📦 Do I have to pay for goods sent to me that I never ordered?

Quick answer

No. For goods, a service or digital content that you did not order, you owe nothing — and you do not have to return it either. The Consumer Protection Act (ZVPot-1) bans so-called inertia selling: sending items without an order and demanding payment is not allowed, and the consumer has no obligation whatsoever from an unsolicited delivery. The key rule is that silence is not consent — if you do not respond to the »offer«, you are deemed not to have accepted it, not to have confirmed it. The myth that »if I do not return it, I must pay for it« is therefore wrong: not paying is no breach, because no contract ever formed. You may keep the goods as an unsolicited gift; you need not store them or send them back at your own expense. Watch the trap: if you actually ordered the item (even by phone or with one click) and then changed your mind, this is not unsolicited goods — the ordinary 14-day right of withdrawal for distance purchases applies instead. If a seller sends you reminders for something you never ordered, do not pay and demand that they stop; the law is on your side.

📋 The rules

ZVPot-1 bans inertia selling: sending goods, a service or digital content without an order, tied to a demand for immediate or deferred payment, is not allowed.
From an unsolicited delivery the consumer has no obligation whatsoever — neither to pay nor to return; the absence of a reply does not count as consent to buy.
The rule that silence is not consent means that without your clear agreement no contract forms at all; with no contract there is no basis for an invoice or a debt.
You need not store unsolicited goods or return them at your own expense; you may keep them, and the seller has no right to claim compensation for use or loss.
The protection also covers the unsolicited supply of water, gas, electricity, district heating and digital content, as well as unsolicited financial services.

🔓 Exceptions

If you did in fact order the goods (online, by phone or orally) and changed your mind, this is not unsolicited goods — you exercise the 14-day withdrawal from a distance contract and return the goods under the return rules.
A parcel delivered by mistake and addressed to someone else is not yours — you may not keep it; notify the courier or sender so that they collect it.
In business-to-business (B2B) dealings the special consumer protection does not apply; there the obligations are judged under the Code of Obligations and what the parties actually agreed.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

For the consumer there is no penalty — because no contract formed, not paying for unsolicited goods is not a debt and cannot trigger lawful collection. If the seller nonetheless sends reminders, charges default interest or threatens enforcement, this is a prohibited, aggressive commercial practice; the claim is unfounded and you are not required to settle it. Report the pressure to the Market Inspectorate (TIRS), which can fine the trader for inertia selling and unfair practice; misleading advertising or extorting payment may add sanctions under other rules and even criminal elements. If a debt-collection agency chases you for something you never ordered, reply in writing that you dispute the claim; keep the parcel and all correspondence as evidence. The real danger, then, threatens not you but the seller who runs such a practice.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Do I have to return unsolicited goods to the sender?

No. You need not return unsolicited goods or look after them at your own expense; you may keep them. Because no contract formed, the seller has no right to demand payment, return or compensation for use, since your receipt of the parcel does not amount to concluding a deal.

If I do not return it, am I deemed to have bought it?

No. Your silence or inaction does not count as consent to buy under ZVPot-1, so no contract can arise from it. The seller cannot infer agreement to pay from your failure to reply; without clear agreement there is simply no valid transaction.

The seller keeps sending reminders for something I did not order. What should I do?

Do not pay, and state in writing that you dispute the claim because you never ordered the goods. Keep the parcel, the packaging and all correspondence as evidence, then report the pressure and any collection to the Market Inspectorate, since this is prohibited inertia selling.

What if I actually ordered the item and changed my mind?

Then it is not unsolicited goods but an ordinary purchase. For distance or off-premises contracts you have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason and to return the goods; the seller refunds the price, while you usually bear the return costs if that was agreed.

Does this also cover unsolicited services or subscriptions?

Yes. The ban on inertia selling also covers services, digital content and unsolicited financial services, as well as the unsolicited supply of water, gas, electricity and heating. You owe nothing for any of these if you did not expressly order them, and here too silence is not conclusion of a contract.

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