# Can I have a no-refund policy for personalised and custom orders? What a UK online shop can refuse, and what it cannot

> A UK online shop can refuse change-of-mind returns on personalised and made-to-order goods, but not when the item is faulty. The rule, five orders, and wording.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/can-i-have-no-refund-policy-personalised-custom-orders-uk/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Online shops, Customer service and returns
- Published 1 October 2026
- Key fact: Regulation 28(1)(b) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 removes the 14-day right to cancel from "goods that are made to the consumer's specifications or are clearly personalised", but section 31 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes any term that excludes the faulty-goods rights not binding, so a blanket "no refunds on custom orders" line holds for a change of mind and fails for a fault.
- Sources: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 regs 28 and 31 and Schedule 2 paragraph (o); Consumer Rights Act 2015 ss 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 31; GOV.UK "Accepting returns and giving refunds: the law"; Business Companion (Chartered Trading Standards Institute), "Consumer contracts: distance sales", last reviewed April 2025; all read 2026-10-01. The pen in the worked example is invented.

Yes for a change of mind, no for a fault. Regulation 28(1)(b) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes "goods that are made to the consumer's specifications or are clearly personalised" out of the 14-day right to cancel. Section 31 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 stops any policy from taking away the customer's rights when the item arrives faulty or not as ordered.

## What the exemption covers

The Regulations do not define either phrase. Two official pages give examples.

GOV.UK lists "personalised or custom-made items, for example curtains" among the items where "you only have to offer a refund if they are faulty".

Business Companion, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's guidance for traders, gives "a made-to-measure suit or pair of curtains, or a gift that has the recipient's name engraved on it". It then draws the line: the exemption "does not apply to items made to a customer's specification simply by combining stock items", such as a computer put together from stocked parts.

## Five orders, tested

| Order | Right to cancel removed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A necklace engraved with a name the customer typed | Yes | Clearly personalised |
| Curtains sewn to the customer's measurements | Yes | Made to the customer's specifications |
| A T-shirt in a size and colour picked from the menus | No | A stock item; choosing an option is not specifying |
| A gift box of stock items the customer chose | No | Combining stock items, on Business Companion's wording |
| A mug printed after the order with one of the shop's own designs | Doubtful | Made to order, but to the shop's design and not the customer's |

The last column is our reading of the regulation and the two pages, not a ruling. Where an order sits in the doubtful row, treat it as returnable.

## You have to say so before the order

Schedule 2 of the Regulations lists what a shop must tell the customer before the contract is made. Paragraph (o) is the one that matters here: where there is no right to cancel under regulation 28, "the information that the consumer will not benefit from a right to cancel".

Put the line on the product page, by the personalisation box, and in the order confirmation. A footer that promises "14-day returns on all orders" works against you. Section 12 of the 2015 Act treats the pre-contract information a shop gives as a term of the contract, so expect to be held to it. Our [returns policy template](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/returns-policy-template-uk-online-shop/) lists the exclusions in clause 4.

## Faults are a different law

Every sale carries the terms in the Consumer Rights Act 2015: the goods are of satisfactory quality (section 9), fit for a purpose the customer made known (section 10) and as described (section 11). Section 31 says a term is "not binding on the consumer to the extent that it would exclude or restrict" those. A personalised item that arrives wrong is treated like any other:

- **Within 30 days** the customer can reject it for a full refund. Section 22 sets the limit at "the end of 30 days beginning with the first day after" delivery.
- **After that** the customer can ask for a repair or a replacement, and section 23 makes the shop bear the cost, "including in particular the cost of any labour, materials or postage".
- **Return postage** on a rejected item is the shop's cost under section 20(8).

GOV.UK adds that it is illegal to mislead customers about their rights, "for example by displaying a sign that says you do not accept returns or offer refunds". A bare "no refunds on custom orders" line reads like that sign.

## Whose mistake was it

| What happened | Outcome |
|---|---|
| The customer typed "Sophie" and the shop engraved "Sophei" | Not as described. Reject for a refund within 30 days, or a replacement at the shop's cost |
| The customer typed "Sophei" and the shop engraved "Sophei" | The item matches the order. No right under either law; a remake at cost is goodwill |
| The customer uploaded a blurred photo and the print is blurred | Section 19(2): not a failure to conform if it "has its origin in materials supplied by the consumer" |
| The engraving is right but the pen does not write | Faulty. The personalisation changes nothing |

The first two rows turn on evidence. Keep the text exactly as the customer entered it, and send a proof for approval on anything costly.

## One order, with dates

A customer orders an engraved pen for £36 with £3.95 delivery. It is delivered on Monday 12 October 2026.

1. On 15 October the customer changes their mind. There is no right to cancel, provided the product page said so.
2. Suppose instead the name is engraved wrongly and the customer writes on 20 October. The short-term right to reject runs to the end of Wednesday 11 November 2026, so they are in time.
3. They choose a refund. Section 20 entitles them to "receive back the same amount of money" they paid, which we read as the full £39.95, and you pay the return postage.
4. The refund is due within 14 days of the day you agree they are entitled to it, by the same payment method, with no fee.

Our [returns rights checker](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/returns-rights-checker-online-shop/) works out both laws for an ordinary order, and the [return and refund checklist](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/return-and-refund-checklist-online-shop-request-to-money-back/) follows one return to the money back.

## Cancelling before you start

The exemption removes the cancellation right from the moment of the order, not from the moment you pick up the engraver. Many shops still let a customer cancel until work begins. That is an offer, so give it a clear end, such as approval of the proof.

## Wording to copy

> **Personalised and made-to-order items.** This item is made to your specification, so the 14-day right to cancel that covers our other products does not apply to it, and we cannot take it back if you change your mind. You can cancel free of charge until you approve the proof. This does not affect your legal rights: if the item arrives faulty, damaged or different from what you ordered, tell us and we will replace it or refund you at our cost.

This is general information for consumer sales in the UK, not legal advice.

## Short answers from this page

**Can I refuse refunds on personalised or made-to-order items in my online shop?** For a change of mind, yes: regulation 28(1)(b) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 removes the 14-day right to cancel from goods made to the customer's specifications or clearly personalised, and you must say so before the order. For a fault, no: the customer can still reject a faulty or wrongly made item within 30 days for a full refund.

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General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.