The law on the platform economy entered into force on October 1, 2026. For the first time, the document established the right of marketplaces to charge customers for the return delivery of goods of proper quality if they refuse to purchase. At the same time, the law obliged the sites to provide the opportunity to deliver such goods through the order pick-up point if the delivery was initially carried out using the logistics infrastructure of the platform.
The Association of Digital Platforms has confirmed that Wildberries, Ozon and Yandex Market do not plan to change the terms of return for buyers. The sites continue to develop services that simplify this process.
"If the buyer wants to refuse the prepaid product at the pick-up point, for example, if it did not fit, an additional request is not required. An employee of the point will check the goods for defects and take them back," the Association of Digital Platforms reported.
If defects are found, the buyer has the right to contact the seller via the chat on the site and apply for a refund — the decision is made by the seller himself. If the parties do not come to an agreement, the marketplace support service is involved in the analysis of the situation.
For sellers working with these three platforms, maintaining a free refund means that the workload of handling and logistics of return shipments remains at the same level. The question of who actually bears the cost of the refund — the marketplace or the seller through the commission model — is not directly regulated by law and remains the subject of contractual relations between the marketplace and the partner.
The law on the platform economy also does not restrict the right of sites to change the refund policy in the future. The current statements of the three largest market players are declarative in nature and are not fixed in public offers as an indefinite commitment. Sellers who are building the logistics of refunds should keep an eye on updates to the terms of cooperation in the personal accounts of the platforms.
Related materials:
- The rules for returning goods from marketplaces may be tightened for a number of categories. What restrictions on returns are proposed?
- Business laws from October 2026: Marketplaces, VAT, and Customs — how the roles of buyer, marketplace, and seller have been distributed during returns since October 1
- Since July 7, Wildberries and Ozon have been changing the refund rules, which the sites have already changed in terms of refunds this summer.
