Switzerland

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. Online consumer returns are not governed by the EU Consumer Rights Directive; instead, distance sales are regulated by the Swiss Code of Obligations (Obligationenrecht) and the Unfair Competition Act (UWG/LCD), supplemented by industry self-regulation.

There is no statutory 14-day right of withdrawal for online purchases in Switzerland — return rights depend on the webshop's own policy. This makes a well-drafted, prominently disclosed return policy commercially essential: it is the contract. Most fashion webshops selling into Switzerland voluntarily offer a 14–30 day return window aligned with EU practice, which is the market expectation.

Consumer protection in Switzerland relies on:

• The Code of Obligations (OR/CO), which governs contract formation, defects, and warranty rights (art. 197 et seq.).
• The Unfair Competition Act (UWG/LCD), which prohibits misleading pricing and return-policy claims.
• Sector self-regulation (Swiss Distance Selling Association, Swiss E-Commerce Certification).

There is no automatic cooling-off period for online purchases. Consumers rely on the return policy the webshop has published. That policy is legally binding once accepted at checkout.

Because the withdrawal right in Switzerland is contractual rather than statutory, the value-reduction rules are whatever your policy says — provided the wording is clear, upfront, and not misleading under the UWG/LCD.

Best practice is to mirror EU Article 14(2) language: allow a reasonable try-on, and apply a value reduction where handling exceeds it. A tamper-evident label like CleverSeal, disclosed as a return standard, is a straightforward and defensible way to operationalise this.

A CRD-compliant return policy for a webshop selling into Switzerland should include:

• A plain-language statement of the 14-day right of withdrawal.
• How to notify the withdrawal (link to a form or email; provide the Annex I(B) model form).
• Return address, timeframe (14 days from notice), and who pays return shipping.
• The expected condition on return — reasonable try-on, tags attached, CleverSeal intact.
• What happens if the garment shows use beyond a reasonable try-on: a value reduction under Article 14(2), with examples.
• The refund process: same payment method, within 14 days of receipt of the goods or proof of shipment.

Suggested paragraph:

"You may try the garment on as you would in a physical shop. If it comes back showing signs of use beyond that — a worn or missing CleverSeal, perfume, or visible wear — we may reduce your refund to reflect the loss in resale value, in line with Schweizerisches Obligationenrecht (OR) / Loi sur la concurrence déloyale (LCD)."