Returning an online purchase in Estonia: deadlines, exceptions and costs
How to notify a seller of withdrawal, distinguish two 14-day periods and check return costs, exceptions and proof of dispatch.
A sale purchase may be the wrong size or simply unnecessary. First distinguish withdrawal from a distance purchase of an undamaged item from a complaint about a defect. These are different grounds. Do not ask only for a warranty if your actual aim is to withdraw from the purchase in time.
Identify the seller and purchase type
The usual consumer withdrawal right concerns a distance contract with a trader. The same mechanism does not automatically apply to a purchase from a private individual. Exceptions also depend on the goods or service, such as genuinely personalised items or certain date-specific services. Check your situation rather than assuming everything bought online is returnable.
Separate notification from dispatch
For a normal eligible goods purchase, the 14-day withdrawal period is linked to receipt. Notify the seller within the applicable period; the goods then have a further prescribed 14-day return period after notification. Do not silently post a parcel back or wait for a shop's reply until the notification deadline has passed.
TTJA explains that, from 1 September 2026, online shops must provide an easily accessible withdrawal function. A missing or broken function does not extinguish the right. Send an unambiguous notice by another recordable method, such as email. Keep the sent message and the shop's acknowledgement.
Check costs and condition
Establish who pays return postage and which address accepts returns before sending anything. A registered office is not necessarily the returns warehouse. In the circumstances provided by law, the trader may wait for the goods or evidence of dispatch before refunding.
Examine the item only as necessary to establish its properties, as you would in a shop. Extended use may raise a question of reduced value. Pack it to prevent fresh damage in transit. Photographs of the contents and packaging can help record what you sent; they are a practical precaution, not a mandatory photo session for exercising the right.
Keep the notice concise
- The buyer's name and order number.
- The item concerned.
- A clear statement of withdrawal from the contract.
- The date and a contact for the reply.
- The return tracking number once dispatched.
For defective goods, separately describe the problem and the remedy you seek. Use TTJA's complaint guidance if a dispute remains, with the order and correspondence attached. Labelling an item as discounted does not, by itself, establish that a statutory withdrawal right is unavailable.
Sources
Prepared 6 November 2026. The image is an AI-generated illustration.