What your e-shop must display by law — an EU checklist

Consumer protection inspectors don't announce their visits — and fines for missing company info or misleading discounts can easily run into the tens of thousands of euros. Most violations don't come from bad intent, though; they happen simply because store owners don't have time to track everything that has changed in recent years. You can go through this checklist in ten minutes — and know exactly where you stand. Google, by the way, checks the same points when it judges whether your site is trustworthy enough for ads.

1. Seller identification — who is selling

1. Company name, registration number, and registered address must be easy to find on your site — typically in the footer and in your terms and conditions. If you're VAT registered, include your VAT ID too.
2. A working contact: email and ideally a phone number. A contact form alone isn't enough — consumers must have a direct way to reach you.
3. A footer visible on mobile too. A common snag: everything's there on desktop, but the mobile theme trims the footer. Check on a phone — that's how both the inspectors and Google do it.

2. Documents you can't do without

1. Terms and conditions — what you sell, at what price and how, delivery times, payment, shipping.
2. A complaints/warranty policy (can be part of your terms) — how customers file a claim, how quickly you'll resolve it, and their legal warranty rights (at least 2 years under EU law).
3. Information about the EU-wide 14-day withdrawal right — customers can return goods without giving a reason, and you must provide a model withdrawal form. If this information is missing, the withdrawal period extends by up to 12 months!
4. A privacy policy (GDPR) — what data you collect, why, for how long, and what rights your customers have.
5. Information about out-of-court dispute resolution — a required reference to your national consumer protection authority (or the relevant ADR body) for resolving consumer disputes out of court.

3. Prices and discounts — where the biggest fines happen

1. Prices always final, meaning including VAT and all fees. The customer must know the shipping cost no later than before completing the order.
2. Discounts under the EU Omnibus Directive (Directive 2019/2161): with every discount you must show the lowest price from the last 30 days before the discount — and calculate the discount from it. "Was €79, now €39" with a price the product never actually sold at is a classic reason for a fine.
3. Reviews: if you publish customer reviews, you must explain how you verify they come from real customers. Made-up reviews are a banned unfair practice.
4. The order button must make it clear the customer is placing a binding order with an obligation to pay (e.g. "Order and pay" / "Order with obligation to pay").

4. Cookies and tracking

1. A cookie bar with a real choice. Analytics and marketing cookies may only be stored after consent — and "Decline" must be as easy as "Accept". At the same time, the bar must not cover the content so much that the site becomes unusable.
2. Tracking codes only after consent. Google Analytics or Meta Pixel firing without consent is a violation your national data protection authority (under GDPR) can fine — technically, this is what Consent Mode solves.

5. Accessibility (EAA) — the new rule few people know about

Since June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act applies: e-shops (except the smallest micro-enterprises) must be usable by people with disabilities. In practice, that means among other things: labeled form fields, sufficient text contrast, image descriptions (alt texts), and a site you can operate with a keyboard. Enforcement is still gentle, but the obligation already applies — and the same fixes make your store easier to use for every customer.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is a practical summary, not legal advice — for more complex cases, consult a lawyer.