Black Friday: cancel an online purchase as fast as you made it

Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026. If an online purchase disappoints you, you have 14 days to change your mind. And since 14 August 2026, online shops must let you cancel in a few clicks.

The right to change your mind, even on a sale

Bought online, by phone or from a catalogue? You can cancel within 14 calendar days without giving a reason. The FPS Economy points out that this right also applies to discounted or sale items.

The 14 days start when you receive the goods. For a service contract, they start when you sign.

New: the withdrawal button

A 2023 European directive created a “withdrawal function” for purchases made on a website or app. In Belgium, businesses must offer it since 14 August 2026, according to the FPS Economy. The directive set 19 June 2026; Belgium transposed it with the law of 4 August 2026, which extends the button to all online purchases.

In practice, the European text requires:

• A clearly visible button labelled “withdraw from contract here” or an equally clear wording.
• Available throughout the withdrawal period, not only on delivery day.
• A short form: your name, details identifying the order, and the address for the confirmation.
• A confirmation step with a “confirm withdrawal” button or equivalent.
• An acknowledgement on a durable medium (an email, for example) showing the date and time of your request.

The FPS Economy adds that the shop cannot force you to download its app or go through complicated steps. The idea: cancelling should be as easy as buying.

Good to know: if you send the request through this button before the deadline, you are on time. The directive says so explicitly.

The button is not the only way. You can still use the model form or write to the seller by email or letter.

After withdrawing: return and refund

• You then have 14 days to send the product back.
• Return costs may be charged to you, but only if the terms and conditions say so.
• The seller must refund the price and standard delivery costs within 14 days of your withdrawal, using the same payment method.
• The seller cannot impose a voucher instead of a refund.

Purchases you cannot cancel

The FPS Economy lists, among others:

• personalised goods, such as an engraved item;
• perishable products (fresh food, some plants);
• digital content already opened or downloaded;
• opened hygiene products;
• services on a fixed date (concerts, trips).

Also note that the right of withdrawal does not apply to purchases in shops or at fairs (with some exceptions). And with a shop based outside the European Union it is not guaranteed: it depends on the seller's terms.

Marketplaces and dropshipping: who is the seller?

On large platforms, the seller is not always the platform itself. Before buying, you must be told who is selling, where they are based and what role the platform plays. That seller must respect your right of withdrawal.

With dropshipping, the product ships directly from a supplier, often abroad. If the site targets Belgian customers (in French or Dutch, with prices in euros), Belgian law applies. The final seller is responsible to you.

Before you click “buy” on 27 November

1. Check who the seller is and in which country they are based.
2. Read the line in the terms and conditions about return costs.
3. Keep the order confirmation email: it is your proof of purchase.
4. Write down the delivery date: your 14 days are counted from the next day.
5. If you change your mind, use the withdrawal button and keep the acknowledgement.

The seller refuses your withdrawal? Report it on ConsumerConnect and contact the Consumer Ombudsman Service. Our practical guide explains each step in a dispute.

The Garanti habit: Add the order confirmation to Garanti as soon as it arrives: invoice, delivery date and each item's warranty stay in one place. Try it free

Sources

• FPS Economy — An impulse purchase? You can change your mind (French)
• FPS Economy / ConsumerConnect — Right of withdrawal for distance purchases (Art. VI.47–VI.53 CEL)
• Directive (EU) 2023/2673, Article 11a (EUR-Lex)

Written by Pierre Leonet, founder of Garanti, on 5 November 2026. General information, not advice on an individual case.