Purchase of goods and services

In-store purchases in other EU Member States

When you buy goods in a shop in any EU Member State, you always have a minimum of two years’ warranty in case of defects. Individual EU Member States may choose to give consumers a longer warranty period, but it can never be less than two years.

You have a warranty for at least two years after you have purchased an item from a shop in an EU Member State. If you discover a defect for which you believe the seller is responsible, you must complain to the seller as soon as possible and within a reasonable time after you discover the defect.

In some countries, you may lose your ability to complain about that defect altogether if you do not complain within two months after you discover the defect.

Please note that, when purchasing face-to-face in a shop, you do not have a statutory cooling-off period. When buying online, you have a statutory cooling-off period of 14 days.

Checklist when buying in-store abroad

  • Make sure you get a receipt at the time of purchase.
  • Save your receipt for the full warranty period.
  • If the item has a defect, you must complain in writing to the seller so that you can prove that you have complained in a timely manner.
  • If you have to use a complaints form on the seller’s website, take a screenshot before submitting it so you can document your complaint.

If you have purchased an item from a shop abroad, you cannot assume that you can get the seller to send you an item under the warranty. A seller has the right to refuse to process your complaint if you do not go to the shop and complain in person. You also cannot, for example, go down to a Danish H&M shop and complain about a sweater that you bought at an H&M shop in Amsterdam.

Get assistance with your complaint

If you have problems with your shop purchase in another EU Member State and it is not possible to come to a solution with the seller, you can get free guidance and you have the option to complain via ECC Denmark.

Find out more: Contact ECC Denmark.

When you cross the border to go shopping in person

You do not have to pay excise duty on your goods when you drive to Sweden or Germany to shop, for example.  However, for certain types of goods, there are restrictions on how much you can bring back to Denmark.

You can find the rules that apply when you bring goods to Denmark from another EU Member State on the SKAT website. (Insert link)

If you arrange for the goods to be shipped across the border and home to your place of residence, you will have to pay excise duty. You must make sure that the excise duty is paid.

You can find the rules for how to inform SKAT about your purchase on the SKAT website. 

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