no refund.
Phones are in stock being advertising at full price now.
Do they have to supply me with the phone at the advertised reduced price?

SBL 20/02/2020 at 1:48 pm

I bought a limited edition print from an art gallery for £2,000. After having sold out, they have them priced online now for £3,950 so I approached them to sell mine for the higher price but they say the increase in value listed is the insurance value. Are they allowed to publicise a higher price and mislead customers in thinking their work is worth more? Nowhere online does it say the new value is an insurance value.

Cathy 30/11/2019 at 6:55 pm

Hi..I ordered a champion hoodie from topman at £41.25. When it arrived the label on it says £25. Can I request they refund me the difference? They say no. Any advice please.

Julie 11/10/2019 at 4:38 pm

I ordered a fridge freezer from Amazon at £371 paid for it, money has left my bank the next day they cancelled my order and told me to reorder which I went online to do and it’s now priced at £889 I have contacted them and they will not honour the price I paid for it and say I have to pay the higher price although they accepted my order what are my rights please

Julia 01/10/2019 at 1:15 pm

I saw an on line advert selling an item at £260 half price and the ad said the price would be £247 with a voucher I tried to use the voucher code and it didn't work. I emailed the company to ask if they could action their voucher and they said the voucher wasn't valid on that item yet their advert for the item clearly states the reduced price with the voucher. Can company's advertise like this?

Demonize 15/08/2019 at 5:06 pm

My comment is not quite the same as others. I regularly buy digital products on iTunes, if you do beware that some films, especially Christmas or valentine movies, which can cost up to £13.99 for a hd copy, can also be found in the TV section of the store at the price of £2.49 for hd and £1.89 for sd. This is a massive price difference, as you can see, I, luckily, found this out before I purchased any, and own many movies from iTunes I have bought for under £2.50 that are advertised, on their own site, at the same time as nearly £14. My advise if you buy from iTunes, check the TV section for movies, to see if they also list there, generally they do not list running time in TV, like they do in movies, but if the description fits, it generally is the same title. I have personally saved a fortune like this and hope you do. I don't know if this practise by iTunes is legal as you can by, whoever you are, at both prices, so it's worth a look, next time you buy.

Robinson905 14/04/2019 at 1:45 pm

On the company dealership website i paid a £250 deposit to reserve a car via Paypal. The price of the car is £8290. They said it has been listed incorrectly and should've been £22,490. They won't sell it at the lower price and have said they will refund the deposit. Do they nave to honour the original price displayed as i paid a reservation deposit with a view to seeing and purchasing the car?

Thankyou

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 29/06/2018 at 3:47 pm

No, you're not entitled to the rug at the error price but you are entitled to a refund if you've already paid.

Bgbgbg 29/06/2018 at 11:05 am

I ordered a rug from the range yesterday for £19.99. I received my confirmation email. I then received an email saying my order had been cancelled as the item is out of stock but when I checked the website it is back in stock but now listed for £59.99. I called customer services and was told sorry and that the rug was in stock but I had to email a different department for information. My email was ignored so I called again and I’m now being told the item is out of stock, when I can see on the website that it is in stock.
Do I have a right to the rug at the lower price as they have emailed me false information?

Lb 11/01/2018 at 11:53 pm

Hi I hsve preordered an item on a retailers website and paid the relevant price with a dispatch fate of later this month which as I'm not on a rush for the item was Acceptable.

I now notice that the item has been reduced further with a not in stock tag line. Can I truest that the reduced price is honoured on my order?

Dave 21/12/2017 at 10:14 am

I recently purchased a game online it then turned out they had priced the item wrong. I was awaiting a download code, the order status was confirmed but then changed to cancelled. Is there anything further I can do?

Strider 02/10/2017 at 3:46 pm

I recently purchased an expensive tap online for around £30 but it clearly should have been around £400 as that is what others were selling it for. I paid and they accepted payment then I received an email saying please accept this as confirmation an re stating the low price of £30. At this point I feel they were legally obliged to supply it. Today I received an invoice which just showed a credit and a note that this was due to pricing error. Clearly they messed up and are hoping I go away. I don't want hassle but legally, surely they have to provide the item now. What do you think?

