What rules apply to B2B online stores?

A question that comes up more often is whether a trustmark is also intended for B2B (business-to-business) web stores. The answer is yes. More and more companies also orient themselves via the Internet and buy via the Internet from other companies they have not yet done business with. Trust plays a big role in this. However, different rules apply to B2B webshops than to B2C (business-to-consumer) webshops. In this blog, we list the most important rules.

Prices excluding VAT?

Many B2B webshops list prices excluding VAT. In principle, this is allowed, but only when ordering for consumers is impossible. This is the case, for example, when you have a mandatory field 'Company name', 'Chamber of Commerce number' or 'VAT number' during the checkout process. This field should then be mandatory and not optional. If it is possible for consumers to order, then you must also list prices including VAT. Even if you only sell sporadically to consumers.

Right of withdrawal?

In principle, the right of withdrawal does not have to apply to companies, because the right of withdrawal is part of consumer legislation. As a trustmark we do require that you make this clear on the website, so state whether and under what conditions returns are possible. Do you use (standard) general conditions? Make sure they do not mention the right of withdrawal. If you sell to both consumers and businesses, you can make exceptions in your general terms and conditions.

Selling to consumers and businesses? Provide clarity!

Do you sell to both businesses and consumers? Clarify when an order is considered a B2B order and when it is considered a B2C order. This prevents discussions in which companies order as consumers in order to take advantage of benefits under consumer law. Do this, for example, by including a field in the checkout process in which the user indicates whether the order is business or personal. Optionally, you can display this field again on the invoice to make it less easy for businesses to order as a consumer and deduct the cost and VAT.

How do you handle B2B orders?

In discussions between webshops, we often see 2 camps. One treats B2B orders as a regular order and simply offers the option to return, the other uses different rules for companies. The consideration here often depends on what products are being sold and whether they are for resale or personal use. Please let us know how you handle this.