Withdrawal by letter: meeting the 14-day deadline

For distance contracts, consumers generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal. A letter is often the more robust choice than an online form — especially if a dispute follows later. Here's how to go about it.

When the period begins

For distance contracts and contracts concluded away from business premises, the withdrawal period is 14 days. The starting point depends on the type of contract:

Contract	Start of period
Purchase of goods	day after receiving the goods
Several partial deliveries	day after receiving the last partial delivery
Service or subscription	day after the contract is concluded
Missing withdrawal notice	period extends to up to 12 months and 14 days

What matters is that the withdrawal must be sent within the period. It is allowed to arrive afterwards — sending it in time is enough, provided this can be proven.

Why a letter is often better than the form

You keep an exact copy of the wording.
You don't depend on confirmation emails that end up in spam.
In a dispute, you have a document, not just the other side's click log.
A letter also reaches providers whose form is "temporarily unavailable" at the crucial moment.

Sample withdrawal letter

Subject: Withdrawal regarding order no. 987654

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hereby withdraw from the contract I concluded for the purchase of the following goods: 1 × item description. Ordered on 1 August 2026, received on 4 August 2026.

Please refund the amount paid of €129.00 to the original method of payment, and confirm in writing that you have received this withdrawal.

Yours faithfully

You do not need to give a reason. Giving one does no harm, but it is legally unnecessary — and can needlessly complicate matters.

What the withdrawal letter should include

Name and address
Order or contract number and customer number
Order and delivery date
Description of the goods or service
An unambiguous declaration of withdrawal ("I hereby withdraw")
Refund method and amount
Date and signature

Return and refund

After withdrawing, you have 14 days to return the goods. The retailer must refund within 14 days of receiving the withdrawal — but may withhold payment until the goods, or proof of their return, have been received. The consumer only bears the cost of returning the goods if they were correctly informed about this in advance.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

Goods made to the customer's specifications or clearly personalised
Goods liable to deteriorate or expire quickly
Sealed hygiene items, as well as unsealed audio, video or software recordings
Newspapers and magazines outside of subscriptions
Services fully performed with the customer's express consent

Deadline expiring today?

Then every hour counts. Write the withdrawal letter in the briefsende.de editor, check the preview and order it to be sent. Letters ordered on working days before 4pm go into the post the same day — and you keep the PDF file as proof of the exact wording.