General information, not legal advice
Return deadline tracker: the last day to send it back
Enter when each order arrived and the shop’s return window. You get the shop’s deadline, the legal 14-day cancellation period where one applies (UK and EU online orders), the earliest date to act, and reminders for your calendar.
Example purchases: add your own and these go away.
| Purchase | Shop’s deadline | Legal cancel-by | Earliest, days left | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter bootsDelivered Mon 30 Nov 2026 · UK, online | 30-day window, from the day after delivery | Send back by Mon 28 Dec 2026 if you cancel on the last day | – | |
| UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013: 14 days to cancel, starting the day after delivery, then 14 days to send it back. | ||||
| Desk lampDelivered Fri 4 Dec 2026 · EU, online | 14-day window, from the day after delivery | Send back by Fri 1 Jan 2027 if you cancel on the last day | – | |
| EU Consumer Rights Directive, Article 9: 14 days to withdraw from the day after delivery, then 14 days to send it back (Article 14). | ||||
| BlenderDelivered Wed 2 Dec 2026 · US, online | 30-day window, delivery day is day 1 | none | – | |
| US: no general federal right to return; the store’s policy applies (check your state’s rules too). | ||||
How the deadlines are worked out
- UK online, phone and mail orders: under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you have 14 days to cancel, starting the day after delivery, and then 14 days after telling the shop to send the goods back. Delivered on 30 November? Cancel by 14 December.
- EU: the Consumer Rights Directive gives the same 14 days from the day after delivery (Article 9), then 14 days to send it back (Article 14). If the last day is a Saturday or Sunday, the period runs to the next working day; public holidays also count, so check yours.
- US: there is no general federal right to return a purchase. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers some sales at your home or at temporary locations, not online orders, so the store’s policy applies.
- Australia: the consumer guarantees give no right to a refund for a change of mind, but a shop that has a change-of-mind policy must stick to it.
Faulty or not-as-described goods are a separate right in all of these places. Gift receipts and longer holiday return windows are up to each shop: check its policy, and enter its window here. When a policy says “30 days” without saying from when, pick the earlier date to be safe. Your list stays in this browser.
Questions
When does the UK 14-day cancellation period start?
The day after the goods are delivered to you. For an order delivered in parts, it starts the day after the last part arrives.
Can I return something bought in a shop?
Only under the shop’s own policy, unless it is faulty. The 14-day right to cancel covers online, phone and mail-order purchases.
Do Christmas gifts get longer return windows?
Many shops extend returns over the holidays, but that is their choice, not the law. Check the shop’s policy and the gift receipt.
Sources
- UK: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 (cancellation period) and regulation 35 (sending goods back).
- EU: Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, Articles 9 and 14 and recital 41, with Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 1182/71, Article 3(4), on periods ending at a weekend.
- US: FTC, Buyer’s remorse: the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule may help.
- Australia: ACCC, Repair, replace, refund, cancel.
Checked on 2 November 2026. General information, not legal advice.