Customers in the European Union (EU) have the right to cancel most online purchases within 14 days of receiving their order, without providing a reason. This is commonly known as the right of withdrawal.

Beginning June 19, 2026, EU law requires online stores selling to EU consumers to provide an electronic way for customers to exercise this right. Big Cartel automatically provides this functionality for eligible orders, so there's nothing you need to set up.

These requirements apply regardless of where your business is located. For example, if your shop is based in the United States and you ship an order to France, the order may still be subject to EU cancellation rules.

How cancellation requests work

When an order qualifies, customers will see a Request cancellation button on their order receipt page that displays after purchase. They can access it any time from their order confirmation email.

The button appears when:

• The order was shipped to an EU address
• The order is less than 60 days old

Before submitting their request, customers are asked to confirm the cancellation and provide their name and order details.

What happens when a customer requests cancellation?

If a customer submits a cancellation request:

• The order will be marked as Cancellation requested in your Big Cartel admin.
• We'll send you an email notification with the details of the request, including the customer's reason if they choose to provide one.
• The customer will receive a confirmation email letting them know their request was submitted successfully.

Submitting a request does not automatically cancel the order or issue a refund.

What you'll need to do

Review the request and determine how it should be handled based on your shop policies and any applicable EU consumer protection requirements.

If the cancellation right applies

You'll generally need to issue a refund within 14 days of receiving the request.

For physical products, you may wait to process the refund until either:

• You receive the returned item, or
• The customer provides proof that they've shipped it back.

If the order is exempt

Some purchases are not eligible for cancellation under EU law. If an exemption applies, reply to the customer and explain why the request cannot be accepted.

Common exemptions include:

• Custom or made-to-order items
• Perishable goods
• Sealed products that have been opened after delivery
• Digital content the customer has already accessed or downloaded
• Requests submitted outside the applicable cancellation period

Print-on-demand orders

If you use a print-on-demand provider, check the production status before approving a cancellation request.

Once production has started, the item may qualify as a made-to-order product and could be exempt from cancellation requirements.

What Big Cartel handles

Big Cartel helps facilitate the process by:

• Displaying the cancellation request button for eligible orders
• Prompting customers to confirm their request and provide the required information
• Marking orders when a request is submitted
• Sending confirmation emails to both you and your customer

We do not automatically cancel orders or issue refunds. You'll always make the final decision about how each request is handled.