Electronics online store: warranty, spec filters and EU rules

An electronics online store sells when every model has exact specifications and filters, a clear guarantee and a price that holds up in comparison sites. Across the EU, the seller is liable for any lack of conformity for at least 2 years after delivery. Since 27 September 2026, an online store also shows the harmonised EU notice on the legal guarantee before the customer orders.

This guide is for retailers, importers and brands that sell phones, laptops, audio, accessories and other electronics to consumers anywhere in the EU. The guarantee rules come from EU directives that every member state has written into national law, so check the exact periods in the countries where you sell. The admin paths are from CloudCart. Your lawyer or accountant confirms your guarantee terms and your waste obligations.

What an electronics online store needs to sell

An electronics store needs four things more than most stores: structured specifications, guarantee information before the order, prices that survive comparison, and payment options for expensive products.

The shopper's question	What the page needs	How it is done in CloudCart
Which model do I need?	Filters by memory, screen, processor, brand	Category properties (Products → Properties), in every plan
Does it fit my device?	Compatibility by brand and model	The Brand-Model app, from CC Pro up
What happens if it breaks?	The legal guarantee, the commercial guarantee and the terms	The GARAN Label app and the store's pages
Is this the lowest price?	A competitive price and a listing in comparison sites	XML Feed: Google Shopping, Skroutz, Árukereső, Compari, ShopMania, Pazaruvaj
Can I pay by card in one tap?	Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay in the checkout	CloudCart Pay, plus Stripe, PayPal and Mollie

Product specifications and filters: how shoppers find the right model

Properties are the descriptive data of a product (memory, screen size, processor), and filters are the same data shown as checkboxes and sliders in the category. They decide whether a shopper reaches the right laptop in 2 clicks or leaves a category of 400 products.

In CloudCart, properties are created in Products → Properties and are included in every plan. Each property has one of two types:

• Checkbox. For separate values: processor brand, operating system, colour, panel type, 5G support. The shopper sees a list of checkboxes.
• Range. For numbers: screen size, battery capacity, weight. The shopper sees a slider with a minimum and a maximum.

The type cannot be changed after the property is created. "RAM: 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB" works as checkboxes, while "Screen size" is more useful as a range, because buyers think in limits ("between 14 and 16 inches").

Property or variant

A variant is a separate stock unit with its own stock, barcode and price, while a property only describes the product. A phone with 128 GB and 256 GB in black and white is one product with 4 variants. NFC support or an IP68 rating is a property. In CloudCart, a product has up to 3 variant parameters and up to 500 variants.

How to set up filters step by step

1. Pick 6 to 10 properties per category. For laptops: processor, RAM, SSD, screen size, graphics card, operating system, weight.
2. Create the property. In Products → Properties, a wizard takes you through three steps: name and type, the categories, then the values.
3. Switch on Use as filter. Without it, the property shows on the product but is missing from the category sidebar.
4. Put them in order. The order in the list is the order of the filters. The most used filter goes on top.
5. Fill in the values on every product. A product without a value disappears as soon as the shopper picks that filter. For hundreds of products, use a CSV import or an AI assistant.
6. Check the primary category. The Specifications table on the product page shows only the properties of the product's primary category.

For accessories (cases, screen protectors, chargers), use the Brand-Model app: you create brands and models, link each accessory to the models it fits, and the shopper filters first by brand, then by model. It is included from CC Pro up, as listed on the plans page. Every product field is described in the guide to the product catalogue, variants and properties.

Warranty on electronics sold online: what EU law says

The seller is liable for any lack of conformity that exists at delivery and becomes apparent within 2 years of it. This is the legal guarantee under Article 10 of the Sale of Goods Directive (EU) 2019/771, which member states apply from 1 January 2022. It covers every sale to a consumer, whatever guarantee the manufacturer gives.

The rules an electronics store needs to know:

• In the first year, the seller carries the proof. A defect that appears within 1 year of delivery is presumed to have existed at delivery, unless proven otherwise (Article 11). Some countries apply this for 2 years.
• Repair or replacement, chosen by the customer. The customer chooses, unless the choice is impossible or disproportionately costly for the seller. If that fails, the customer is entitled to a price reduction or to terminate the contract (Article 13).
• At no cost, in a reasonable time. Repair or replacement costs the customer nothing and is done within a reasonable period after the customer reports the defect (Article 14).
• Updates are part of conformity. For goods with digital elements, such as phones, smartwatches and smart TVs, the seller makes sure the customer is informed of and receives updates, including security updates, for the period the customer can reasonably expect (Article 7(3)).
• Longer periods in some countries. According to the EU's Your Europe page on guarantees and returns, some EU countries set a longer legal guarantee in national law. Check each country you ship to.

