# Returns policy for an online store in Bulgaria: 14 days and warranty Returns policy for a Bulgarian online store: the 14-day right of withdrawal, 2-year warranty claims, who pays return shipping and the withdrawal button. Source: https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/returns-consumer-rights-online-store · CloudCart · 2026-11-06 In short: a returns policy for an online store in Bulgaria covers two separate rights. The customer can withdraw from an online purchase without a reason within 14 days of receiving the goods and gets the money back within 14 days of withdrawing. A defective item is a warranty claim: it can be raised for 2 years from delivery, and the seller fixes it within 1 month. This guide is for stores that sell to consumers in or from Bulgaria, including foreign founders and companies run from abroad. It follows the Bulgarian [Consumer Protection Act (in Bulgarian, on lex.bg)](https://lex.bg/laws/ldoc/2135513678), with the amendments in force from Sep 24, 2026, and the EU directives behind it, and shows how each obligation works in CloudCart, the Bulgarian ecommerce platform. Admin names are written as they appear on screen. This is not legal advice: have a lawyer review your terms. ## Return or warranty claim: what is the difference? A return (the right of withdrawal) is the customer's decision not to keep goods that are fine, while a warranty claim concerns goods that are defective or do not match the description. In Bulgaria a warranty claim is called a reklamatsia, a word your customers will use. The two have different deadlines and costs, so your terms describe them in separate sections. | | Right of withdrawal | Warranty claim | | When | Changed mind, wrong size, colour not liked | Faulty or not as described | | Deadline | 14 days from receipt | 2 years from delivery | | Reason | Not required | The customer describes the defect | | Applies to | Online, phone and off-premises sales | Every purchase, also in a shop | | Outcome | Refund | Repair or replacement, then price reduction or refund | | Return shipping | Usually the customer | The seller | In a physical shop there is no legal right of withdrawal: taking back goods without a defect is the shop's own choice, as the [European Consumer Centre Bulgaria (in Bulgarian)](https://www.ecc.bg/bg/blog/article/vrashtane-na-stoka-ili-reklamaciq) explains. ## How long does a customer have to return goods bought online? The withdrawal period is 14 calendar days from the day the customer, or a person they named other than the courier, receives the goods. For an order in several parcels it runs from the last one, and a period ending on a non-working day moves to the next working day, according to [Your Europe](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/returns/index_en.htm). The customer can also withdraw before delivery. | Step | Who | Deadline | Consumer Protection Act | | Notifies the withdrawal | Customer | 14 days from receipt | Art. 50 | | Sends the goods back | Customer | 14 days from notifying | Art. 55 | | Refunds the money | Store | 14 days from the notice | Art. 54 | The store may hold the refund until it gets the goods back or the customer proves they sent them. The money goes back with the same payment method, unless the customer agrees to another one at no cost to them. You can give more than 14 days, for example 30 over the holidays, and never fewer. Important: if you did not tell the customer about the right of withdrawal before the purchase, the period becomes 12 months and 14 days (Art. 51). What else your terms need is in the guide to [terms and conditions for an online store](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/terms-and-conditions-online-store). ## Who pays for shipping on a return? The customer pays for the return parcel if your terms say so before the purchase; otherwise the cost is yours. The original delivery charge goes back to the customer with the price of the goods. - Original delivery is refunded up to your cheapest standard option. The extra for express delivery is not (Art. 54). - Loss of value is on the customer if they used the item more than needed to check it (Art. 55(4)). Trying on is allowed; wearing is not. - Cash on delivery (COD): state whether you refund the money transfer fee paid to the courier. COD refunds usually go to the customer's IBAN, with their consent. Paying for returns yourself is a commercial decision. In clothing and shoes it removes the fear of the wrong size, but each returned order then costs two deliveries, so decide from your return rate and average return cost. In CloudCart the Econt and Speedy apps (two of Bulgaria's main couriers, see [couriers in CloudCart](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/shipping-couriers)) have a separate tab for return shipments, so the [return shipping label](https://cloudcart.com/en/shipping) comes from the same admin. ## Is a withdrawal form mandatory? The form is mandatory for the store and optional for the customer. You must provide the standard withdrawal form (Annex 6 to the Consumer Protection Act) before the purchase, but the customer can withdraw with any clear statement, such as an email. Publish the form as a PDF and as text, linked from your terms and the order confirmation email. ### The withdrawal button: Art. 52a, in force from Sep 24, 2026 Every online store selling to consumers in Bulgaria must have a visible withdrawal button. The rule is Art. 52a of the Consumer Protection Act, which brings in Art. 11a of [Directive (EU) 2023/2673](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2673/oj/eng). The directive applies across the EU from Jun 19, 2026, so cross-border sellers need the button in every EU market. | What the law requires | In the store | | Label "withdraw from contract here" or an equally clear phrase | A button or link with that text | | Prominent and available for the whole withdrawal period | On every page or in the menu | | A separate "confirm withdrawal" step | A second button after the short form | | Acknowledgement on a durable medium with date and time | An automatic email right after the request | ## How do you turn on the withdrawal button in CloudCart? In CloudCart the withdrawal function is the Withdraw from contract app. Its basic version is