Right of withdrawal (EU)
The statutory "withdraw from contract" function every EU order needs from 19 June 2026 — the footer link, who sees it, how refunds and deadlines work, and what stays your job.
The idea
From 19 June 2026, EU law (Directive 2023/2673, adding Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive) says any shop selling online to EU shoppers must offer a withdrawal function: a clearly labelled, always-available way to withdraw from a purchase, with a two-step confirmation and an instant receipt by email.
Yoyo provides it for you. It is always on for orders delivered to the EU — there's no switch, so a setting you forget can't leave you out of line. The one thing you need to do is link to it from your store footer.
The underlying right hasn't changed: shoppers have 14 days from delivery to withdraw, no reason needed, and you refund within 14 days of their notice — including standard outbound shipping. What's new is the button.
Add the link to your footer
Your withdrawal page lives on your own domain at /apps/returns/withdraw.
Copy the link
In Yoyo, open Return rules → Basics and expand EU right of withdrawal. Click Copy next to /apps/returns/withdraw. The same link is on your setup checklist on the Returns page.
Add it to your footer menu
In Shopify, go to Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu → Add menu item. Name it Right of withdrawal (EU) and paste the link.
Tick it off
Back on the Returns page, click I've added it on the checklist item. We can't see theme edits, so this is how the checklist knows.
Your normal returns portal also shows a small "Withdrawing from an EU order? Start here →" link, so shoppers who land there find it too.
Who sees it
- Orders delivered to the EU-27 — always. The shipping address decides, not the billing address.
- Countries you add — under Also offer to on the same card. Norway and the UK are offered as one-click adds: Norway because it's in the EEA and will transpose the rule; the UK because the same 14-day right exists there, just without the button mandate.
- Everyone else is told politely that the right doesn't apply to their order and pointed to your normal returns and exchanges.
What the shopper does
- Finds their order with the order number and email (or a 6-digit email code). No account, no login.
- Reviews what's covered and what they get back: items, outbound shipping (refunded) and tax, plus the return postage terms from your policy.
- Clicks Confirm withdrawal, then Confirm withdrawal again — the two-step the law asks for. No reason is asked for, and there are no exchanges, store credit, add-ons or offers in this flow.
- Gets a confirmation screen and an email straight away, stating the date and time the withdrawal was received. They can also download a copy.
If the order hasn't shipped yet, it's cancelled in Shopify with a full refund on the spot. If it has shipped, a return is set up with your usual label or instructions.
Refunds and the 14-day deadline
Every withdrawal lands on Returns with a Statutory withdrawal badge and a Refund due in N days pill, which turns red at 3 days and reads Overdue after. Use the Withdrawals view to see them all.
- You can hold the refund until the goods arrive back or the shopper sends proof of posting. When a carrier scan shows delivery, it refunds the same way as a normal return.
- Mark proof of shipment received on the return card refunds it immediately — including outbound shipping — to the original payment method.
- Outbound shipping is refunded by default. You can remove it from one withdrawal with a note (for example, if you're sure an express upgrade was involved); the note stays on the return's history.
- You can't reject a withdrawal. Reject and Cancel aren't shown, and the app refuses them.
- On day 10 we email you if it's still unrefunded; on day 14 it shows as overdue on the Returns dashboard. Yoyo never refunds without the goods — that decision stays yours.
The deadline runs from the shopper's notice, not from when the parcel arrives. Holding the refund for the goods doesn't move it.
Products the right doesn't cover
Tag a product withdrawal-exempt in Shopify to leave it out — personalised items, sealed hygiene goods, perishables. Shoppers see those items listed as not covered; if everything on an order is exempt, they're told so.
When the carrier doesn't report delivery
The 14 days run from delivery. If the carrier doesn't tell Shopify when an order was delivered, we assume it arrived 3 days after dispatch — change that under Assume delivery on the card (0–10 days).
If a shopper says it arrived later and contacts you, use Record a withdrawal by hand on the same card: enter the order number and they receive the same acknowledgement.
What stays your job
You remain the trader responsible under EU consumer law. Your own policy pages must tell shoppers about the 14-day right — and who pays return postage — before they buy. That lives on your store, not in Yoyo. Please confirm the details with your legal adviser.
Questions
Can I turn it off? Not for EU deliveries — the law requires it. You can remove countries you added yourself.
Does the acknowledgement need Klaviyo? No. Yoyo sends it directly so it always arrives. It's shown under Settings → Emails → Required by law and can't be switched off.
Do I pay return postage? Only if your policy says so. The flow follows your return shipping settings and tells the shopper up front — for example, "return postage costs £4.50, deducted from your refund".