Internet sales and auctions

A purchaser of goods sold over the internet by a UK based company has the same rights as if the goods had been purchased from a High Street shop. Thus all the rights given by the Sale of Goods Act will apply.

This will not be the case however if you are buying from a private seller such as in an on line auction. The goods must be as described but they do not have to be of satisfactory quality. The position is therefore much the same as when buying from a classified advertisement in a newspaper.If there is a problem it is likely to be much harder to get your money back. Sometimes the auction site will have a dispute resolution procedures which can be a good way of resolving matters but there can be no guarantee. If the goods have been misdescribed and you relied upon that description when deciding to purchase you may well have a claim in Misrepresentation.

If you have bought something from a trader and paid by credit card you may be able to recover the cost from the card issuer. This will however only apply to goods bought in the U. K. which cost more than £100.

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