Selling to UK and EU shoppers: 10 things US online stores get wrong

A store that converts well in the US often underperforms in the UK and the EU, with the same products and the same ads. The reason is rarely the product. It is a set of small signals that tell a European shopper the store wasn't built for them, and several of those signals are also legal requirements.

These are the ten points we check first.

1. Prices without VAT, in dollars

UK and EU shoppers expect prices in pounds or euros, with VAT included. A dollar price, or VAT added at checkout, looks like a foreign store and a surprise bill. It is also a legal point: UK and EU price rules require consumers to see the final selling price, taxes included.

Two related rules catch US stores:

• Mandatory fees belong in the headline price. In the UK, since April 2025, drip pricing is banned: charges a shopper cannot avoid must be in the price shown up front. The CMA's guidance also covers how delivery charges must be shown.
• Discounts need an honest reference price. In the EU, a "was" price must be the lowest price you charged in the 30 days before the discount.

Fix: local currency, VAT-inclusive prices, price points set per market, and a price history behind every sale.

2. Delivery times and costs that are unclear

"Ships in 7 to 14 business days" reads very differently in Manchester than in Ohio. Shoppers want the delivery time and cost for their country before checkout, and no duties to pay at the door. If you ship from the US, that means collecting VAT at checkout under the UK's £135 rule or the EU's IOSS; our guide to UK and EU VAT explains both. Stock in a UK or EU warehouse brings delivery down to days.

3. Returns without the 14-day right to cancel

UK and EU consumers can cancel most online orders within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, and you must refund them within 14 days, which you can hold until the goods come back or you get proof they were sent. You must tell shoppers about this right before they buy. If you don't, the cancellation period can stretch to as long as 12 months.

Fix: a returns page written for UK and EU law, a cancellation form, and ideally a local returns address.

4. Payment methods built for the US

Cards and PayPal are not enough everywhere. Shoppers in the Netherlands expect iDEAL, in Belgium Bancontact, and buy-now-pay-later options like Klarna are common across the UK and the EU. A missing local method is one of the quietest reasons for abandoned checkouts.

5. Language and spelling

US spelling, US sizes and US references cost trust in the UK. In the EU, English alone limits you in most markets. Product pages, emails and customer support in the shopper's language make the difference, and some information, like safety warnings, has to be in the local language anyway.

6. Product claims that don't travel

Claims that are normal in the US can break UK and EU rules. Food supplements may only use authorized health claims. Cosmetic claims must be truthful and supported by evidence, and a cosmetic cannot claim to treat a medical condition. Ad platforms reject non-compliant claims, and regulators can order products off the market. The UK applies its own version of these rules.

Fix: review claims before you translate them, not after an ad gets rejected. Our compliance team checks labels and claims for both markets.

7. Missing product safety details

Since December 2024, most consumer products sold in the EU need an economic operator established in the EU, and its name and contact details must appear on the product and in your online listing. See our GPSR guide for US brands.

8. Legal pages, company details and cookies

UK and EU shoppers, and the law, expect to see who they are buying from:

• Company details: your legal name, geographic address, email, company registration number and VAT number.
• Cookie consent: non-essential cookies, including most analytics and advertising cookies, need the visitor's consent before they are set.
• A privacy notice written for UK and EU data protection law.
• Email marketing consent: in the UK, you can email existing customers about similar products if they had a chance to opt out; for everyone else, you need consent.

9. Trust signals

Local reviews, a UK or EU contact address, a local returns address and a support email that answers fast. In the UK, fake reviews and hidden incentivized reviews have been banned since April 2025, so build reviews the slow, honest way.

10. Ads and search readiness

UK shoppers search for "trainers", not "sneakers". Each market needs its own keywords, product feeds in local currency with VAT-inclusive prices that match your store, and Google Merchant Center set up for the UK and each EU country you target. Ads sent to a store that fails points 1 to 9 waste budget.

Where to start

Prices and returns first: they affect conversion most directly and carry the clearest legal requirements. Then payments and language. Then claims, safety details and legal pages, before you scale ad spend.

Questions

Do UK and EU consumer rules apply if we ship from the US?
If your store targets UK or EU consumers, their consumer protection rules generally apply to those sales, wherever you ship from.

Do we need a separate store for the UK and the EU?
Not necessarily. Many brands run one store with local markets: currency, prices, language and legal pages per market. What matters is what each shopper sees.

Which fixes come first?
Prices and returns, then payments and language. Claims and product safety details must be right before you spend on ads.

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013
• EUR-Lex: Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU
• EUR-Lex: Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161
• legislation.gov.uk: Price Marking Order 2004
• legislation.gov.uk: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
• CMA: price transparency guidance
• legislation.gov.uk: Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002
• ICO: cookies and similar technologies
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims