Legislative Changes for E-shops in 2026: What to Watch Out For

If you run an e-shop and want to be clear about what you must keep an eye on in 2026, read on. ✅ We summarise the most important points in a single article, without unnecessary theory or section numbers.

2023: The start of major changes for e-shops

1. The year that etched itself into the memory of every e-shop operator. That is when the so-called “button amendment” came into force. It brought new obligations to e-shops: operators had to adopt many measures, adjust their processes, and update the technical side of the e-shop itself. But it did not end in 2023. The new obligations began to be checked and fined by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI), and e-shops must keep these “historical” rules in mind at all times.

As if that were not enough, further changes have arrived or are on the way. The DSA Regulation, the regulation addressing product safety, and the Accessibility Act. Around the middle of next year, e-shops are likely to face a further obligation in the form of a new button for withdrawing from a contract. > Do not want to keep an eye on all of this yourself? Get in touch, we will check how your e-shop is doing and advise you on what to improve.

The button amendment in 4 points 🛒

The button amendment = new obligations. Many of them are still with us today, and these are precisely what the ČOI focuses on most often. 👇

The button that commits you to payment

Naming the button was more of a technical change. The amendment requires that the button by which the customer confirms the order and thereby concludes the purchase contract clearly informs them that a payment obligation arises. Typical wording: “Order and pay” or “Order with an obligation to pay”.

It may seem a trivial detail, but its absence is the first thing visible during an inspection. And if it is missing from the website, the ČOI will notice it first.

How to display discounts correctly

The new rules for displaying discounts are already a bigger puzzle for most e-shops, even more than 2 years after the amendment took effect. In particular, when offering a discount, the seller is obliged to base it on the lowest price over the last 30 days. The aim is to prevent prices being artificially inflated just before a sales promotion. So an e-shop cannot raise the price before a sale and then declare a discount of, say, 50 %. The discount must be calculated from the lowest price in the last 30 days.

Under the Prices Act, the seller must therefore also keep price records. The ČOI can request these during an inspection, and if the e-shop does not keep them, it may have a problem. > Not sure whether you are keeping your price records correctly? Write to us, we will advise you on what is needed.

Verified vs. unverified reviews

The changes also affected the area of consumer reviews. The aim of the amendment was for reviews to correspond to reality and for fake ones to be curbed. If an e-shop uses reviews, it must state whether:

• they are verified reviews, i.e. from genuine customers, or
• unverified, i.e. reviews whose authenticity no one checks.

If an e-shop labels reviews as unverified, its obligations end there, but of course such reviews do not carry much weight. For verified reviews, it must state how the verification is carried out - a unique link sent after purchase, logging into a customer account, or via a third party (for example Heureka).

New rules for complaints

A key new feature was the extension of the period during which goods are presumed to have been defective at the time of receipt: from 6 months to 12 months. During this period the seller has few options for rejecting a complaint, unless they prove that the damage was caused by the customer.

The customer still chooses how the complaint is resolved, but if their choice is uneconomical or impossible, the e-shop can offer a different solution (for example a replacement instead of a repair). Only if neither repair nor replacement is possible do a discount on the price or withdrawal from the contract come into play. > We know e-commerce inside out - take a look at everything we can do for e-shops.

The ČOI steps in: What it is currently focusing on

Having everything on paper is not enough. The ČOI increasingly focuses on the practical implementation of obligations. It issues reports on its inspections:

• April 2025: the ČOI reported that more than 80 % of e-shops make mistakes with consumer reviews, particularly in the area of verification.
• May 2025: the inspection authority published the results of checks on sales promotions. It states that 60 % of traders made mistakes. Fines reached CZK 18.5 million.

How do inspections work?

The ČOI carries out inspections in two ways:

1. According to its own inspection plan: it focuses on areas where there is a known high rate of legal violations.
2. On the basis of a complaint, usually from a dissatisfied customer. In such a case, the inspection authority does not check just the specific complaint, but the entire e-shop. Every error found increases the fine.

What is new and what is on the horizon

GSPR: Product safety under control

Since the end of 2024, the new European General Product Safety Regulation (GSPR) has applied. It requires e-shops to:

• verify that products are correctly labelled,
• ensure that the manufacturer or supplier has enclosed the necessary documentation,
• check whether the product is safe.

If not, the e-shop must stop selling it. And if it finds that a product is dangerous, it is obliged to:

• inform the manufacturer and supervisory authorities,
• withdraw the product from the market and adopt corrective measures,
• inform all affected consumers and offer a remedy (repair, replacement, compensation).

On the e-shop you must state the identification and contact details of the manufacturer (or of the responsible representative, if the manufacturer is based outside the EU), the product’s identification details (batch number), and any warning or safety notices. All in Czech.

The Accessibility Act: A web for everyone

From June 2025, the new Act on accessibility requirements also takes effect, based on an EU directive. It applies to all B2C e-shops and is intended to simplify purchases for people with visual or other disadvantages.

What do you have to do?

• Design the website so that it is perceivable, operable, and understandable even for people with a visual impairment. A developer will help with this.
• Draw up and publish an accessibility statement and add user instructions.

💡 We already have the new Accessibility Act down - read our article on the blog.

DSA: When customers create content

The European DSA Regulation is older and applies to e-shops where visitors can add user content, typically reviews, discussions, or product questions.

Obligations:

• enable website visitors to report problematic content (for example via a form or email),
• publish an email address for communication with the authorities,
• adjust the terms and conditions so that they describe the rules for publishing and deleting content (for example if it infringes copyright, the content is illegal, or contrary to good morals).

Want to know more about the DSA? Take a look at our latest article.

A new button for withdrawing from a contract

In the middle of 2026, an amendment is due to take effect that will simplify withdrawal from a contract. The point is that when a contract can be created on an e-shop with a single click, withdrawal should be just as simple.

The e-shop must display a clearly labelled button in a visible place, for example “Withdraw here”, which:

• redirects the consumer to a simple form,
• allows them to enter their name, contract number, and contact details,
• allows them to submit the request with one click.

The customer will no longer have to print anything or send it by post.

Because this is a directive, the change must still be implemented in the Czech Republic by law. Although the change is not yet in effect (it is expected from 19 June 2026), we recommend preparing for it now.

Conclusion: The rules change, the fines remain

As you can see, e-shops are gaining more obligations but losing room for error. The ČOI does not address only new regulations, but checks all aspects of an e-shop. Neither ignorance nor technical complexity is an excuse.

Do not want to get lost in the jungle of regulations affecting e-shop operators? We will audit your e-shop, assess its state, and help set things up correctly, from discounts to accessibility.

Get in touch before the ČOI gets in touch with you. Because between you and an inspection there is often just one dissatisfied customer. 🧐