If you bought something online in Serbia from a registered seller, you have 14 days from the day the parcel was handed to you to withdraw from the purchase, without giving any reason. The seller must then refund everything you paid, including the standard delivery to you, within 14 days at the latest. You pay only the postage to send the goods back, and not always even that.
If the goods are faulty, that is not a withdrawal but a complaint (reklamacija), with completely different rules. This is where the most changed on 2 August 2026: for the first 30 days after delivery, you choose whether you want new goods, a lower price or your money back, not the seller.
All of this follows from Serbia’s new Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette RS, no. 35/2026), which has applied since 2 August 2026 and replaced the 2021 law. Below are the deadlines, costs, exceptions, templates to send, and a calculator that works out every deadline for your delivery date at once.
In short: Changed your mind? You have 14 days and do not have to explain anything. The item is faulty? That is a complaint: 30 days of free choice, one year in which the seller must prove the defect was not there, and two years of seller liability in total.
Withdrawal or complaint: first decide what you need
These are two different rights, and most disputes with sellers start when they get mixed up.
| Withdrawal (you changed your mind) | Complaint (the goods are faulty) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | The goods work but do not suit you | The goods are defective or not as described |
| Deadline | 14 days from receipt | Up to 2 years from delivery |
| Reason | Not required | You describe the defect |
| Return postage | You pay, unless the seller covers it or did not tell you in advance | The seller pays |
| What you get | A refund of the full amount paid | Repair, replacement, a lower price or a refund |
| Also in a shop | No, only for distance purchases | Yes |
Calculator: your deadlines
Enter the date the parcel was actually handed to you. The calculator counts calendar days from the next day and shows every deadline under the new law.
The calculator counts calendar days from the day after delivery, under the Serbian Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette RS, no. 35/2026). If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, send your statement earlier to be safe.
The right of withdrawal: 14 days, no reason needed
Article 29 of the Act gives you the right to withdraw from a distance contract within 14 days without giving reasons. “Distance” means any purchase where you were not physically in the shop with the seller: a web shop, an Instagram message, a phone order, a catalogue.
When the period starts. For goods, on the day they come into your possession, or that of a person you named, but not the courier (Article 30). If you ordered several items that arrive in separate parcels, the period runs from the last parcel.
If the seller did not inform you of this right, the period is extended by 12 months. That is not a detail: many small web shops and Instagram sellers publish no withdrawal notice at all, and then you have a year and 14 days instead of two weeks.
How to withdraw. Any unambiguous statement is enough: an email, a message, the form on the seller’s site or a letter. The law does not require a special form, but the statement must be sent in time and the burden of proof is on you. So send a written statement and keep proof that you sent it. A template is further down.
Trying the item is allowed. You are liable only for a loss of value caused by handling beyond what is needed to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods (Article 36). Trying on a jacket or switching on a blender to see that it works is normal. Wearing trainers for a week is not. If the seller never told you about the right of withdrawal, you are not liable even for a loss of value.
Who pays the postage
This is where things usually get stuck, so here are the rules plainly:
| Cost | Who bears it |
|---|---|
| Standard delivery to you | The seller refunds it together with the price |
| The extra for a more expensive delivery you chose (express, timed delivery) | You; the seller does not refund it |
| Postage to send the goods back after a withdrawal | You, unless the seller agreed to pay it or did not tell you in advance |
| Sending back faulty goods (complaint) | The seller |
Example: the trainers cost 8,000 dinars, delivery was 450 dinars, and you sent them back by courier for 500 dinars. The seller refunds 8,450 dinars. You pay the 500 dinars of return postage, unless the seller’s terms say they pay for returns.
When and how you get your money back
The seller must refund everything you paid without undue delay and at the latest within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal statement (Article 35). The refund uses the same payment method you used, unless you expressly agree to another one at no extra cost to you.
The seller may hold the refund until the goods are back or until you send proof that you have sent them, whichever comes first. So photograph the courier’s or post office receipt and send it with your statement.
You send the goods back within 14 days of sending the statement. It is enough to send them before the deadline; they do not have to arrive.
