Online shoppers unexpectedly buying from abroad due to misleading ads

Almost half of shoppers who bought items advertised on social media and online marketplaces in the past year found their items were shipped from overseas, a Which? survey has revealed.*

More than four in 10 of these shoppers weren’t aware that they were ordering from abroad at the time of purchase.

A quarter of respondents who ordered from abroad were surprised to find their items didn't match their product descriptions, and some struggled to secure a refund from the overseas retailer.

Your UK return rights do still apply for international orders, but they can be hard to enforce in practice.

Here, we speak with consumers who unexpectedly ordered from overseas and explain your rights to a refund when buying from abroad.

‘The Facebook ad didn't state that I was ordering from China’

‘I bought a warm, waterproof dog coat fom DoggyKings after seeing it promoted on Facebook,’ Patricia told Which?. She ordered a medium, following the advert's size guide, but when it arrived – three weeks after purchasing – it didn't fit her dog.

Looking to return the coat, Patricia was surprised to discover it had been sent from China. ‘The cost of the return was more than the cost of the purchase, so it ended up going to a charity shop,’ she said.

At the time of writing, Which? found 23 adverts on Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram from DoggyKings targeting UK consumers. None of the adverts indicated that the items would be shipped from overseas.

Barbara (not her real name) had a similar experience, after buying a bra from a retailer called wmbrashop that she saw advertised on social media.

After the wrong size was sent, Barbara looked into returning the item, only to discover it had been sent from China. 'I couldn't send it back as the postage would have cost far more than the £20 order,' she said.

Which? couldn't find any information about either of these retailers on Companies House, which is the UK's official register of companies, indicating that they could both be based outside of the UK.

On both companies' Trustpilot pages, customers have complained about issues with items, as well as the fact their orders were unexpectedly sent from abroad.

Which? contacted wmbrashop and DoggyKings, but didn't hear back.

• Read more: your return rights when buying online.

Overseas sellers ignoring UK return rights

We heard from other shoppers in our survey who similarly received items from overseas that they were unhappy with.

A quarter of respondents said the items they received from abroad didn't match their product descriptions. One in six said that the company's product image didn’t advertise the product accurately, while one in eight said that the item didn’t work correctly.

Under UK consumer law – which also applies to international orders – you have a right to a refund if the item you've ordered is faulty or isn't as described.

But many of the shoppers in our survey struggled to enact these rights.

More than half of those whose items didn’t match their product descriptions or images received no resolution after complaining to the international retailer they had bought from. Half of those who complained that their product didn’t work also didn't reach a resolution.

• Find out more: use our free delivery complaints tool to request a refund from a retailer.

What are your rights when returning a product overseas?

When you purchase an item online, regardless of where the item is located, your UK return rights still apply in principle, but these rights can be difficult to enforce in practice.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have a right to a refund if an item you've ordered from abroad isn't as described, or isn't of a satisfactory quality or fit for purpose.

You also have a 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations for online orders. This means you have a minimum of 14 days after receiving your items to decide whether you want to keep your order.

Due to the difficulty some consumers face in getting a resolution from overseas retailers, it’s always best to pay via credit card so that you have extra protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

If you pay via debit card or by credit card and the goods were less than £100, you can make a chargeback claim. If you paid via PayPal, you have Buyer’s Protection, which allows you to request a refund.

Before placing an online order with a retailer you're unfamiliar with, it's worth checking its contact page to see if it has a UK address. You can also search for the business on Companies House.

You can also use our free delivery complaints tool to start your refund claim with a retailer.

*We surveyed 14,864 members of the Which? Connect panel about their experiences with online shopping in November 2024.