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Door-to-door sales

Door-to-door sales means selling goods or services in a consumer's home, or anywhere outside the trader’s business premises. A right to withdraw the purchase within 14 days usually applies in door-to-door sales. However, door-to-door sales contracts on certain products, including made-to-measure items, cannot be cancel

What is door-to-door sales?

Door-to-door sales means selling goods or services in the consumer’s home. However, door-to-door sales does not necessarily have to take place in the consumer’s home: trading anywhere outside the trader’s business premises is also regarded as door-to-door sales. In door-to-door sales, the contract can be made on the initiative of either the trader or the buyer.

    • The trader comes to the consumer’s door to sell goods or services, and the contract is made in the consumer’s home.
    • The trader approaches the consumer in person on the street to offer goods and the contract is concluded immediately after this, for example on the trader’s premises, by telephone or by e-mail
    • Parties organised in private homes, where the trader sells homeware, clothes or similar.
    • An introductory visit or trip organised by the trader to a destination where the consumer is invited to purchase goods or services.

    The following examples are not regarded as door-to-door sales:

    • a sale where the total price of the product(s) is less than EUR 30.
    • a visit paid to the consumer’s home by the trader only to examine the site or take measurements if no contract is concluded on this visit.
    • regular bus services offered by the trader, for example from the city centre to the trader’s shop.

The decision is yours

You have the right to decide who comes into your home and what a suitable time for the visit is. You should not do business with a person who does not identify themselves or have reliable credentials.

You always have the right to say no. You have no obligation to buy anything, even if the seller has taken a long time to present their product. Take your time to read the contract terms carefully. Before you make a purchase, you should consider if it would be better to spend more time comparing products and prices.

You can negotiate on the terms and conditions of the contract. If the trader uses a leaflet or sample to present the product, you should only agree to pay the purchasing price when the product has actually been delivered. Do not pay the purchasing price before you have received the product.

Check the documents and information provided by the trader

Before you conclude a contract, the trader should give you:

    1. Pre-contractual information about the product or service and the trader’s contact details on paper or in some other permanent form. The pre-contractual information includes:
      – main characteristics of the goods or service,
      – total price including taxes and any delivery charges and other costs,
      – customer’s rights when withdrawing the purchase and instructions for cancelling,
      – trader’s address to which you can return the product.
    2. A withdrawal form which you can use to cancel the contract within 14 days.

After concluding the contract, you should receive an order confirmation and a copy of the signed contract.

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