in every plan and covers Art. 52a: a storefront button, a /withdrawal page, the email acknowledgement and the requests in the admin. - Install the app. Admin → Apps → Withdraw from contract, then follow the 4-step wizard. - Confirm your company details and choose your Terms page and Return policy page. Without the two pages the app does not activate. - Set the window. The default is 14 days. You can extend it up to 365 days but not shorten it. - Switch on the button. The floating button is off by default: place it left or right and pick the colours. An empty label shows the official wording. Or add a menu link to /withdrawal . - Activate. Requests arrive in Orders → Withdraw from contract and show on the order above Returns & exchanges. The customer enters name, order number and email, types the 6-digit code sent to the order email, picks products and confirms, with no account needed. The acknowledgement email cannot be switched off. The app stores the accepted terms text, IP address, time and every status change as evidence. | Feature | Basic (every plan) | Pro (paid pack) | | Button, email code, acknowledgement, requests in the admin | Yes | Yes | | Bank refund recorded on the request (you make the transfer) | Yes | Yes | | Automatic return on the order, with stock and refund | No | Yes | | Customer picks card refund in the request | No | Yes | | Viber notifications, webhook events | No | Yes | The app does not block excluded goods on its own. For an excluded item, close the request without a refund and add a note with the reason. ## When can a customer not return goods? The right of withdrawal does not apply to the goods in Art. 57 of the Consumer Protection Act. The usual ones for online stores: - made-to-order or personalised goods; - food, flowers and other goods that spoil quickly; - sealed hygiene goods unsealed after delivery: cosmetics, underwear, in-ear headphones; - sealed audio, video and software unsealed after delivery; - digital content downloaded with the customer's express consent; - services for a specific date: accommodation, transport, event tickets. State the exception in your terms and on the product, and read it narrowly: the EU Court of Justice ruled that a mattress with its protective film removed can still be returned ([case C-681/17](https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-681/17)). An opened package alone is no reason to refuse a return. ## Warranty claims for goods bought online: deadlines and rights A warranty claim can be made for 2 years from delivery, orally or in writing, to the store that sold the goods. The seller is liable for any defect that existed at delivery, even when a service centre does the repair. The EU rules are on the [Your Europe page on guarantees](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm). | Rule | Deadline | | Making a claim for goods | 2 years from delivery, or longer under a commercial warranty | | Repair or replacement, goods without digital elements | 1 month from the claim | | Goods with digital elements | A reasonable time | | Defect presumed to exist at delivery | First 12 months (Directive (EU) 2019/771, Art. 11) | The customer states the defect, the remedy (repair, replacement, price reduction or refund) and a contact address, and attaches proof of purchase. Online, that is the order confirmation or invoice plus photos or video. A claim form on your site helps, but a plain email is a valid claim. The customer first chooses repair or replacement at no cost; a price reduction or refund follows if the seller refuses, misses the month, or the defect is serious. ### The complaints register Every warranty claim goes into a complaints register, and the customer receives a document with the date, register number, type of goods and the name of the person who accepted it. Online, the register can be a spreadsheet and the document an email, for example: "We have registered your claim No. R-014 for a coffee grinder, order #1051. Accepted by: [name], customer service." The Commission for Consumer Protection, Bulgaria's consumer authority, can ask for the register during an inspection. ### How to handle a warranty claim in 5 steps - Register it on the day it arrives and email the customer the number. The month starts then. - Collect the item with a shipping label at your cost, or ask for photos if the defect shows on them. - Check the defect. In the first 12 months you assume it existed at delivery unless you prove misuse. - Decide on the customer's chosen remedy and record it in the register. - Answer in writing. A refusal gives the reason, because the customer can complain to the Commission for Consumer Protection. In CloudCart a replacement is a return on the order with the Exchange method, linked to the new order. A refund or price reduction is a full or partial return with card, bank transfer or CloudCart Wallet, plus the [credit note](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/invoices-n18) for an invoiced order. A repair leaves the order unchanged. ## What must your terms and returns policy say? Your terms must give the seller's details and all the information in Art. 47 of the Consumer Protection Act before the customer orders, and the Bulgarian Electronic Commerce Act requires the seller's details to be easy to find. Check every point: - company name, UIC (the Bulgarian company ID), address, return address, email and phone; - prices with VAT and delivery, payment and delivery methods, delivery time; - the 14-day right of withdrawal, who pays the return parcel and the refund deadline; - the withdrawal form, the link to the withdrawal button and the exceptions for your goods; - the 2-year legal guarantee, how to make a warranty claim and any commercial warranty; - out-of-court dispute resolution. In CloudCart the GDPR app (listed on [pricing](https://cloudcart.com/en/pricing) separately from the four plans) creates starter policies for privacy, marketing consent, terms and cookies with your company details. Terms and privacy become required checkboxes at checkout, and the platform keeps the exact text each customer accepted. The returns policy is a separate page that you select in Withdraw from contract. ## How to process a return in CloudCart, step by step In CloudCart ([Orders and