Returning goods to an e-shop is getting simpler. Zásilkovna has opened its box network for returns without a printer, and from January 2027 e-shops will by law have to have a button for quick withdrawal from the contract. Before all these changes are fully in place, it helps to know what rights to the return of goods and money you already have, regardless of whether the e-shop offers the new tools.
Zásilkovna is simplifying returns
From 1 July 2026, e-shops can submit returns through Zásilkovna’s entire Z-Box network. The customer no longer needs to print a label. The e-shop prepares a nine-digit code in the system that opens a locker in any of more than 6,500 boxes across the Czech Republic, at any time, 24 hours a day. Zásilkovna also plans a new mobile app by the end of 2026 that is meant to shorten the whole process to a few taps.
This is a practical easing of return logistics, not a change to your statutory rights. Those apply regardless of which carrier you use to send the goods back.
Your right to return goods already applies today
If you bought the goods online, you have under the Civil Code the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 days of receipt, without giving a reason. The seller is then obliged to return your money no later than 14 days from withdrawal from the contract. The seller may withhold it only until the goods are received back or until you prove that you have sent them; the time limit does not start running again as a result.
This right does not depend on whether the e-shop offers returns via Zásilkovna, another carrier network, or only ordinary post. If the e-shop does not return your money within the time limit, you are entitled to take the matter further; a detailed procedure is in the article E-shop did not return the money within 14 days? What to do.
New button for withdrawal from the contract: what applies from January 2027
Member states were to start applying the European rules from 19 June 2026. The Czech Republic did not adopt them in time, but the so-called button amendment has already gone through the entire legislative process. The Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) approved it on 10 July 2026, the Senate (Senát) on 19 August, and the president signed it on 27 August. It was published in the Collection of Laws (Sbírka zákonů) as Act No. 159/2026 Sb. and will take effect on 1 January 2027.
Under the new Section 1830a of the Civil Code, anyone who concludes contracts with consumers through an online interface, including an e-shop, will have to enable withdrawal from the contract by a button.
A breach carries a fine of up to 5 million koruna. Until the end of 2026, however, e-shops do not yet have this duty, so if a button is missing at one of them, that is not yet a breach of the law.
What to do next
Whether or not the e-shop makes returning goods easier with new tools, your right to a refund within 14 days already applies. If the seller misses this time limit and does not respond to ordinary reminders, the next step is a written demand for the return of the money with specific dates and a reference to Section 1832 of the Civil Code. You send the withdrawal from the contract to the e-shop yourself, for example through its form.
Legamik is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. In complex disputes, we recommend consulting an attorney.