In the UK, yes: buy furniture online and you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, including "it doesn't fit", and get a full refund including standard delivery. In the US, there is no equivalent federal right — you are bound by the store's own policy, which is typically 30 days with a 10–20% restocking fee on furniture. Made-to-measure pieces are excluded in both countries.
Shop the pieces in this guide
Side by side
| UK | US | EU | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal right to cancel | 14 days, online/phone orders | None federally | 14 days, online orders |
| "Doesn't fit" covered | Yes, no reason needed | Only if policy allows | Yes, no reason needed |
| Custom / made-to-measure | Excluded | Usually excluded | Excluded |
| Return carriage | You pay, unless stated | Usually you pay | You pay |
| Restocking fee | Not allowed as a penalty | Common, 10–20% | Not allowed as a penalty |
| Refund deadline | 14 days from return | Policy-dependent | 14 days from return |
Two details trip people up. First, the UK clock starts the day the goods are delivered, not the day you ordered, and you only have to tell the retailer within 14 days — the return itself can follow. Second, "custom" is narrower than retailers imply: a sofa in a standard fabric from a standard range is not custom, even if you chose the colour. A sofa built to your own dimensions is.
Doesn't fit vs damaged: two different claims
Keep these separate, because they have different rules and different evidence requirements.
- Doesn't fit through the door / doesn't fit the room: a change of mind. UK 14-day right applies if bought online. In the US, read the policy before ordering, because a refused delivery can attract both a restocking fee and a two-way carriage charge.
- Damaged on arrival: not a return at all — it is a faulty-goods claim. You are entitled to repair, replacement or refund, and in the UK the 30-day short-term right to reject applies regardless of any returns window. Photograph the packaging before opening, then the damage, then the label.
Note the difference in who pays. Return carriage for a change of mind is usually yours — often £40–£90 for a sofa, more for two-man delivery. Return carriage for damage is the retailer's, always. Say which one you are claiming, in writing, in the first email.
The packaging rule nobody reads
Most furniture policies require original packaging for a return, and a sofa box is 2 m of cardboard you will be tempted to bin on day two. Keep it flat behind a wardrobe or under a bed for the full returns window. Without it, a "doesn't fit" return often becomes a refusal, and the piece becomes a very expensive lesson in hallway measurement.
Also photograph the room and the route before assembly. If a 193 cm sofa goes in but will not come out because you built it in place, no returns policy in either country covers that, and the second-hand market for a used sofa is roughly 30–40% of what you paid.
Five things to do in the first hour
- Measure the item against the space it was bought for, before assembly.
- Photograph the packaging and the item, in one shot, with a timestamp.
- Read the returns page and screenshot it — policies change between order and return.
- Note the delivery date somewhere you will find it; both the UK 14 days and most US 30 days run from delivery.
- If it does not fit, email before assembling. Assembled furniture is a used item in almost every policy.
Keep reading
More dimension guides are in the collection, and the full index is on the furnolio journal.
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