Legal guarantee, commercial guarantee and warranty card

A commercial guarantee is a voluntary promise by the manufacturer or the seller, on top of the legal guarantee. Under Article 17 it binds whoever gives it, and the guarantee statement reaches the customer on a durable medium (paper, PDF, email) at the latest at delivery, saying that the customer's legal remedies are not affected. A warranty card is the most common form of that statement.

	Legal guarantee	Commercial guarantee	Commercial guarantee of durability
Who gives it	The law, against the seller	The manufacturer or the seller, voluntarily	The manufacturer
Period	At least 2 years from delivery	Whatever is promised	Over 2 years, in whole or half years
Who the customer claims against	The seller	Whoever gave it	Directly the manufacturer, for repair or replacement
What the store shows	The harmonised notice (since 27 September 2026)	The terms of the commercial guarantee	The harmonised GARAN label (since 27 September 2026)

Important: the period of a commercial guarantee does not replace the legal guarantee. If your store only says "Warranty: 12 months", a customer may think they have no rights after a year. Write the two separately: "Legal guarantee: 2 years. Manufacturer's guarantee: 3 years."

How to handle a claim, who pays the courier and what the withdrawal form looks like is covered in returns and consumer rights for online stores.

The EU legal guarantee notice and the GARAN label

Since 27 September 2026, an online store shows the harmonised EU notice on the legal guarantee of conformity in a prominent way before the customer is bound by the order. The obligation comes from Directive (EU) 2024/825, which amends the Consumer Rights Directive. The design and the wording of the notice and the label are fixed in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, which applies from the same date. For electronics, the same rules add three more points:

• The durability label. When the manufacturer gives a commercial guarantee of durability longer than 2 years at no extra cost and has passed this information to the seller, the store shows it with the harmonised label.
• The software update period. For goods with digital elements, when the manufacturer provides the information, the store states the minimum period or the date until which the manufacturer provides updates.
• Repair. When a reparability score exists for the product, the store shows it. When it does not, and the manufacturer has made information on spare parts and repair available, the store shows that information.

The durability label is called GARAN. It carries the guarantee period in years, the brand and the model identifier. Under the implementing regulation, an online store may show the label in a nested format, as a small badge that opens the full label.

The GARAN Label app in CloudCart

In CloudCart, the label and the notice are shown by the GARAN Label app (Apps → GARAN Label). During set-up you confirm that the guarantee is given by the manufacturer, at no charge, for the whole product and for more than 2 years, then you record it per product or in bulk by category and vendor.

• On the product page the label switches with the variant. It can be a compact badge that opens on click (the format the EU recommends online) or the full label under the product.
• At checkout the label is on each line with a guarantee, and the link "Learn more about your legal guarantee rights" shows once per order whenever the app is active.
• In the order confirmation email the badge and the link to the notice stay with the customer.

The notice exists in the 24 official EU languages. On every plan, 10 products can carry a label record.

USB-C charger, energy label and reparability

Since 28 December 2024, mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, navigation devices and earbuds sold in the EU charge through USB-C. Since 28 April 2026 the rule also covers laptops. New devices can be sold without a charger, according to the European Commission's announcement on the common charger.

Smartphones and tablets placed on the market since 20 June 2025 carry a label with energy efficiency, battery lifespan, resistance to dust, water and drops, and a reparability score from A to E. The manufacturer keeps key spare parts available for at least 7 years after the model stops being sold in the EU and provides operating system updates for at least 5 years after the last unit is sold. The battery withstands at least 800 charge cycles and keeps at least 80% of its capacity. The rules are on the European Commission's page on smartphones and tablets.

For your store, these are ready-made properties. Add "Charger in the box: yes / no", "Reparability class", "IP rating" and "Updates until" as properties, upload the energy label as an image in the product gallery and give accessories a "USB-C" checkbox. The manufacturer details and safety information an online offer must show are covered in GPSR and product safety for online sellers.

WEEE: what electronics sellers must do about e-waste

Anyone who manufactures, distributes or sells electrical and electronic equipment in the EU has duties for it after it becomes waste (WEEE). According to the EU's Your Europe page on WEEE responsibilities, the duties are four:

1. Registration. The business registers with the authorities in charge of WEEE in each EU country where it sells.
2. Reporting. It regularly reports the types and quantities of equipment it has sold.
3. Collection and recycling. It organises or finances the collection, treatment and recycling of its products, on its own or through a collective compliance scheme with paid membership.
4. Take-back. As a distributor, it offers a take-back service through which customers return old equipment at no cost.

