Legal support Check Your Online Store

As an online store, you must comply with Dutch and European legislation. To make the process a little easier, we’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide. This will help you easily check whether your online store is compliant.

ValuedShops Certification

The moment you register your online store with ValuedShops, you’re automatically a member. However, it’s important that your online store be approved so you can take full advantage of all its features and integrations. ValuedShops operates under a code of conduct, which we’ve based on Dutch law.

Check, check, double-check

Before we can review the content of your online store, we’ll check a few things first:

Is your online store live? If your online store isn’t live yet, that’s no problem! You can send us a test link toinfo@ValuedShops.nl, or you can reschedule the review date for a time that works for you.
Do you sell items priced above €250, electronics, travel services, or trend-sensitive products? If so, we’ll classify your online store as a “high-risk online store.” In that case, we’ll always ask for an extract from your Chamber of Commerce registration and a copy of your ID card. That way, we can be sure everything is in order 😉
Do you use the KOR scheme? No problem. Since we check whether your website displays a VAT number, it’s helpful for us to receive an email confirming your registration before the review. We’ll then add this as an internal note in our system. That way, we won’t have to reject your online store for this reason, and everyone will be aware of it.
Do you sell alcohol with an alcohol content above 15%? If so, don’t forget to submit your liquor license to us. You can do this by sending us an email! Also, don’t forget to set up a pop-up to verify your visitors’ ages.

Terms and Conditions

It’s important to include the terms and conditions in the footer of your online store. The terms and conditions cover almost everything you’ll find on the separate information pages. We’d like to see the following points included in the terms and conditions:

A section on returning (or excluding) products
A reference to ValuedShops’ dispute resolution service

We provide the terms and conditions for your online store free of charge. You can download this document and post it as plain text on your online store.

Privacy Statement

A privacy statement outlines what information you collect or track from your customers and what rights your customers have. Below are the rights that must be included in your privacy statement:

Right of access
Right to rectification
Right to restriction of processing
Right to data portability
Right to object and other rights
If you collect reviews through ValuedShops, it’s important that you communicate this to your customers. This is because we also receive data from your customers.

If you use our free privacy statement generator, it will be customized for your online store.

Contact

Of course, it’s important that your customers can easily reach you. That’s why we’d like to see the following contact information on your website, either in the footer or on a separate contact page:

A full business address (a P.O. box is not sufficient)
A Chamber of Commerce (KVK) number
A VAT number
A full email address
A physical phone number. If you’d rather not use your own phone number, you can use our phone service. A “WhatsApp Only” option is also fine!

Right of Withdrawal

Having a separate returns page in the footer of your online store is a must! This way, your customers will know right away where to go with questions about returns. The most important points that must be included in your return policy are:

The three return periods
Including a return address
Providing a model withdrawal form (you may also include this in your terms and conditions)
Providing a cancellation button
Charging for depreciation in the case of a damaged or broken product
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The return periods are as follows:

The customer has 14 days to notify you of a return
After submitting the return request, the customer has another 14 days to actually return the item
You have 14 days after the return is requested to issue a refund

“You have the right to cancel your order up to 14 days after receipt without providing a reason. After cancellation, you have another 14 days to return your product. You will then be credited the full order amount, including shipping costs. You are only responsible for the cost of returning the item from your home to the online store. These costs amount to approximately 7.25 per package; please check your carrier’s website for exact rates. If you exercise your right of withdrawal, the product must be returned to the merchant with all accessories provided and—if reasonably possible—in its original condition and packaging. To exercise this right, please contact us at UWEMAIL@uwwinkel.nl. We will refund the order amount due within 14 days of receiving your return notification, provided the product has already been received in good condition or you have demonstrated that the product has been returned."

Wondering which products are excluded? Click here

Complaints Page

Having a complaints page in the footer of your online store is very important. When customers are dissatisfied and also have to search for how to file a complaint, this usually doesn’t help.

A link to ValuedShops for dispute resolution

For the complaints page, you can use the following text:

"Things don’t always go exactly as planned. We recommend that you first report any complaints to us by emailing [EMAIL ADDRESS]. If this does not lead to a resolution, you can submit your dispute for mediation through ValuedShops at https://www.valuedshops.nl/kennisbank/consumenten/geschil."

Ordering and Payment

Of course, there are a few other areas we check, namely the ordering and payment process. Below are the most important points:

Ensure that the consumer can pay at least 50% of the amount after delivery by offering a post-delivery payment option. Examples include credit card, Klarna, Riverty, Billink, etc. You can read more about what we mean by post-delivery payment options in this blog post and this blog post.
The customer must give their own consent to receive the newsletter. Therefore, the checkbox for receiving the newsletter must not be checked by default.
Prices for consumer purchases must be displayed inclusive of sales tax
Make sure you comply with the requirements regarding payment obligations. For example, the checkout button must include the word “checkout” or “pay.” Simply agreeing to the payment obligation is not sufficient.
Make sure prices and fees are clearly listed on your website. No hidden additional fees may be charged, such as for extra insurance, delivery, or a payment method
Having an SSL certificate on your website is very important. This ensures that your online store is secure and that your customers’ data is also protected

Additional Information

According to European Directives, as of May 28, 2022, online retailers must be able to guarantee the authenticity of their reviews. We therefore recommend that you read this blog post and post the following text on your website:

We believe it’s important that reviews provide the most accurate picture possible of our products and service. Our reviews are therefore managed impartially by ValuedShops
ValuedShops has implemented measures to ensure the authenticity of reviews. You can read about these measures here
When customers receive a reward for writing a review—for example, in the form of a gift, discount, or compensation—this is clearly indicated next to the review as a “sponsored review.”

In addition to reviews, it’s also important to focus on fair design. This means setting up your online store so that consumers can make choices without being misled. Think of clear information, no misleading timers or stock notifications, and a cancellation process that isn’t unnecessarily complicated.

Please note: even if you’ve outsourced the design or development of your online store, you, as the business owner, remain responsible for ensuring the website is designed fairly.