An online business is required to publish more than most people realise, and the list is worth knowing because its absence is the warning. Section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act sets out what a supplier offering goods or services online must disclose before you transact.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. This page covers what an online seller must publish, what you can do when it does not, and the rights that attach specifically to buying at a distance.
What an online seller must disclose
- Its full name and legal status, meaning the registered company name rather than only a trading name.
- Its physical address and telephone number, not merely an email address or a contact form.
- Its website address and email address, and its registration number where it is registered.
- The full price including delivery, taxes and any other cost, disclosed before you commit.
- The return, refund and cancellation policy, and the security procedures used for payment information.
A site missing the physical address and the registered name is the one to be careful with. Those two items are what make a seller findable if something goes wrong, which is exactly why a fraudulent site omits them.
The cooling-off right on distance purchases
Buying online carries a right that buying in a shop does not. Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act you may cancel most online purchases within seven days of delivery, without giving a reason and without penalty, though you bear the cost of returning the goods.
- It applies to goods and to some services bought at a distance, and it is separate from the Consumer Protection Act’s six-month right to return defective goods.
- Some things are excluded, including goods made to your specification, perishables, and audio, video or software that has been unsealed.
- A shop’s no-refunds policy does not override it. A term that purports to remove a statutory right is not enforceable.
- Refunds are due within 30 days of cancellation, and the supplier may not charge a fee for the cancellation itself.
- Keep the delivery date. The seven days run from delivery, not from the order, so proof of when it arrived matters.
Before you pay an unfamiliar online seller
- Check the registered name and number on the CIPC register, which is free to search.
- Pay by card rather than by transfer. A card payment can be disputed with your bank; an electronic transfer to a fraudster almost never comes back.
- Never pay into a personal bank account. A business account in the registered name is the minimum, and a request to pay an individual is the clearest possible warning.
- Screenshot the listing, the price and the terms at the time you buy, because pages change and a dispute is decided on what was offered.
- Check the delivery promise and the return address. A seller with no South African return address means returns are effectively impossible whatever the policy says.
Free escalation routes
| Route | Contact |
|---|---|
| Consumer Goods and Services Ombud | 0860 000 272 |
| National Consumer Commission | 012 065 1940 |
| National Financial Ombud, payment and card disputes | 0860 800 900 |
| Southern African Fraud Prevention Service | 011 867 2234 |
Keeping the evidence a dispute will need
Online disputes are decided almost entirely on what you can produce. The seller has the order record, the payment record and the delivery record; unless you kept your own, the version that stands is theirs. Screenshots cost nothing and take seconds, and they are the difference between a complaint that resolves and one that becomes your word against a system.
Keep the listing as it appeared when you bought, including the price, the specification and the delivery promise, because product pages are edited routinely and a changed page is not evidence of what was offered. Keep the order confirmation, the payment confirmation and any tracking updates. Photograph goods on arrival before unpacking fully, particularly anything that arrives damaged, and note damage on the delivery note before signing rather than afterwards.
Questions people actually ask
The site has no phone number, only a form. Is that legal?
No, not for a supplier offering goods or services online. Section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act requires a physical address and a telephone number among other disclosures. A missing physical address is the item worth weighing most, because it is what makes a seller findable if something goes wrong.
I paid by EFT and the goods never arrived.
Phone your bank immediately, because a recent transfer can sometimes be recalled within hours. Open a police case and get the case number. Then complain to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud on 0860 000 272, which is free. This is why paying by card matters: a card payment can be disputed, an EFT generally cannot.
Can I return something just because I changed my mind?
Online, usually yes, within seven days of delivery under the cooling-off right, though you pay the return shipping. In a shop, generally no: change-of-mind returns are a courtesy rather than a right. The six-month right to return defective goods is separate and applies either way.
The seller is overseas. Do South African rules help?
Very little. South African consumer routes reach South African suppliers. A card chargeback through your own bank is in practice the most effective remedy on a foreign purchase, and it has time limits, so raise it promptly.
How do I check a South African online seller is real?
Search the registered name and number on the CIPC register, which is free. Check that the bank account is in that registered name. Look for a physical address, and be wary of a site that has only recently appeared and prices well below everyone else.
Regulator and ombud routes on this page were verified against their own official contact pages on 24 August 2026.