§ 17. The online shop must show where it delivers and which payment methods it accepts
When you shop online, the seller must clearly state any delivery restrictions (leveringsbegrensninger) and which payment methods it accepts, no later than when you start your order. It should not come as a surprise at the checkout that they do not deliver to Norway, or that they only take Visa.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
Websites for electronic commerce shall clearly and plainly, and no later than at the time the ordering process begins, state any delivery restrictions. It shall also be stated which payment methods are accepted.
What does this mean?
§ 17 deals with two things that often annoy customers: you spend time shopping, and then it turns out that the seller does not deliver to your area, or does not accept your payment method.
Delivery restrictions. If the online shop does not deliver to all of Norway, to Svalbard, or abroad, this must be clearly stated. Examples: "We only deliver to Southern Norway", "Extra shipping to Northern Norway", "No delivery to Svalbard".
Payment methods. Which payment methods do they accept? Vipps? Klarna? Visa? Invoice? Bank transfer? This must be clear from the start.
Timing: The information must be available no later than when the ordering process starts. This typically means when you have put something in the shopping basket and start filling in your address. It is too late to show this only at the checkout.
This is a relatively mild rule — it only requires the information to be available, not that it is placed prominently. But it must be "clear and plain", not hidden away.
Examples
Eva lives on Svalbard. She finds a lamp she likes in a Norwegian online shop. She fills her shopping basket, creates an account, types in her address — and then gets the message: "We do not deliver to Svalbard." Under § 17, the online shop should have stated this earlier — at the latest when the order started. If the information was hidden or missing altogether, Eva can complain to the Norwegian Consumer Authority (Forbrukertilsynet). Online shops that often fail to do this can receive an infringement fine (overtredelsesgebyr).
Lars wants to pay for a purchase by invoice. He spends an hour putting together an order, but when he gets to the checkout he sees that the seller only takes Visa and MasterCard. He has no credit card and has to abandon the purchase. Under § 17, this should have been clear from the start. Lars does not have a "right" to a particular payment method, but the seller has a duty to state which ones are available.
Common mistakes
- You give up without complaining. Many people just abandon the purchase and forget about it. But repeated breaches of § 17 can be reported — that helps all consumers (forbrukere) in the long run.
- You think this only applies to delivery time. It does not. § 17 is about where they deliver (geographically) and which payment methods they accept. The delivery time itself is regulated in § 8.
What should you do?
If you come across an online shop that hides delivery restrictions or payment methods:
- Complain to the Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukerrådet)
- Consider using a competitor that is clearer
- If you have spent a lot of time and still want to buy, contact customer service and see if they can find a solution
- § 8The seller's duty to provide information (opplysningsplikt) before the purchase
- § 14Requirements for contracts in online shopping
- § 16Design of the order button