Distance Selling Advice for Business

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Distance selling advice for traders

If you sell products and/or services online, by telephone or fax, catalogue or through TV shopping channels, you should know and understand the law which gives consumers further rights over and above the Sale of Goods Act. This is called the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

The key features of the regulations are:

• give potential customers certain information in advance, such as your name and address, the goods you are selling or the services you are providing, the price (including all taxes), delivery cost, delivery arrangements, and customers' right to cancel;
• send customers an order confirmation giving information such as your postal address and cancellation arrangements; and
• allow customers a seven working day cooling off period during which they can cancel their contract with you.

The Office of Fair Trading website has produced a detailed, easy to understand business guide, called 'Home Shopping: Distance Selling Regulations' which can be downloaded from their website for free.

If you require further clarification or advice on this subject, please contact us using the details below.

Contact information

• email: ts.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0141 840 3184 (select option 2)
• call in or write to us at:
  Trading Standards
  Renfrewshire House
  Cotton Street
  Paisley
  PA1 1BR