Buying an office chair across borders

Buying between the UK and the EU adds import VAT and possibly customs duty.

What are your rights when you buy from another EU country?

• 14-day withdrawal (Art. 9). Runs from the day you, or someone you name, take physical possession of the chair. For an order delivered in several boxes, from the last one.
• Missing information (Art. 10). If the seller never told you about the withdrawal right, the period is extended by up to 12 months.
• Refund (Art. 13). Within 14 days of your withdrawal, including the cheapest standard delivery charge. The seller may wait until the chair is back or you show proof of sending.
• Return costs (Art. 14). You send the chair back within 14 days and pay the direct cost, unless the seller agreed to pay or failed to tell you. For goods that can't go by post, the seller must state the return cost before you buy.
• A withdrawal button. Since 19 June 2026, online traders must offer a "withdraw from contract here" function throughout the withdrawal period.
• Legal guarantee. At least two years from delivery under Directive 2019/771, owed by the seller, wherever you live in the EU. See warranty and guarantee.

Can you return a chair you configured yourself?

Article 16(c) of the Consumer Rights Directive excludes "goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised". Your Europe's example is a tailor-made suit. Whether picking a colour, fabric, size or armrest option in a standard online configurator counts is not settled in the Directive, and we found no official guidance that answers it. In practice: read the store's returns terms before you order, and ask in writing whether your configuration can be returned. Several brand stores make chairs to order, which also affects delivery times.

Will a store abroad deliver to you?

The Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302 means a store cannot block you, redirect you without consent, or apply different general conditions because of your nationality or where you live. It does not force the store to deliver to your country: you can buy on the same terms as a local customer, but only for delivery to an address, or collection at a point, where the store already offers it. Different prices in different countries remain lawful when they are offered to everyone on the same basis.

Why is the price different, and which VAT do you pay?

Consumer prices include VAT. A seller with more than €10,000 a year of online sales to consumers in other EU countries must charge the VAT rate of the country of destination, according to the EU's Your Europe portal, so the price can change when you enter your address. Standard rates in our data range from 17% (Luxembourg) to 27% (Hungary). That alone explains much of the price gap between markets; our EU price comparator strips VAT out so you can see what is left. Don't forget delivery: a chair is bulky, and a cheaper price abroad can disappear once shipping is added.

Buying between the UK and the EU

• EU to Great Britain: for goods over £135 you pay import VAT to the carrier before delivery, and customs duty may apply depending on the goods and their origin. Goods are tariff-free only if they meet the UK–EU rules of origin, so a chair made in Asia and resold from the EU can attract duty.
• Great Britain to the EU: VAT is due on all imports, collected by the seller (IOSS) or the carrier, who may add a clearance fee. Since 1 July 2026 a flat €3 duty applies to consignments of €150 or less; a chair will almost always exceed that and pay normal duty, which is zero if UK origin is proven. Herman Miller's European Aeron, Embody, Sayl and Setu are made in the UK, as are chairs from several British makers listed in office chairs made in the UK.
• UK consumer law: 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a 30-day short-term right to reject faulty goods, and a 6-month presumption that a fault existed at delivery under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Which brand stores serve which countries?

Store coverage was read on 20 October 2026. Actual delivery restrictions are set in each store's terms; check them before ordering.

What if something goes wrong?

Contact the seller in writing first and keep copies. If that fails, the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net), co-funded by the European Commission, helps consumers in the EU, Iceland and Norway with disputes against traders in another country; use the centre in your own country.

Questions buyers ask

Can I return an office chair I bought online in another EU country?

Yes, within 14 days of receiving it, without giving a reason, under the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU. If the chair arrives in several boxes, the period runs from the last one. Unless the seller agreed to pay or did not tell you, you pay the direct cost of sending it back, which for a bulky chair can be significant.

Do I have to pay VAT twice if I buy a chair from another EU country?

No. You pay VAT once. Sellers with more than €10,000 a year of cross-border online sales to consumers must charge the VAT rate of your country, so a foreign store's price may change at checkout when you enter your address.

Can a store refuse to sell to me because I live in another EU country?

Under the Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302 it cannot block you or apply different general conditions because of your nationality or residence. But it only has to deliver where it already offers delivery, so you may need to collect the chair or use a forwarding service.

Sources

1. Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, consolidated (EUR-Lex): eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02011L0083-20260927
2. Directive (EU) 2023/2673 (withdrawal function): eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32023L2673
3. Sale of Goods Directive (EU) 2019/771: eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019L0771
4. Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302: eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32018R0302
5. Your Europe: VAT on online purchases: europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/vat/index_en.htm
6. Your Europe: returns and withdrawal: europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/returns/index_en.htm
7. Your Europe: guarantees: europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm
8. European Commission: ECC-Net: commission.europa.eu/live-work-travel-eu/consumer-rights-and-complaints/resolve-your-consu
9. UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 30: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/30
10. UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, s.22: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/22
11. GOV.UK: tax and customs for goods sent from abroad: www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
12. GOV.UK: rules of origin, UK–EU: www.gov.uk/guidance/introduction-to-rules-of-origin-and-claiming-duties-when-trading-betwe
13. European Commission: buying goods from outside the EU: taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/buying-goods-online-coming-non-european-union-country_en
14. EU €3 duty on low-value consignments: trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/eu-applies-eu3-customs-duty-item-low-value-e-

All sources checked 20 October 2026. Where a manufacturer does not publish a value, we say so rather than estimate it.

Cite this page

Best Office Chairs Europe, “Buying an office chair across borders”, https://bestofficechairs.eu/buying-across-borders/, updated 20 October 2026.