Most disputes about withdrawal are not disputes about the right but about the date. The law is generous here — but only if you know when counting starts and what applies when the trader said nothing.
Fourteen days: when they start and what applies without instructions
The period is 14 days and, for goods, starts when you receive them. Without proper instructions from the trader it does not start at all.
✓ Verified: 02/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
DOCUMENTS 2
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
I counted two weeks from the order date and would have been late had delivery been quick. Legally the clock ran from receipt — I still had days in hand.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Save a screenshot of the withdrawal instructions when you order. If they were missing or unclear, fourteen days turn into more than a year.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is the period exactly? ▾
The law states fourteen days. In principle it starts on conclusion of the contract unless otherwise provided. For consumer sales of goods otherwise is provided: it runs from the point at which the consumer received the goods.
What if the order arrived in several parcels? ▾
The logic is the same, but the reference point is receipt of the final part of the order. That is why the dispatch date does not help: what matters is when the goods were with you.
What happens if the trader never mentioned the right? ▾
Then the period simply does not begin. The law says so expressly: the withdrawal period does not start before the trader has informed the consumer in accordance with the statutory requirements. In that case the right expires at the latest twelve months and fourteen days after the ordinary starting point.
Must the withdrawal arrive within the period? ▾
No, and that is an important detail. Sending the withdrawal in good time is enough to meet the deadline. A message sent on the final day is therefore in time even if it is read later.