Article 14 — Obligations of the consumer in the event of withdrawal

Consumer Rights Directive, Directive 2011/83/EU

What does CRD Article 14 say?

Short answer, straight from the official text

1. Unless the trader has offered to collect the goods himself, the consumer shall send back the goods or hand them over to the trader or to a person authorised by the trader to receive the goods, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which he has communicated his decision …

Source: Consumer Rights Directive, Directive 2011/83/EU, read 2026-10-13.

Official text

Read from the EU Publications Office for this CELEX number. The wording stands as published; nothing here is rewritten or summarised.

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1. Unless the trader has offered to collect the goods himself, the consumer shall send back the goods or hand them over to the trader or to a person authorised by the trader to receive the goods, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which he has communicated his decision to withdraw from the contract to the trader in accordance with Article 11. The deadline shall be met if the consumer sends back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired.

The consumer shall only bear the direct cost of returning the goods unless the trader has agreed to bear them or the trader failed to inform the consumer that the consumer has to bear them.

In the case of off-premises contracts where the goods have been delivered to the consumer’s home at the time of the conclusion of the contract, the trader shall at his own expense collect the goods if, by their nature, those goods cannot normally be returned by post.

2. The consumer shall only be liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling of the goods other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods. The consumer shall in any event not be liable for diminished value of the goods where the trader has failed to provide notice of the right of withdrawal in accordance with point (h) of Article 6(1).

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Other articles in this chapter

• Article 6
• Article 7
• Article 8
• Article 9
• Article 10
• Article 11
• Article 12
• Article 13
• Article 15
• Article 16

Who does this apply to

The register names five roles. Open a role to see the duties this act places on it, each row with its article and its source.

• Online marketplace
• Seller in distance selling

Does this apply to us?

• Do ai governance rules apply to an online marketplace?
• Do personal data rules apply to an online marketplace?
• Do cross-border data rules apply to an online marketplace?
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• Do health data rules apply to an online marketplace?
• Do online platforms rules apply to an online marketplace?

All roles in the register · All questions by role

The text is quoted from the official source and is not legal advice. A national court reads the language version that binds in its jurisdiction.

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