↩️ Right of withdrawal and the withdrawal button
In brief
If you buy online, by phone or from a catalogue, you can usually withdraw from the contract without giving a reason. The period is 14 days.
- For goods, the period starts when you have received the goods.
- You must state clearly that you are withdrawing.
- The trader must refund the money within 14 days at the latest.
- Some goods are excluded, for example custom-made ones.
New since 19 June 2026: online shops must offer a withdrawal button.
Step by step
- Check the deadlineWhen did you receive the goods? The 14 days count from then.
- Declare your withdrawalUse the shop's withdrawal button or write clearly by e-mail or letter.
- Keep the confirmation of receiptThe shop must confirm receipt. Take a screenshot.
- Send the goods back, claim your money backThe trader may refuse the refund until the goods are back or you prove you have sent them.
Deadlines
- Exceptions: custom-made goods, quickly perishable goods, sealed hygiene products once the seal has been removed (§ 312g Abs. 2 BGB).
- Simply sending goods back without a statement is risky. Declare the withdrawal expressly.
- Goods bought in a shop have no statutory right of withdrawal.
- Whether you bear the return costs depends on the information given by the trader.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Withdrawal (§§ 355 ff. BGB)
Under § 355 Abs. 1 BGB, withdrawal is made by a declaration to the trader; the decision to withdraw must be clear. Under § 355 Abs. 2 BGB the period is 14 days and begins on conclusion of the contract, unless otherwise provided. For the purchase of goods, under § 356 Abs. 2 BGB it begins as soon as the consumer or a third party named by the consumer, who is not the carrier, has received the goods. It does not begin before the trader has provided information under Art. 246a § 1 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 1 EGBGB. The right of withdrawal expires at the latest twelve months and 14 days after the start of the period.
Unwinding the contract
Under § 357 Abs. 1 BGB, benefits received must be returned within 14 days at the latest. Under § 357 Abs. 4 BGB, in a consumer sale the trader may refuse the refund until it has received the goods back or the consumer proves that they have been sent.
Withdrawal button (§ 356a BGB) since 19 June 2026
The act implementing Directive (EU) 2023/2673 was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette on 5 February 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28 of 5 February 2026). § 356a BGB has applied since 19 June 2026 to distance contracts concluded via an online interface, including financial services. The trader must provide a permanently available function labelled "Withdraw from contract" (para. 1). The consumer enters name, contract identification and means of communication and then confirms with "Confirm withdrawal" (para. 3). The trader must confirm receipt without delay on a durable medium (para. 4). For the timeliness of the withdrawal see para. 5. The withdrawal period itself does not change. The button is not a substitute for the right of withdrawal: if it is missing, withdrawal remains possible by other means. Legal consequences of its absence (for example an extension of the period) have not been examined here.
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