Last updated on October 24, 2025
No, unless the seller failed to inform you properly about your withdrawal rights. In that case, the return period may extend up to 12 months and 14 days.
The Clock Starts Ticking: Austria’s 14-Day Rule
You’ve bought a jacket online. It looked perfect on the model, but in real life? Not so much. You sigh, check the calendar, and realize it’s been 16 days. Can you still send it back?
In Austria, the answer is usually no—at least not without a good reason. The country follows the EU-wide consumer protection rules, which grant a 14-day withdrawal period for online purchases. This is your legal cooling-off phase, designed to let you inspect the product and decide if it’s really what you wanted. But once those 14 days are up, your right to return typically expires.
Where the Law Stands
The legal foundation for this rule is the Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz (FAGG), Austria’s implementation of the EU Consumer Rights Directive. It applies to contracts made via distance selling—think online shops, teleshopping, or catalog orders. The 14-day period starts the day you receive the goods. If you ordered multiple items in one go, the countdown begins when the last item arrives.
But here’s the twist: if the seller didn’t inform you properly about your right of withdrawal—meaning they failed to provide clear instructions or the official withdrawal form—the 14-day window doesn’t apply. Instead, you get a whopping 12 months and 14 days to change your mind. That’s a serious extension, and it’s meant to hold sellers accountable for transparency.
Exceptions and Fine Print
Not all products are eligible for return, even within the 14-day period. The law carves out exceptions for:
- Custom-made goods tailored to your specifications
- Sealed items that can’t be returned for health or hygiene reasons once opened
- Digital downloads once the download has started
- Certain leisure services like concert tickets or hotel bookings
Also, simply sending the item back isn’t enough. You must explicitly declare your withdrawal—by email, letter, or even a phone call. The declaration doesn’t need to follow a strict format, but it must be clear. And yes, you’ll likely need to cover the return shipping costs unless the seller offers free returns.
When the Seller Slips Up
If the seller didn’t inform you about your withdrawal rights, the law gives you a second chance. This extended period is a safeguard against shady practices and ensures that consumers aren’t penalized for a seller’s oversight. But even this generous window has a limit: once 12 months and 14 days have passed, the right to return is gone for good.
See more on AUSTRIA
Sources
Rücktrittsrecht | Arbeiterkammer
https://www.arbeiterkammer.at/ruecktritt
October 24, 2025
In Ausnahmefällen: Rücktrittsrecht bei Einkäufen | Arbeiterkammer Oberösterreich
https://ooe.arbeiterkammer.at/beratung/konsumentenschutz/konsumentenrecht/konsumentenrecht/In-Ausnahmefaellen-Ruecktrittsrecht-bei-Einkaeufen.html
October 24, 2025