AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
When you sell online to UK consumers, they can cancel within 14 days of receiving the goods, must send them back within 14 days of telling you, and must be refunded within 14 days of your receiving them back or evidence of return. That applies even when the goods were made in Nigeria, and a UK returns address is the simplest way to meet the deadlines; goods made to the customer's specifications are excluded.
Selling Nigerian-made fashion, beauty or homeware to UK customers creates a practical problem: the customer's legal rights run on UK timescales, while your workshop is thousands of miles away. Knowing exactly what the law requires lets you design a returns process that is fair to the customer and affordable for you.
The cancellation right in numbers
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 set the timetable for distance sales such as online shops and marketplaces:
| Step | Deadline | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Customer cancels | Within 14 days after the goods come into their possession | Reg 30 |
| If you never told them about the right | Extended by up to 12 months; or 14 days after you do tell them | Reg 31 |
| Customer sends goods back | Within 14 days after telling you they are cancelling | Reg 35 |
| You refund | Within 14 days after you receive the goods back, or evidence they were sent if earlier | Reg 34 |
What you must refund, and what you can deduct
- The price, and the original delivery charge up to the cost of your cheapest standard delivery. If the customer chose express, you only refund the standard amount (reg 34(2)-(3)).
- You can deduct for loss of value caused by handling beyond what was needed to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods, for example a worn and washed dress (reg 34(9)).
- Return postage: the customer pays the direct cost of returning the goods unless you agreed to pay it or did not tell them beforehand that they would have to (reg 35(5)).
Goods that fall outside the right to cancel
Regulation 28 excludes several kinds of goods that are common in Nigerian-made ranges:
- Goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised: a dress sewn to measurements, a monogrammed bag.
- Goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly, such as fresh food.
- Sealed goods unsuitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, once unsealed after delivery, such as a sealed cosmetic the customer has opened.
These exclusions only remove the change-of-mind right. A faulty item still carries remedies under the Consumer Rights Act; see your Consumer Rights Act duties.
Where should returns go?
The law sets the clock, not the address. But if the return address is in Lagos, the customer's postage cost rises, the parcel is an export from the UK and an import into Nigeria, and the 14-day refund deadline runs from when the parcel arrives or the customer shows proof of posting, which could be early in a long journey. Most sellers of Nigerian-made goods use one of these:
- UK returns address: a friend, a fulfilment house or your own UK address. Returned goods can be inspected, refunded fast and resold in the UK.
- Marketplace returns: if you sell through Amazon or Etsy, follow their returns process, which still has to meet the legal minimum.
- Refund without return for low-value items, where postage would cost more than the item.
Worked example
Example only. A customer buys a £45 raffia bag with £4.95 standard delivery and cancels on day 9. You receive it back on day 20 in unused condition. You must refund £49.95 by day 34 (14 days after day 20). If your terms said the customer pays return postage, you need not refund the £3.50 they paid to send it back. Had they chosen £9.95 express delivery, you would refund £45 plus £4.95.
Resale and records
A return is also a stock and accounting event. Inspect each item as it comes back, record its condition with a photo, and decide whether it can be resold as new, sold as seconds or written off. If you deduct for loss of value, note why and how much, because the customer may ask. Keep the cancellation message, the proof of posting and the refund record together, so you can show the refund was made within the 14 days. Patterns matter too: if one style keeps coming back for sizing, fix the size guide or the pattern with your Nigerian maker rather than absorbing the cost order by order.
Write it into your terms
- Tell customers about the 14-day right and give a cancellation form before they buy.
- Say who pays return postage, and give a UK address.
- Mark made-to-measure and personalised items clearly as excluded from change-of-mind returns.
- Keep proof of what you told the customer and when.
Shipping straight from Nigeria to customers? See shipping orders from Nigeria to UK customers.
Where Pryme fits
Fast refunds need money in the right currency. A Pryme Business Account holds GBP alongside NGN, so UK refunds do not wait for a conversion; when you do convert, Swap shows the rate and fee first. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
How long do UK customers have to return online orders?
They can cancel within 14 days after receiving the goods and must send them back within 14 days of telling you, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
How quickly must I refund a returned order?
Within 14 days of receiving the goods back, or of the customer giving evidence they sent them, if earlier.
Do I have to pay return postage to Nigeria?
No, if you told the customer beforehand that they pay the direct cost of return. Many sellers use a UK returns address to keep that cost and the timing manageable.
Can I refuse returns on made-to-measure clothes?
Change-of-mind cancellation does not apply to goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised. Faulty goods still have remedies.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 31 · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 34 · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 35 · accessed Oct 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19 · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.