I have been sent some goods that I did not order. Do I have to pay for them?
If someone sends you goods you didn’t agree to pay for then you don’t have to pay for them. Providing goods or services to people who haven’t requested them is known as ‘inertia selling’.
You might want to check with your family and friends just to make sure that they didn’t order the goods on your behalf. If they did, they should know that it’s actually illegal to do so without your permission (see
Somebody ordered some goods on my behalf, but I didn’t give them permission to. What are my rights? ).
You could choose to keep the goods and pay for them, otherwise you have three options:
- Send the goods back
- Contact the trader in writing and ask them to arrange for the goods to be collected. You need to:
- give them 30 days’ notice to collect the goods from you
- Include you name and address, and the details of where and when the goods can be collected
- A description of the goods
- A statement that you did not order the goods.
- If the goods aren’t collected within this time, you can keep the goods and the trader cannot force you to pay for them.
- Do nothing. If the trader does not collect the goods from you within three months you can keep them and the trader can not force you to pay for them.
While you are waiting for the unwanted goods to be collected, you must not use, sell, lend, damage, throw away or destroy the goods. If you do, the trader has the right to demand payment.
It’s illegal for the seller to demand payment or to threaten legal action unless they have reason to believe that you have breached the law e.g. by damaging the goods.
If you and the trader disagree over whether you should pay for the goods, you can take a claim to the Disputes Tribunal .
For more information, contact your local CAB .
Somebody ordered some goods on my behalf, but I didn’t give them permission to. What are my rights?
Ordering goods on someone’s behalf without their permission is actually illegal. The person who ordered them for you could be fined up to $300 and could be made to pay for the goods.
If you want to keep the goods then of course you should pay for them. Otherwise, you don’t have to pay – but it would be a good idea to write to the sender to explain what has happened, and to arrange for the unwanted goods to be collected (see I have been sent some goods that I did not order. Do I have to pay for them? for what your options are if you receive unsolicited goods).