UK regulator demands delivery fees shown online

The Competition and Markets Authority has warned online retailers to include unavoidable delivery charges in advertised prices, noting that failure to do so undermines pricing transparency and could trigger enforcement action.

UK merchants have been urged to review their e-commerce pricing after the regulator renewed its notice that mandatory delivery fees must be shown in the total price presented to shoppers.

Pricing Transparency Requirements

The notice, released on 2 November, followed concerns that a number of firms still omit compulsory delivery costs from their listings, despite clear obligations under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act of 2024.

The British Independent Retailers Association echoed the warning, urging members to verify that their pricing methods align with UK consumer-protection legislation. Bira highlighted the warning on 9 November, urging its members to verify that their pricing practices comply with UK consumer-protection law.

The CMA said businesses that continue to breach the rules could face enforcement action, substantial fines and orders to compensate affected customers. These potential penalties are set out under the DMCC Act, which specifies that fines can reach up to ten percent of worldwide turnover or £300,000, whichever is greater.

According to the Act, unavoidable delivery or collection charges must be incorporated into the headline price, meaning the amount displayed at the start of the shopping journey should already include those fees. The CMA’s Price transparency guidance (CMA209), first published in November 2025, offers detailed instructions on how to display mandatory fees, variable charges and optional costs.

These obligations stretch across the entire online purchasing process, covering advertisements, product pages, basket summaries, and checkout screens.

When delivery is required, the smallest unavoidable charge must appear in the price from the outset, and the regulator stressed that “the first price consumers see should be the price they pay.”

Retailers can still show product prices and delivery fees separately, provided the total payable amount is clearly displayed, and a running basket total that incorporates the compulsory charge can be used when a single fee applies to the whole order.

Additional delivery options, such as next-day or scheduled service, must be disclosed clearly, with explanations of when extra fees are triggered and the relevant pricing details supplied.

The body warned against concealing essential delivery information on separate webpages, hidden menus, or expandable sections that shoppers might miss.

For charges that vary by location or other criteria, retailers must give enough detail for customers to work out the cost, and once the amount can be reasonably estimated, it must be folded into the total price shown.

The purpose of the rules is to stop shoppers from encountering unexpected fees late in the checkout process, and online marketplaces are subject to the same pricing standards as traditional retailers.

The regulator also highlighted that price-comparison sites and search engines displaying products from multiple sellers fall under the same obligations, identifying several practices that could breach consumer-protection law.

These practices include leaving mandatory delivery fees out of advertised prices, omitting them from basket totals, and revealing them only at the final checkout stage, a pattern commonly known as drip pricing.

In its November 2026 letter, the CMA reported that it had already taken enforcement action against four businesses over drip pricing.