§ 25. How to return the item correctly

After you have withdrawn from the purchase, you must send the item back within 14 days. You pay the return shipping yourself — unless the seller has agreed to pay it or failed to tell you about the cost. The seller can require you to pay for loss of value if you have handled the item more than necessary to see what it is.

The Right of Withdrawal Act (Angrerettloven)·LOV-2014-06-20-27

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)

The consumer (forbrukeren) shall without undue delay, and no later than 14 days from when notice under § 20 was given, send the goods back, or hand them over to the trader (den næringsdrivende) if the trader has not offered to collect the goods.

The consumer shall only pay the direct costs of returning the goods. The trader shall nevertheless cover these costs if the trader has agreed to pay them or has not informed the consumer that the consumer must pay the return costs (returkostnadene).

The trader may require the consumer to compensate for loss of value resulting from the consumer's handling of the goods that has not been necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods. This applies only if the consumer has received information about the right of withdrawal (angrerett), cf. § 8 first paragraph letter h.

Source: Lovdata — Angrerettloven (the Right of Withdrawal Act) § 25

What does this mean?

§ 25 describes your three obligations when you have withdrawn from a purchase of goods.

1. Send the item back within 14 days. The clock starts from the day you sent the notice of withdrawal (angremelding) — not from the day the seller received it. You must have sent the item within 14 days of the notice of withdrawal.

If the seller has offered to collect the item (typically for large or heavy items), you do not need to send it yourself. In that case, you wait for them to collect it.

2. You pay the return shipping. You cover the direct costs of returning the item — typically postage or shipping costs — yourself. But: the seller must cover them if one of two conditions is met:

Many larger online shops offer free returns as a selling point — that is their own agreement with you.

3. Loss of value — be careful how you handle the item. You are allowed to examine the item as if you were in a physical shop. You can lift it, try it, switch it on to see how it works. You can try on a dress in front of the mirror.

But you cannot use the item normally for 14 days and then withdraw. If you have done more than just examine its "nature, characteristics and functioning", the seller can require you to pay for the loss of value.

Important: Loss of value can only be claimed if the seller has given you proper information about the right of withdrawal under § 8 letter h. If they failed to do so, they cannot claim loss of value either.

Examples

Anne bought shoes from Zalando. She changes her mind two days later and sends a notice of withdrawal. She packs the shoes in the original packaging and sends them back four days after the notice of withdrawal. She pays NOK 79 in return shipping — Zalando had stated this in the purchase confirmation. Anne has done everything right. She was within the 14-day deadline, she bears the return cost herself because the seller informed her about it, and she has not used the shoes. She gets a full refund of the purchase price.

Lars bought a lamp from a foreign online shop for NOK 1,900. Nowhere in the order or the confirmation was there anything about return costs. He withdraws and has to send the lamp back to Germany — the shipping cost is NOK 350. Under § 25 second paragraph, the seller must cover this NOK 350 because they failed to state the return cost (a breach of § 8 letter i). Lars pays the shipping company, keeps the receipt, and claims a refund of the return shipping in addition to the purchase price.

Tom bought a flat-screen TV for NOK 12,000. He unpacked it, set it up, used it every day for twelve days — watched films, played games, used it for everything. Then he changed his mind. The seller accepted the withdrawal, but claimed NOK 3,000 for loss of value. The reason: Tom had used the TV far beyond what is necessary to "establish its nature, characteristics and functioning". To check whether it works, switching it on for a few minutes is enough — not using it daily for two weeks. The seller had given correct information about the right of withdrawal, and the claim is lawful under § 25 third paragraph.

Common mistakes

  1. You think you have 14 days to withdraw AND another 14 days to send the item back. You have 14 days to withdraw, and then 14 days from the notice of withdrawal to send it. These are two different deadlines of the same length.
  2. You think you have to pay the shipping no matter what. You only have to if the seller actually told you about it in advance. If they failed to mention return costs, they pay.
  3. You use the item "a little" and think that is fine. "Examining" and "using" are not the same thing. You can try clothes on, but not wear them for a night out. You can switch electronics on, but not use them over several days.
  4. You think the seller has to prove the loss of value. In principle yes, but in practice it is often easy for the seller to show that a used item is worth less. Be careful with how you handle the item if you are unsure.

What should you do?

If you do not send the item within 14 days: The seller can require you to keep the item and pay the full price. The right of withdrawal depends on you actually returning it.

If you have used the item too much: The seller can deduct the loss of value from the refund (tilbakebetaling). The amount must be in proportion to how much value has been lost — not a penalty.

When you withdraw:

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the original packaging?
Not under the law, but it is a good idea. If you have thrown away the box and the item comes back in a padded bag, the seller can argue for loss of value due to damaged packaging.
Can I wash the clothes before returning them?
No, that will normally count as use beyond what is necessary. Washing changes the condition of the item. Try the clothes on carefully and send them back in the same condition as you received them.
What about removing the plastic film on electronics?
Opening the packaging and removing protective film counts as a normal part of examining the item. It does not trigger a loss of value.
Related sections
All §§ in the Right of Withdrawal Act →
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