Which duties are yours depends on whether you import yourself, buy from a local distributor or ship to consumers in other countries.

Price comparison sites and Google Shopping for electronics

Price comparison sites show one model from many stores, ranked by price. For an electronics store this is a channel with ready intent: the shopper has already chosen the model and is looking for where to buy it.

In CloudCart, ready-made feeds are in Apps → XML Feed: Google (Merchant Center), Skroutz for Greece, Árukereső and Compari for Hungary, ShopMania for Romania, Pazaruvaj for Bulgaria, and the Meta product catalogue. The number of products per feed depends on the plan: 100 in Baby Pack, 2,000 in Starter Pack, 7,500 in CC Pro and 10,000 in CC Master, according to the plans page. With Variants in listing, included in CC Master, every variant is a separate line.

1. Fill in the barcode of every variant. Comparison sites group offers by model, and the most reliable key is the EAN from the box. How to get and check it is in barcodes and EAN codes.
2. Name products the way the manufacturer does. Brand, model, memory and colour: "Smartphone Brand Model 256 GB, black". No "BEST DEAL".
3. Enter delivery time as a number. "2" or "2 days". A range such as "2-4 days" is the wrong format for most feeds.
4. Choose which products go in. By category, manufacturer, product or label, only in-stock products or all.
5. Copy the feed address from the app and paste it into your merchant account on the comparison site or in Google Merchant Center.

Setting up Google Merchant Center step by step is covered in Google Shopping ads and analytics.

Selling electronics to other EU countries

Selling electronics across borders works best with a separate store per country, in its language, with its prices, payment methods and shipping. In CloudCart, the Multilang app runs one main store and sister stores per language from one admin, each with its own domain or subdomain, and syncs the catalogue from the main store. How the models differ is in multilanguage, multicurrency and multistore.

Three things change when you ship to another country: VAT (above the EU threshold of €10,000 in cross-border sales to consumers you charge the customer's country rate, usually through the One Stop Shop, explained in OSS and EU VAT for cross-border sales), WEEE registration in that country, and the guarantee period, where national law sets a longer one. The 14-day right of withdrawal applies to online sales in every EU country.

Card payments and installments for phones and laptops

For expensive electronics, the checkout must take cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay without a detour. CloudCart Pay is built into the store, and Stripe, PayPal and Mollie (with local methods such as iDEAL, Bancontact and SEPA Direct Debit) are connected in Payment Providers in the admin.

With an installment purchase, the lender approves the customer, pays the store the full amount and takes the risk of non-payment. If you sell in Bulgaria, CloudCart connects Bulgarian lenders: TBI Bank (the Fusion Pay method, 3 to 60 months for orders from €52 to €15,000), Fibank and Mokka. The cost of zero-interest schemes is in your contract with the lender, so offer them only where your margin covers it. The models are compared in buy now, pay later for online stores.

How to start an electronics online store: a 10-day plan

An electronics store with 100 to 500 products can take its first order in 10 days if you start with the catalogue and the guarantee.

1. Days 1 to 3: catalogue. Categories, 6 to 10 properties for each, and the products by CSV or XML from your supplier, with a barcode on every variant.
2. Day 4: guarantee. A "Guarantee and claims" page with both guarantees, and the GARAN Label app switched on.
3. Day 5: payments. Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus the local methods of your main country.
4. Days 6 and 7: delivery and legal pages. Connect your couriers, publish your terms and the withdrawal form, and check your WEEE registration.
5. Days 8 and 9: feeds and search. Launch the Google feed and one comparison site, and test 20 real searches ("iphone 15 128gb", "gaming laptop under 1500").
6. Day 10: test order. Order yourself by card and follow the path all the way to a guarantee claim.

Properties and descriptions for hundreds of products can go to an AI assistant connected to your store with a PAT token: Claude Code, ChatGPT/Codex or Gemini CLI fills them in product by product from one sentence of yours. CloudCart takes no cut of your sales: 0% commission on every plan, which matters in electronics with its thin margins.

The most common mistakes in an electronics store

• Specifications typed into the description. "8 GB RAM" in a paragraph never becomes a filter.
• Different values for the same thing. "8GB", "8 GB" and "8 Gb" are three checkboxes in the filter. Combine them with Merge values in the property.
• Only "Warranty: 12 months". Without the 2-year legal guarantee the customer is misled, and since 27 September 2026 the mandatory notice is missing too.
• Products without a barcode in the feed. The comparison site cannot match your offer to the model, so it sits apart and gets no clicks.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about properties, feeds or the guarantee in your store? Write to us at support@cloudcart.com.