Purchase & Order
Buyer Protection
7 important questions about Geo-blocking
The Geoblocking Regulation prohibits discrimination against consumers on the basis of their nationality or place of residence when making cross-border purchases. This has applied EU-wide since 2018 to transactions concluded online as well as offline.
EU: Price comparison of parcel delivery services
Whenever a parcel has to be sent cross-border, the price for its delivery would increase significantly - regardless of the actual distance. Many Europeans therefore avoid shopping in another country. The EU wants to change that and created new rules for parcel delivery services.
Brexit - travellers and consumers
In the referendum on 23 June 2016, 52 percent of Britons voted in favour of Brexit. On 24 December, the EU and the UK concluded a far-reaching trade and partnership agreement. What are the consequences for consumers in Europe? Here are some hints about the changes from the perspective of travellers and consumers
Shopping Online
Problems with private-to-private purchases
What rights do I have when buying on second-hand platforms? The most important points in a checklist and in which cases the ECC can help with platform problems.
Recognising and avoiding dropshipping
If a web shop has the following distinguishing features, you should shop elsewhere! In this checklist with image examples, we show you how to identify web shops that sell via dropshipping.
Dropshipping - 20 steps in the wrong direction
Direct shipping from manufacturers to customers continues to boom. We show why this is disadvantageous from a consumer protection perspective in 20 steps. From setting up a shop to collecting payment.
Finance & Insurance
Gift vouchers in Europe
Gift vouchers are popular and have certainly landed under the Christmas tree for many. In the meantime, they do not even stop at national borders within the EU. But are gift vouchers even allowed to be bought and redeemed in another EU country? When do they expire? The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) provides information.
💳 Withdrawal charges on holiday
Withdrawing cash abroad costs extra. In this article, we explain what fees you can expect when withdrawing cash with your debit card, credit card or prepaid card when travelling and how you can save yourself expenses.
Credit cards versus subscription traps
Since the beginning of the year, the three largest credit card companies in the EU have had to provide better protection against dubious subscriptions by informing customers more precisely in the payment process that they are purchasing services with recurring payments.
