All vendors on Crafter’s Market UK must ensure their store policies comply with UK consumer law.
Whether you sell full-time, part-time, or as a hobby, if you are selling goods online in the UK, you are legally considered a trader. This means you must follow UK trading regulations when writing your shop policies.
Crafter’s Market UK expects all vendor policies to reflect current legislation.
You can view UK Consumer Laws on the GOV.UK website
Key UK Regulations That Apply to Online Sellers
Vendor policies must comply with:
- Consumer Rights Act 2015
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
- Distance selling regulations (covered within Consumer Contracts Regulations)
These laws apply to handmade, made-to-order, personalised, and small-batch products.
What Your Store Policies Must Include
Your policies should clearly explain:
1. Returns & Refunds
- Whether you accept returns
- Your timeframe for returns (must align with legal requirements)
- How customers should contact you
- Who pays return postage (where applicable)
- Any exclusions (e.g. personalised items)
You cannot remove a customer’s statutory rights.
2. Cancellation Rights (Distance Selling Rules)
Under UK law, customers generally have:
- 14 days to cancel an order (from the day after they receive the goods)
- A further 14 days to return the item once cancellation is notified
This applies to online sales.
Important Exception:
The 14-day cancellation right does not apply to:
- Fully personalised or custom-made items
- Perishable goods
- Sealed goods not suitable for return once opened (e.g. certain hygiene items)
However, if a personalised item arrives faulty, damaged, or not as described — the customer still has the right to a repair, replacement, or refund.
You cannot state “no refunds under any circumstances.”
3. Faulty or Misdescribed Items
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015:
Customers have the right to:
- Reject faulty goods within 30 days for a full refund
- Request repair or replacement after 30 days (within 6 months, the fault is presumed to have existed at delivery unless proven otherwise)
Your policies cannot override this.
Statements such as:
- “No refunds on sale items”
- “I am not responsible once posted”
- “Refunds at my discretion”
are not compliant with UK consumer law.
4. Accurate Descriptions
You must:
- Provide accurate descriptions
- Use clear, honest photography
- Disclose sizing, materials, processing times
- Be transparent about variations (especially with handmade items)
Misleading descriptions are unlawful under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
What You Cannot Include in Your Policies
Your store policies must NOT:
- Remove statutory consumer rights
- Refuse refunds for faulty items
- State “no returns” without legal clarification
- Transfer responsibility for lost items entirely to the customer (risk passes when goods are delivered, not when posted)
- Use misleading or unfair contract terms
Even if written in your policies, unlawful terms are unenforceable.
Hobby Sellers: The Law Still Applies
If you are selling with the intention of making money — even casually — you are considered a trader under UK law.
This means:
- You must comply with consumer regulations
- You must provide legally compliant refund rights
- You must describe goods accurately
- You must act fairly in dispute resolution
Being a “small business” or “just a hobby” does not exempt you.
Protecting Yourself Properly
Instead of trying to remove rights, protect your business by:
- Clearly stating processing times
- Explaining handmade variations
- Detailing personalisation approval processes
- Keeping written communication via the platform
- Using tracked postage where appropriate
- Photographing items before dispatch
Clear, compliant policies reduce disputes more effectively than restrictive ones.
Crafter’s Market UK Expectations
All vendors must:
- Maintain legally compliant store policies
- Respond to customer messages promptly
- Handle disputes professionally
- Work with Admin where escalation is required
If a vendor policy conflicts with UK law, UK law will always take precedence.
Our goal is to protect both our customers and our makers by ensuring fair, transparent selling practices across the platform.