Do I have to pay for or return unsolicited goods sent to me?
No — you do not have to pay for an unsolicited item that turns up, and the myth "you got it, so either buy it or return it at your own cost" is false. Under the consumer-contract provisions of the Civil Code, when a consumer is supplied goods, a service or digital content without ordering them, the consumer is not obliged to pay any price and bears no cost. The consumer's silence or inaction is not consent to enter a contract, and the burden of proving the item was ordered lies with the seller. In practice this means an unrequested parcel can be kept or simply left unused, with no obligation arising. Most importantly, and often overlooked: demanding payment for or the return of unsolicited goods is a banned unfair commercial practice, so threats of debt, bailiffs or "registration" over an unaccepted parcel have no legal basis.
📋 The rules
- A consumer need not pay for goods, a service or digital content sent without an order
- The consumer bears no cost – neither for the item nor for returning it
- The consumer's silence is not consent; no contract exists without a clear order
- The seller, not the recipient, must prove that the item was ordered
- Demanding payment for or return of an unsolicited parcel is an unfair commercial practice investigated by VVTAT
🔓 Exceptions
- If an item arrived through an obvious mistake (for example, to the wrong address) and the seller asks for it, it is fair to let them collect it, but you need not ship it yourself
- The rule protects consumers (natural persons); relations between two businesses are governed by their contract
- If the item was in fact ordered or confirmed earlier, it is no longer unsolicited – the normal purchase rules apply
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Here the "penalty" threatens not the recipient but the seller trying to extract money for something nobody ordered. An unsolicited item creates no payment obligation for the consumer, so invoices, reminders or threats to pass a debt to collectors have no legal basis. Often overlooked: demanding payment for an unordered parcel is treated as an aggressive or misleading commercial practice, exposing the business to VVTAT orders to stop and to administrative fines. If a "debt" is nonetheless handed to a collection firm, the consumer can state in writing that the item was unsolicited and refuse to acknowledge the obligation – such a debt cannot be proved in court, because the seller must show an order. It is worth keeping proof of the parcel and correspondence, and reporting the pressure to VVTAT, which can open an investigation and protect not only you but other recipients.
📎 Official sources
- e-seimas · Civil Code (consumer contracts, unsolicited goods) →
- VVTAT · unfair commercial practices →
- European Consumer Centre · undelivered and unsolicited goods →
❓ Frequently asked
Do I have to pay for an unsolicited item?
No, you do not have to pay for goods, a service or digital content sent without your order, and you bear no cost because of it. Your silence is not consent to buy, and the burden of proving that the item was ordered lies with the seller.
Must I return an unsolicited parcel at my own cost?
No, the law sets no duty to return an unrequested item or to cover its shipping cost. You may keep it or simply leave it unused; if the seller wants it back because of their own mistake, they must arrange and pay for the collection.
What if they demand payment or threaten debt?
State in writing that you did not order the item and do not acknowledge the obligation, keeping proof of the parcel and the correspondence. Demanding payment for unsolicited goods is an unfair commercial practice, so you can report the pressure to VVTAT.
Can such a "debt" end up with a bailiff?
Not by itself – without a court decision there is no debt, and in court the seller must prove the order. With unsolicited goods there is no such proof, so threats of bailiffs or registers over an unaccepted parcel have no legal basis.
Does this protection apply when buying from abroad?
Yes, similar protection applies across the EU under consumer-rights rules, so an unsolicited item sent from another EU country also creates no payment obligation. For disputes with a foreign seller you can turn to the European Consumer Centre in Lithuania.
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