What you cannot return
Article 38 lists the cases in which there is no right of withdrawal. These are the ones that most often matter for online purchases:
| Exception | Example |
|---|---|
| Goods made to your specifications or personalised | A T-shirt with your print, made-to-measure furniture |
| Goods that deteriorate quickly or expire | Food, fresh flowers |
| Sealed goods that cannot be returned once opened for health or hygiene reasons | Cosmetics, underwear in protective packaging |
| Goods inseparably mixed with other items after delivery | Fuel, building material you have already used |
| Sealed audio, video or software that you unsealed | Games, software with the seal removed |
| Newspapers and magazines | Except subscriptions |
| Services for a specific date | Accommodation, event tickets, car rental |
| Digital content not supplied on a physical medium | A downloaded game or e-book, if you expressly agreed to start the download and confirmed you lose the right |
Notice what is not on the list: clothing, footwear, electronics and standard furniture. For those, the right of withdrawal applies in full.
Faulty goods: complaints under the new law
If a product is defective or does not match its description, the seller is liable for any lack of conformity that appears within 2 years of delivery (Article 59). The new law changed three things here that affect you directly. The full procedure, including in-store purchases, shoes and seller duties, is in our guide to product complaints in Serbia.
| Old law (88/2021) | New law (35/2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| When you choose replacement, a lower price or termination yourself | In the first 6 months | In the first 30 days after delivery |
| How long the defect is presumed to have existed at delivery | 6 months | 1 year |
| Terminating the contract over a defect | You send the goods back at the seller’s cost; the refund comes within 3 days of the seller receiving the goods or proof of sending |
What this means in practice:
- In the first 30 days after delivery you choose: replacement, a lower price, or termination and a refund. After that, free repair or replacement comes first, at your choice.
- In the first year the seller must prove that the defect did not exist when the goods were delivered. You do not have to prove anything.
- Report the defect within 2 months of noticing it, and at the latest within 2 years of delivery.
How a complaint works (Article 63):
- You lodge it orally, by phone, in writing or electronically, with the receipt or other proof of purchase. The seller must accept it and may not charge you for assessing the defect.
- The seller confirms receipt and gives you a complaint number.
- Within 8 days the seller must reply. If it rejects the complaint, it must give reasons and point you to out-of-court dispute resolution.
- The complaint must be resolved within 15 days, or 30 days for technical goods and furniture. The deadline can be extended only once and only with your consent.
- You reply to the seller’s proposal within 3 days.
Since 2026, web shops must tell you in advance which postal operator you use to send goods for a complaint at their cost (Article 27). If that is not stated anywhere, ask before you send anything.
Six myths you still hear
“No original packaging, no return.” False. The law does not require the original packaging for a withdrawal, and for a complaint it states outright that missing packaging cannot be a condition or a reason to refuse it.
“No fiscal receipt, no complaint.” False. With a complaint you provide the receipt or other proof of purchase: a copy of the receipt or the card slip.
“Shops give you 14 days to return things.” False. The right of withdrawal applies only to distance and off-premises purchases. If a shop takes back goods that work, that is goodwill and its own policy.
“You bought it on Instagram, so you have no rights.” False, if the seller is registered. An order placed through messages is a distance contract, and the 14 days apply exactly as for a web shop. We covered what an Instagram seller must have in our guide to selling on Instagram in Serbia.
“A complaint is valid for 6 months.” Out of date. Under the new law you have a free choice for 30 days, the presumption in your favour lasts a year, and the seller is liable for 2 years.
“The courier left the parcel at the door, so it is your problem.” False. Leaving a parcel at the door is not delivery (Article 48), and the risk of damage or loss stays with the seller until the goods are handed to you (Article 52).
Templates to send
Copy, fill in and send by email, so you have a dated written record.
Statement of withdrawal from a distance contract
To: [seller name], [address], [email]
I hereby withdraw from the contract for the purchase of the following goods: [product, order number].
Date of the contract: [order date]. Date the goods were received: [date].
Name: [your name]. Address: [your address].
Please refund [amount] dinars using the payment method I used, within the statutory 14 days.
Date: [date]
Complaint
To: [seller name], [email]
On [delivery date] I bought [product], order number [number]. On [date] I noticed the following defect: [short description].
