Which goods are exempt from online cancellation?
Genuinely personalised goods and goods that deteriorate or expire rapidly can qualify for cancellation exceptions. The hygiene exception requires suitable sealed goods to be unsealed after delivery. Faulty-goods rights remain. Coordinate factory specifications and seal checks with Cambridge China Bridge.
Separate consumer returns from your sourcing order
These exceptions concern your online sales to consumers. Keep that returns policy separate from the terms governing your business purchase of stock. The existing e-commerce sourcing guide covers packaging and using returns to improve specifications; this guide addresses when a change-of-mind exception is appropriate.
Create a product record showing the proposed exception, the facts supporting it and the evidence your customer-service team can retrieve. Assess the actual product and order rather than copying a factory's blanket description of goods as non-returnable.
Personalised must mean more than made after ordering
Government guidance says making an item after an order does not necessarily make it bespoke. A sofa assembled from a standard range of fabrics and colours is not bespoke for this purpose. A shirt bearing the customer's own name is likely to qualify as personalised; a shirt bearing a team player's name should remain cancellable.
For personalised imports, retain the customer's requested wording or measurements, approved artwork and the factory's production instruction. Check that the finished item matches that approval. Keep your own retail branding separate from the consumer's requested personalisation when assessing the exception.
Perishable means rapid deterioration or expiry
The exception covers goods that deteriorate or expire rapidly. GOV.UK gives frozen food and flowers as examples. Do not classify an entire range as exempt merely because its products carry expiry dates; record why the particular goods meet the rapid-deterioration or expiry condition.
Ask the factory for the product's shelf-life basis, storage conditions and batch dates. Use the shelf-life guide for receiving and stock controls. Keep short-dated or poorly stored stock under separate review rather than using a cancellation exception to resolve a stock-quality problem.
Hygiene requires a relevant seal and opening
The hygiene exception concerns sealed goods that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons once opened. Government guidance describes goods received sealed for those reasons becoming exempt once unsealed. An intact seal does not trigger this exception, and opening an ordinary delivery box does not by itself establish a hygiene reason.
Specify which seal protects the product, how opening becomes visible and how the seal should survive transport. Ask for photographs of the approved pack and inspect delivered samples. Record whether a returned item arrived with an intact, broken or missing seal. For broader product preparation, see the beauty and personal-care sourcing guide.
Keep faulty-goods claims open
A change-of-mind exception does not remove rights where goods are faulty, not fit for purpose or not as described. Avoid blanket wording such as 'no refunds'. GOV.UK says it is illegal to restrict customers' rights or mislead them about those rights.
Give customer-service staff separate routes for cancellation requests and product complaints. Keep the order, approved personalisation, batch details, seal photographs and reported defect together. For example, investigate incorrect personalised wording against the approved instruction rather than closing the complaint because the item was personalised.
Frequently asked questions
Are made-to-order imports exempt from cancellation?
Not automatically. Government guidance says making goods after an order does not necessarily make them bespoke. Check whether the consumer requested genuine personalisation or merely selected standard options.
Does an expiry date make a product non-returnable?
An expiry date alone does not establish the exception. The relevant condition is rapid deterioration or expiry. Record the product-specific reason before relying on it.
Can I refuse an unopened hygiene product return?
The hygiene exception is triggered by unsealing qualifying goods after delivery. An intact seal does not trigger it. Check the actual product and seal rather than applying a blanket category ban.
Can customers return faulty personalised goods?
Personalisation does not remove faulty-goods rights. Investigate faults and differences from the agreed description separately from change-of-mind requests.