Product price labelling

Do you offer products for sale to consumers? There are rules for how you should label prices on products.

Price labelling in shops

You must state a price on or near all products in a shop. You must make sure that:

• the price is stated in euros (including VAT)
• the price is clearly readable (from a small distance)
• the price is stated on or near the product, so it is clear to which product the price applies
• for packaged products you must also indicate the price per unit or measurement (kilo, litre, metre etc)

Price labelling in webshops

For products in webshops, you must also include a price. You must make sure that:

• the price is stated in euros (including VAT)
• all additional costs must be included (such as shipping costs and service costs) in the total price
• costs that are not fixed must be clarified in advance (shipping costs)
• you indicate if the price is personalised
• you can only indicate a product to be 'free' if there is nothing in return (including no personal data)

Rules for advertising and special offers

Price labelling regulations also apply to advertisements:

• If the regular price of a product is the recommended selling price, this must be clearly indicated
• If you offer a discount, you must have used the original price no longer than 3 months before
• Indicate clearly when the prices used in your offer or advertisement apply
• If there are any additional costs, this should be clear

Exemptions

In some cases and for some products, you do not have to display the price or the price per unit or measurement, for example:

• art and antiques do not need a price label
• products sold at an auction do not need a price label
• different products that are being sold in one package do not need a price per unit
• products that are sold separately do not need a price per unit

The Ministery of Economic Affairs gives an overview of the exemptions included in the Dutch Price Labelling Decree (Besluit Prijsaanduidingen, in Dutch)

Additional costs

You must be clear about additional costs (such as shipping or call-out costs, in Dutch). If you always charge additional costs then you must include them in the first price you show.

Incorrect prices

Did you state an incorrect price in your shop on your website or advertisement? You may have to sell the product for the incorrect price.

• Should the customer have understood that the price was not right? For instance, is your incorrect price so far below the average selling price, it is clear you must have made a mistake? You do not have to sell the product for the incorrect price.
• Could the customer not have understood that the price was not right? For instance, is the difference between your incorrect price and the average price not that big? You have to sell the product for the incorrect price.