Wardy 03/12/2016 at 9:51 pm

I ordered a case of 3 wine through amazon, paid and got order confirmation. When the goods arrived there was only 1 bottle. I emailed the vendor through the correct route via amazon who said it was a mistake and they won't send any more. Can they do that?

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 01/12/2016 at 2:45 pm

You should be given an immediate refund for this as it was the retailer's mistake.

Jo 01/12/2016 at 9:22 am

Hi, I payed and placed an order on line for an electric fire on Black Friday 2016. I received an email confirming payment but no email with regards to delivery.
After waiting several working days, I rang the company. I was advised they would get back to me. After waiting a day. I phoned again and was told they would enquire and get back to me. I later received an email explaining that the item had been wrongly priced due to human error. I was very understanding and appreciated the honesty. I rang them up to discuss the matter and explained that I understood and not to worry. I could not afford the payment update and the person said she would personally go to the warehouse, take some photos and send them to me of suitable alternatives. After waiting several hours, I received 4 photos with no information about the products. I rang once again to enquire about energy output ect, and decided to choose 1 of the fires. I asked before placing the order, could she send me confirmation of the fire details. Several hours later, I received an email advising me of the price-£250 more! So disappointing. I had explained that I could not afford much more than I had already spent and that I had already freecycled my current fire! Now, when I have once again rang, the person dealing with me is busy and will contact me later. What are my rights?

Mand 28/07/2016 at 6:34 pm

Hi
I ordered a nursery furniture set advertised at 188 I paid for it and awaited its arrival
But never heard anything so emailed them they advised me I would receive this in two weeks I was contacted by the supplier telling me I could receive the cot and the rest next week but I asked for it altogether I have been told today that it was priced wrong and now I have to pay more to receive it what can I do!!

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 25/05/2016 at 10:15 am

You need to establish whether it's a mistake or whether it only applies for a limited time etc. If you feel this is misleading marketing, you might consider reporting them to the Advertising Standards Authority

Jaq 24/05/2016 at 9:28 am

I have been sent an email from Victoria bathrooms with a SALE price for a bathroom set of £119.95 I have looked for this specific set and o. The picture the set is approx ?400 plus because this email has been sent directly to me can I insist on the set at the special SALE price I have contacted them and await a reply
Thank You

Seb 11/04/2016 at 11:22 am

I have ordered 4 tyres online for a reduced price. I have received a confirmation email with the correct sum.
The next day the supplier has sent me an email with tracking information and a confirmation again but the price went up nearly 3 times. The tyres came this morning but I have refused to take them so they went back with the courier. I have contacted the company selling them and they said there was an error on website and the prices where wrong. They have cancelled the order. Can I claim those tyres at the price I had the confirmation for?

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 01/12/2015 at 12:27 pm

As this is a mistake, you should receive a refund. There is not much esle you can do unless you think the company was deliberately misleading people by promoting prices for non-existent items or incorrect prices in order to persuade people to buy at a different price.

hutz 30/11/2015 at 10:35 am

I ordered some stuff on a Black Friday Deal... I paid for it, received a confirmation email for both the order and the payment. I went back in to the company to check delivery address the next day and the order had disappeared. When i rang the company they had no order confirmation, i emailed them mine and the chap then found a print out of mine but no electronic copy.
Now the person i spoke to said they order was removed due to a pricing error. I was not informed and they still have my payment.
My big gripe is that under normal circumstances i would have questioned the price, however due to these items been advertised on a Black Friday Deal Page of their site i am furious.
Will this come under a mistake in advertising or a misleading advert?

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 05/11/2015 at 1:54 pm

You should just cancel it from your side if that's what they require.

istar 05/11/2015 at 8:25 am

Hello, I would be very grateful if you can give me an advice: I booked accommodation , paid both the deposit and the rest of the price and got the authomatised confirmation in between the payments. The company refuses to honor the price stating that it was a pricing error, and it really could be. They want ME to cancel my booking. I wrote them several times and they only say that I can accept the new price (many times higher) OR cancel on my side. Can they force me to cancel? Why don´t they just cancel it on their side, which allows them their TaC?