Under the Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette RS, no. 35/2026) I request [replacement / a price reduction / termination of the contract and a refund / repair]. Proof of purchase and photos of the defect are attached.
Please confirm receipt of this complaint and send me its reference number.
When the seller does not reply within 8 days
On [date] I lodged complaint number [number] for [product]. The statutory 8-day deadline for a reply expired on [date] and I have not received one.
Please send me a reply with a proposed solution within 3 days. Otherwise I will start out-of-court dispute resolution and notify the market inspectorate.
If the seller still does not reply, you can start a dispute through the out-of-court consumer dispute platform vansudsko.must.gov.rs. Traders are legally required to take part in that procedure (Article 173).
Buying from foreign sites
The Serbian Consumer Protection Act binds traders selling to consumers in Serbia. With large foreign platforms, returns in practice follow their own terms, and enforcing your rights through Serbian institutions is harder. Before you buy, read the platform’s return policy and check who the actual seller is. On platforms where private individuals also sell, the operator must state whether the seller is a trader. If not, consumer protection law does not apply to that purchase (Article 28).
If you sell online: what your web shop must have
Everything in this article is your obligation. If you sell through a web shop or social media, check that you have:
- A notice of the right of withdrawal before the purchase, with the form. Without it, the buyer’s deadline is 12 months longer.
- The name of the postal operator through which the buyer sends goods for a complaint at your cost, and information on out-of-court dispute resolution.
- A clearly displayed way and place for lodging complaints, on the website and in any physical shop.
- A complaints register kept for at least 2 years, in a book or electronically, with all the details Article 63 requires: who lodged the complaint, when, for which goods, the defect, the request, the decision, the deadlines and how it was resolved.
- Refunds within 14 days after a withdrawal and within 3 days when the contract is terminated over a defect.
- Delivery within 30 days, unless agreed otherwise.
Breaches carry fines (Article 210) of 200,000 dinars for a company and 100,000 dinars for a sole proprietor.
We published templates for the terms of sale and the withdrawal form, with the legal article next to each clause, in our guide to website terms of use and terms of sale.
On our clients’ WordPress shops these obligations are covered by RXN Legal Kit: the withdrawal form, a complaint workflow with deadlines, and an electronic register. If you are only planning a shop, indicative prices are in our guide to online shop development costs.
Note: This article is a practical guide based on Serbia’s Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette RS, no. 35/2026), not legal advice. The regulations were checked on 9 October 2026.
FAQ: returning goods bought online in Serbia
How long do I have to return goods bought online?
14 days from the day the goods were handed to you, with no reason needed. If the seller did not inform you of the right of withdrawal, the period is extended by 12 months.
Who pays the postage when I return goods?
For a withdrawal you pay the return postage, unless the seller agreed to cover it or did not tell you about it in advance. The seller refunds the standard delivery to you. For a complaint the seller bears all costs.
How many days does the seller have to refund me?
At most 14 days from receiving your withdrawal statement. The seller may wait until the goods arrive or until it gets proof you have sent them. When the contract is terminated over a defect, the deadline is 3 days from receiving the goods or proof of sending.
Can I return goods without the original packaging?
Yes. The law does not require the original packaging for a withdrawal, and for a complaint it states outright that missing packaging cannot be a reason for refusal.
What is new in Serbia’s 2026 Consumer Protection Act?
For buyers, three changes matter most: in the first 30 days after delivery you choose replacement, a lower price or termination yourself; the presumption that a defect existed at delivery lasts one year instead of 6 months; and web shops must name the postal operator through which you send goods for a complaint at their cost.
Can I withdraw from a purchase made in a shop?
Not under the law. The right of withdrawal applies to distance and off-premises purchases. In a shop you can lodge a complaint about faulty goods, while returning goods that work depends on the shop’s policy.
Do Temu, Shein and AliExpress have to follow Serbian law?
Serbian law binds traders selling to consumers in Serbia, but with large foreign platforms returns in practice follow their own rules. Before you buy, check the return policy and who the actual seller is.
Sources (in Serbian): Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette RS, no. 35/2026), Paragraf: the new law starts to apply, Rulebook on the withdrawal form.
