What Indian Online Sellers Must Show Customers

The 2020 rules apply to goods and services bought or sold over a digital or electronic network, in both marketplace and inventory models. They exclude a natural person acting in a personal capacity outside any regular or systematic commercial activity, and can reach a foreign entity that systematically offers goods or services to consumers in India.

Three roles matter. A marketplace e-commerce entity provides a platform that facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers. An inventory e-commerce entity owns the inventory and sells directly to consumers. A seller offers goods or services through a marketplace. A brand running its own store from its own stock looks close to the inventory model, while a business listed on a third-party platform is a marketplace seller. If your set-up mixes models, ask an adviser how the definitions apply.

Rule 4(2) requires every e-commerce entity to show, clearly and prominently, its legal name, the address of its headquarters and all branches, its website name and details, and customer care and grievance officer contacts such as e-mail, landline and mobile numbers. Rule 4(4) adds a grievance mechanism and a grievance officer whose name, contact details and designation are shown on the platform. Under Rule 4(5) the officer must acknowledge a complaint within forty-eight hours and resolve it within one month.

A seller on a marketplace must, under Rule 6(4), appoint its own grievance officer on the same timelines and give the marketplace its legal name, address, website, e-mail, customer care details and, where applicable, GSTIN and PAN. The marketplace shows seller details at the appropriate place and gives each complaint a ticket number (Rule 5(3)). Inventory entities owe the ticket number too (Rule 7(1)).

Rule 7(1) tells an inventory entity to show return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, cost of return shipping, payment modes, payment security and the grievance mechanism. Price must appear as a total in a single figure, with a breakup of compulsory and voluntary charges such as delivery, handling and tax. On a marketplace, Rule 6(5) makes the seller supply the same facts for display, including expiry date where applicable and country of origin.

Sellers and inventory entities also may not refuse to take back goods or refund when they are defective, spurious, not as advertised or late (with a force majeure exception for lateness), under Rules 6(3) and 7(4). Rule 4(9) bars recording consent through pre-ticked boxes, which affects checkout design. Rule 8 applies the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 to any violation.

Legal Metrology Rule 6(10) says an e-commerce entity must display the mandatory Rule 6(1) declarations on the network used for transactions, except the month and year of manufacture or packing. Rule 6(1) covers the manufacturer, packer or importer name and address, country of origin for imports, generic name, net quantity, best before or use by date where goods can become unfit for consumption, the maximum retail price inclusive of all taxes, and dimensions where relevant. For food packages the Rules defer in part to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

On accuracy, a marketplace proviso puts responsibility on the manufacturer, seller, dealer or importer where the marketplace only provides access, does not select or modify the information, and observes intermediary due diligence. It does not remove the declarations needed on packages delivered to the consumer. A sub-rule 6(10A), per G.S.R. 312(E) of 27 April 2026, requires e-commerce entities offering imported products to provide a searchable, sortable country of origin filter from 1 July 2027. It replaced the wording in G.S.R. 128(E) of 13 February 2026.

Footer: legal name, registered and branch addresses, website name, customer care e-mail and phone, grievance officer name, designation and contacts, and links to returns, shipping, warranty, payments and terms pages.

Policy pages: return, refund and exchange terms including who pays return shipping; delivery times and charges; warranty terms; payment methods, fees and how to cancel recurring payments; and a grievance page stating the forty-eight hour and one month commitments and how to get a ticket number.

Product pages: one total price with a breakup of delivery, handling and tax; MRP inclusive of taxes for pre-packed goods; manufacturer, packer or importer details; generic name; net quantity; country of origin; best before or expiry date; and a link to return and warranty terms. Leave checkout consent boxes unticked.

In 2021 the Department of Consumer Affairs sought comments on proposed amendments to the 2020 rules, including a registration requirement. WIPO Lex lists a 2021 amendment yet says no consolidated version exists, so sources differ on what is in force. The rule numbers above follow the July 2020 notification, and the draft would have renumbered some.

The government compilation of the Packaged Commodities Rules read here runs to 2022, and the 2026 notification records a later amendment on 2 December 2025. Check the current text on the Department of Consumer Affairs site or in the Gazette of India.