returns](https://cloudcart.com/en/orders)) a return is made from the order, full or partial, and the same screen restocks the goods, refunds the customer and issues the credit note: - Open the order and click Issue return. The button shows on paid or invoiced orders not yet fully returned. - Choose full or partial and tick the returned lines. The refund is shown with the customer's discount. - Choose the refund method: card, bank transfer (IBAN), CloudCart Wallet store credit, exchange or no refund. - Click Mark received when the parcel arrives. Stock goes up and the customer is notified. - Issue credit note on an invoiced order and email the PDF to the customer. Important: after a credit note for a partial return, the order can no longer be reversed as a whole. Every further return on it is partial. The credit note reverses the sale for accounting. How it feeds the monthly file for the NRA (the National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria's tax authority) is in the guide to [Ordinance N-18 for online stores](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/n18-online-store-nap). > Invoices and N-18 in CloudCart The credit note from the same screen, with your numbering For a partial return the credit note covers only the returned lines, at the price after the product discount, with its own sequential numbering. Invoices, credit notes and N-18 → | How the order was paid | Full refund | Partial refund | | CloudCart Pay, Stripe, PayPal, Revolut | To the card, from the admin | To the card, from the admin | | Other card providers | Depends on the provider | Bank transfer or provider dashboard | | Cash on delivery | Bank transfer | Bank transfer | | Any method, registered customer | CloudCart Wallet | CloudCart Wallet | A full card refund sets the order to Refunded; a partial one keeps the status and recalculates the customer's spend for reports. More in [cash on delivery vs card payments](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/cash-on-delivery-vs-card-payments). > CloudCart Pay Partial card refunds from the admin and a 0% transaction fee through Dec 31, 2026 When the customer paid with CloudCart Pay, the amount for the returned product goes back to the card from the return itself, with no IBAN and no manual transfer. How CloudCart Pay works → ## How to reduce returns in your online store Most returns come from expectations the product page did not cover: size, colour, material. These practices bring them down: - A size chart on every product , in centimetres, with how to measure. - Photos from several angles , with colours as they look in daylight. - Reviews with replies from the store. One "runs small" review warns the next buyer. - The returns policy next to the order button , so customers order with confidence. - Weekly tracking. CloudCart Analytics shows Returns over time, Net revenue and Return rate (returns value divided by sales) by default. Fix the description of the product that comes back most often, and offer an exchange when the customer wants another size. > AURA Aura Chat answers return questions and takes the request in the chat Aura Chat answers delivery, returns and warranty questions from your published pages. With the Returns skill on, it verifies the customer with a 6-digit email code and lodges the request in Withdraw from contract. How Aura Chat works → ## Mistakes that lead to disputes or a complaint to the regulator - "Returns within 7 days" or "14 working days from purchase". The minimum is 14 calendar days from receipt. - A mandatory form or "original packaging only". Any clear statement is a valid withdrawal. - A voucher instead of money without the customer's consent. - Keeping the original delivery charge when the whole order comes back. - Sending a warranty claim on to the service centre. The seller is responsible. - A withdrawal button hidden in the terms. Art. 52a requires a prominent one. - No credit note for a returned invoiced order. Put your terms, returns policy and withdrawal button in place before the first order. The full launch is in [how to create an online store](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/how-to-create-online-store). > A store for €1 €1/month for the first 3 months, with returns and the withdrawal button included A new store starts with returns, credit notes and the basic Withdraw from contract app, so the Art. 52a button works from the first order. Sales carry 0% commission . Create your store for €1 → ## Frequently asked questions **How many days does a customer have to return an online purchase in Bulgaria?** 14 calendar days from receiving the goods (Art. 50 of the Consumer Protection Act). The customer then has 14 days to send them back, and the store refunds within 14 days of the notice. Without information about the right, the period grows by 12 months. **Who pays return shipping in the EU?** The customer, if the store's terms say so before the purchase; otherwise the store. When the whole order is returned, the store refunds the original delivery up to its cheapest standard option. **Does an online store need a withdrawal button?** Yes. From Sep 24, 2026, Art. 52a of the Bulgarian Consumer Protection Act requires a prominent "withdraw from contract" button, a confirmation step and an emailed acknowledgement. The store must also provide the standard withdrawal form, which the customer may choose not to use. **What is the difference between a return and a warranty claim?** A return is withdrawing without a reason within 14 days of receipt. A warranty claim asks for repair, replacement, a price reduction or a refund for defective goods, for 2 years from delivery. Shipping on a warranty claim is paid by the seller. **Can a store refuse a return because the package was opened?** As a rule, no. The exception is sealed hygiene goods once the seal is broken. If the item was used more than needed to try it, the store can deduct the loss of value. **How long does a seller have to resolve a warranty claim?** 1 month for goods without digital elements and a reasonable time for goods with digital elements. After that, the customer can ask for a refund or a lower price. For questions about returns and Withdraw from contract in your store, write to [support@cloudcart.com](https://cloudcart.commailto:support@cloudcart.com).