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 18/08/2015 at 1:55 pm

We don't have the Mothercare Terms and Conditions but in general the trader is under no obligation to sell you the product at the mistakenly publicised price in cases like this.

Ryan 17/08/2015 at 10:08 pm

My partner purchased a car seat from mothercare online. Made payment, received confirmation email and a delivery date. The second following evening we received an email saying that they have cancelled the order due to an error in pricing online and we should see their t&c etc. checked them and they are contradicting. Where do we stand?

OnlineShoppingRights Editor 02/06/2015 at 2:31 pm

@richard. If the company has advertised a single traveller holiday at certain price but then say the price is not accurate because of a single person supplement you would have a good cause to complain. Misleading information like this can be followed up and prevented by both Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority.

richard 31/05/2015 at 11:32 am

I wanted to book a holiday online for one person for £2594. Got a message to ring office as no flights available.This message was for every date I tried.I rang and was told the holiday was over £3000.I was told this was due to the single supplement but the online price was given for a single traveller and was higher then if I entered two people.One week later I entered my details again and got the same result. Do the company have to honor the online price given that they have had a week to change the details online.

chelle63p 30/11/2013 at 10:35 pm

I the same as the post before bought the Samsung tab from very in the "black friday" sales. They have taken the money from by bank account but cancelled the order saying that they will only reinstate it if I pay an extra £150 otherwise I can opt for a refund which will take 10 working days. I know that if a genuine price mistake was made they are under no obligation to honour it but I truly believe it was either a ploy to generate buzz around their sale and get people to buy other goods or to entice people to open credit accounts to pay for it. I after numerous attempts managed to pay using a debit card instead of using the "open a credit account" option page it kept taking me to, only to find out today they still opened a credit account in my name!

tarab 30/11/2013 at 12:14 pm

Hi I ordered a galaxy tab 3 from very in there black Friday lightning deal at £129 ,got an email confirming and then got an email with tracking number which I checked saying order accepted and was being delivered on the 5th of December .I then received a telephone call this morning saying the price was wrong and should have been £269 but they would take off £20 could you please tell me what my rights are.

Kermit 14/08/2013 at 8:53 pm

Have just been searching online for a holiday next year. On the holiday providers website I have had a ridiculously cheap holiday price quoted on screen (and have printed a hard copy), but I can't go ahead and book as the website is experiencing technical difficulties. My question is - are the company liable to sell me the holiday for the price quoted on screen (for the total party price including taxes, charges etc), or is the price only a guide until you hit the final "book now" button?. Thanks

Please help...... 12/11/2012 at 7:45 pm

Hi we also have booked 2 holidays over the weekend with haven online we payed in full and got a comfermation email saying holiday was booked and payed in full and we have now another email with price changes due to error,do we ave any rights to tell haven we should not pay what they are asking for now.regards graham

marshah 12/11/2012 at 3:31 pm

I recently booked a holiday with Haven online and received an order confirmation which also read total holiday price (which was £31) and paid with thanks in full. I have now received an email from them saying that there was an error on their system and the booking price was incorrect. Where do I stand now? Do they have to honour the holiday at the price I paid, or do they have the right to cancel the holiday or expect me to pay the difference?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Mant thanks. Marsha Hayes

panda 17/01/2012 at 10:54 am

If returning an item online purchase which was reduced in a sale, do I have to accept a credit note/gift card or should I be entitled to a full refund on my credit card?

leanne 14/04/2011 at 11:03 am

hi i purchased a dress yesterday payd for it and had my receipt. thae later on i was sent an email of refund saying thay have priced it wrong i am not happy at all.. have thay got any right to do this????

GoaHaris 12/04/2011 at 6:30 pm

What if I have got into the similar situation, but in my case I have received the order confirmation by email? They have not changed the price but removed the item from their web site and refused to sell it to me.

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