Can I return my online purchase in Belgium?
Yes — 14 days to change your mind, without a word of explanation. Buy from a professional web shop (anywhere in the EU) and you get 14 calendar days from delivery to withdraw — no reason required. Notify them within the window (an email or the withdrawal form suffices) and ship the product back within 14 days; the seller refunds everything within 14 days, including standard outbound shipping (return costs may fall on you if that was disclosed upfront). If the shop forgot to inform you of this right, your window stretches to 12 months. The classic exclusions: custom-made goods, unsealed hygiene and health products, perishables, and digital downloads once you agreed to immediate delivery. And the biggest misconception of all: in a physical shop this right doesn't exist — exchanges there are pure commercial goodwill.
📋 The rules
- 14 calendar days from delivery — no reason needed
- Refund within 14 days, including standard outbound shipping
- Return costs: yours only if disclosed before purchase
- Not informed about withdrawal? The window becomes 12 months
- Testing like in a shop is fine — diminished value beyond that can be deducted
🔓 Exceptions
- Custom and personalised products, perishables, unsealed hygiene/health products
- Digital content after agreeing to immediate delivery; purchases from private individuals (Vinted) fall outside
- If the webshop never told you about your right of withdrawal, the 14-day period does not apply and stretches to 12 months
⚠️ Penalties & fines
For you as the buyer the cost hides in the detail: return postage is yours if the shop said so up front, and if you used the item beyond trying it on, the seller may deduct a loss of value from your refund. For the webshop it weighs heavier: not refunding within 14 days breaches the Code of Economic Law. Report it to the FPS Economy contact point, or the ECC for a foreign shop; a court can order repayment plus interest. And a shop that never informed you stays bound to your withdrawal for 12 months.
📎 Official sources
- FPS Economy · Withdrawal rights for online purchases →
- ECC Belgium · Returning online purchases →
- Test Aankoop · Web-shop return rights (NL) →
❓ Frequently asked
Must I give a reason?
No, the right of withdrawal is unconditional: an email saying 'I withdraw from my purchase of [product]' within the 14 days is enough. The seller cannot force you to justify it or to use his own form.
Who pays the return shipping?
You do, but only if the webshop clearly said so before your purchase; if it did not, the seller pays. The original outbound shipping cost is refunded either way, at least at the standard rate.
I used the product. Can I still send it back?
Yes, but the shop may deduct a loss of value if you went beyond the kind of trying-on you would do in a store. Slipping on a jacket is fine; returning a party dress you actually wore turns into a dispute over residual value.
What if the webshop never told me about this right?
Then your cooling-off period is not 14 days but runs up to 12 months. You can withdraw far later, and the seller cannot rely on a deadline he never communicated to you: the 14-day clock only starts once he informs you properly.
Does this apply in a normal shop too?
No. The statutory right of withdrawal only covers distance selling (online, phone) and off-premises sales. Exchanging goods in a physical shop is pure commercial goodwill, with conditions the trader sets himself.
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