Right of withdrawal (Brazil)

The right of withdrawal, under Brazilian consumer protection law, allows a customer to back out of a purchase made outside a physical store within 7 days, with no need to justify the reason, with a refund of the amounts paid. It covers purchases made online, by phone, by catalog, at the door and — the most common case today — over WhatsApp and Instagram.

When the 7 days apply

The rule exists because a remote buyer never saw, held or tested the product before paying. That is why it does not apply to a purchase made inside a physical store: there, a return for a change of mind is store policy, not a legal right.

The 7 days are calendar days, not business days. The countdown starts from signing the contract or receiving the product — in practice, from receiving it, which is usually the later event. Selling over WhatsApp and delivering by courier changes nothing: it is still a remote sale.

What the business refunds

The law calls for reimbursing amounts paid, under any title, adjusted for inflation. That means the price and also the delivery shipping fee. The consolidated understanding among consumer protection agencies is that the cost of the return shipment is also the seller's: charging the customer to send the product back would gut a right that exists precisely so a change of mind is not punished.

The law does not condition the refund on sealed packaging. What gets debated case by case is use beyond what is necessary to get to know the product — trying on a shoe is not the same as wearing it for a week.

What the right of withdrawal is not

• It is not a defect exchange. A defective product follows the legal warranty, with its own deadlines and rules.
• It is not the "seven days to exchange" some physical stores offer. That is a voluntary policy, and the store can set conditions (a tag, store credit instead of cash, a shorter deadline).
• It is not cancelling an ongoing service used for months. There, the contract's and the sector's own regulations apply.
• It does not depend on a reason. The business cannot require a justification, a report or manager approval to accept it.

How this shows up in WhatsApp sales

Two practical consequences. The first is stating the deadline before closing the sale, along with the return conditions — clear information is the seller's duty, and its absence is what most often leads to penalties. The second is being able to prove dates: when the product was delivered and when the customer asked to back out. A saved conversation, with a date and a case number on the customer's record, resolves the case in minutes; a loose screenshot does not.