Online consumer rights compared: EU and United States
What consumer rights apply when selling online in the EU and the United States?
The EU writes a detailed pre-contract information list, a withdrawal right and price display rules. The United States works mainly through unfair and deceptive practice enforcement, with state rules on top.
Rows read against the registers 2026-08-26.
European Union
- Consumer Rights Directive — Directive 2011/83/EU, 32011L0083: Pre-contract information, the 14 day withdrawal right and confirmation of the order on a durable medium.
- Omnibus Directive — Directive (EU) 2019/2161, 32019L2161: Adds duties on price reduction announcements, review verification and marketplace ranking disclosure.
- Price Indication Directive — Directive 98/6/EC, 31998L0006: Selling price and unit price must be shown unambiguously to the consumer.
- Unfair Commercial Practices Directive — Directive 2005/29/EC, 32005L0029: Prohibits misleading actions and omissions that change the average consumer's decision.
Open the European Union register
United States
- FTC Act Section 5, unfair or deceptive practices in AI and data, 15 U.S.C. § 45: Section 5 covers deceptive pricing, fake reviews and unsubstantiated claims in the same commercial ground.
- California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA, Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.: Adds opt-out signals and notice duties at the point where personal data is collected in the checkout.
Open the United States register
China
No Chinese row in our register for this topic. That is a gap in the register, not a statement that no rule exists.
What they ask for in common
- Both sides treat a struck-through price without a real prior price as misleading.
- Both sides require the total payable amount to be visible before the order is placed.
Where they differ
- The EU withdrawal right is written in the act. US returns are mostly a contract term the seller sets.
- The EU lists the information to give. The United States tests the impression the page creates.
- Our register holds no Chinese row for this topic, so the page shows the gap rather than guessing.
What companies usually do first
- Check the price history behind every reduction claim before the campaign starts.
- Write one checkout information block and translate it, rather than one per market.
- Keep review verification evidence with the product, not with the marketing team.
This page describes what the registers say and what is common practice. It is a reading of published sources, not legal advice, and it is not a compliance verdict.
Does this apply to us
- Do consumer rights rules apply to an online marketplace?
- Do consumer rights rules apply to an online seller?
- Do consumer rights rules apply to a manufacturer?
- Do consumer rights rules apply to an importer?
- Do consumer rights rules apply to a cloud provider?
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