Product price labelling

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

Price labelling in shops

You must state the price (in Dutch) on or near all products in a shop. You have to 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 (such as 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
• a product can only be stated as 'free' if there is nothing in return, not even personal data

When do you not have to state a price?

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

You can find an overview of the exemptions in Appendix I and Appendix II of 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). Do you always charge additional costs? Then you must include them in the first price you show.

Any additional costs for payment options that are not included in the sales price must also be clearly stated.

Rules for advertising and special offers

When advertising, you must also comply with price labelling regulations:

• If the regular price of a product is the recommended selling price, this must be clearly indicated.
• If you offer a discount, you must use the lowest original price from at least the last 30 days as the original price for your offer.
• Indicate clearly when the prices used in your offer or advertisement apply.
• If there are any additional costs, this should be clear.

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 your 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 reasonably assume that the price was correct? 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.