The Legal Guarantee Label from 27 September 2026: What Your Online Shop Needs to Know Now

The new EU obligation applies to everyone who sells goods to consumers. And for Jimdo customers: we’re making sure the legal guarantee label is ready in time.

Do you sell products to end customers through your website? Think handmade decor, coffee, clothing or books. Then a new obligation is coming your way on 27 September 2026, and many shop owners don’t have it on their radar yet. From that date, you have to show a standardised EU legal guarantee label on your product pages. It explains your customers’ statutory rights clearly and uniformly, before they buy.

The law fixes its form and content, and you can’t change them. Ignore it, and you risk warning letters.

This article explains what the label is, whether and when it applies to you, and what to do before September 2026. And if you run your online shop with Jimdo, we’re making sure the solution is ready in time.

What is the legal guarantee label?

The new rule is about transparency. Consumers should see clearly, and in the same way across the EU, what rights they have if a product is faulty or breaks. And they should see it before they buy.

The legal guarantee label is a mandatory notice. With it, you inform your customers about their statutory guarantee rights.

Important to know: across the EU, consumer goods carry a legal guarantee of at least two years.

The label is not a quality seal or a marketing tool. It’s a mandatory notice, and it’s completely fixed in design, colours and text. It shows:

• the statutory minimum guarantee period of two years
• a note that individual EU countries may have longer periods, and that different rules can apply to used goods
• concrete examples of when a guarantee case applies (for example, the product does not match the description or does not work properly)
• your customers’ possible rights: free repair, free replacement, price reduction or refund
• a QR code that links to the EU portal “Your Europe”

Until now, a line in your terms and conditions was enough. From 27 September 2026, that’s no longer the case. You have to show the label actively and in colour, clearly visible before the sale. It belongs on the product page or in the checkout.

The EU also provides a second label: the so-called GARAN label. It covers certain manufacturer guarantees that go beyond the two-year statutory guarantee. For most shops, though, the legal guarantee label is the one that matters first.

Who does the obligation apply to?

The label affects every business that sells goods to consumers (B2C) online. That includes your own shop, mobile views, apps and other digital sales surfaces. The only thing that counts is that you sell to end customers.

Small businesses and solo self-employed people get no exception. The obligation applies whatever your turnover or team size. And if you also sell through platforms like Amazon, eBay or Etsy, you stay responsible. Only pure B2B transactions fall outside it.

How the legal guarantee label must look and be placed

Here too, the rules are strict. You can’t design anything yourself.

Unchanged and in colour. The EU prescribes the design, colours, layout and text. You can’t shorten, add to, reword or restyle anything to fit your shop. Online, the label has to appear in colour.

Visible and understandable before the purchase. Customers have to notice it actively. It can’t just sit somewhere findable, like your terms and conditions. In practice, that means it belongs on the product page, or in a clearly marked spot in the checkout, before the order is done. Show it as one complete element. Don’t hide it behind a link or a mouse-over.

After the purchase too. For distance contracts, the information also belongs in the order confirmation. Put it on a durable medium, such as a PDF in the confirmation email, at the latest on delivery. A link to your website isn’t enough.

What happens if you do nothing?

This is pre-contractual mandatory information, so breaches fall under competition law. The main risk is a warning letter from a competitor or an association. Missing or incorrect guarantee notices already rank among the most common grounds for warnings in e-commerce. You may also lose trust and field more support requests when the notice is unclear or missing. Even small display or placement errors can matter legally. So a clean setup lowers your risk noticeably.

How to prepare as a Jimdo customer

If you run your shop with Jimdo, here’s the short version. We’re already building the required legal guarantee label for your product pages. It will be ready in good time before 27 September 2026, compliant and in the right place. You don’t have to build anything yourself.

For us, this is part of a bigger principle. Jimdo is an AI-powered all-in-one software solution for solo self-employed people and small businesses. It’s built to let you focus on your business, not on the technical side of EU directives like this one. Legal compliance is baked in from the start.

What you need to do now: nothing. We’ll reach out in good time before the deadline. Then we’ll walk you through what to do for your shop and how the display works.

What happens on the legal side. If you’ve activated the Jimdo Legal Text Manager, it updates your legal texts automatically to match the new rules, including warning protection through Trusted Shops. We really recommend it. With changes like this one, it takes a lot of work and risk off your plate. That said, even the best Legal Text Manager can’t replace individual legal advice in borderline cases.

By the way, the withdrawal button recently became another EU obligation. There too, Jimdo handled the technical side for you.

More details for Dolphin Shops here. 
More details for Creator Shops here.

Your checklist before 27 September 2026

• Check whether you’re affected. Do you sell goods to consumers online? Check whether any exceptions apply. If not, you need the legal guarantee label.
• Plan the technical setup. Check which solution your shop provider offers. At Jimdo we take care of it and will get in touch in time.
• Think about post-purchase communication. The information also has to go in the order confirmation, on a durable medium.
• Update your legal texts. Jimdo users with the Legal Text Manager get this automatically.

Start now and you have plenty of lead time. With Jimdo you get the technical framework. And with the Legal Text Manager activated, the legal side too.

Conclusion

27 September 2026 is getting closer. The new legal guarantee label affects every shop that sells goods to consumers, with no exceptions. The good news for Jimdo customers: we’re already getting the label ready for your shop. The team will reach out before the deadline and explain exactly what to do. Until then, you can focus on your business.

Frequently asked questions about the legal guarantee label

When does the legal guarantee label obligation start?

The obligation applies from 27 September 2026, EU-wide and with no transition period. The basis includes Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 in conjunction with the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU and the Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771.

Who does the legal guarantee label apply to?

To all businesses that sell goods to consumers (B2C) online. There is no threshold by turnover or company size, so small shops and solo self-employed people are affected too. Pure B2B transactions are not covered.

How must the legal guarantee label be displayed?

Unchanged, in colour and clearly visible before the contract is concluded, so on the product page or in the checkout process. The label may not be hidden behind a link or mouse-over, and it must also be included in the order confirmation on a durable medium.

What is the difference between the legal guarantee label and the GARAN label?

The legal guarantee label informs customers about their statutory rights (at least two years) and is always mandatory for all B2C shops. The GARAN label additionally marks a voluntary, free manufacturer guarantee that covers the whole product and runs beyond two years, and is only relevant in those cases.

What penalties apply for non-compliance?

Mainly warning letters under competition law from competitors or associations if the label is missing or displayed incorrectly. Faulty guarantee notices are among the most common grounds for warnings in e-commerce.

Do I have to add the label myself as a Jimdo customer?

No. Jimdo is working on having the legal guarantee label ready for your product pages in good time before 27 September 2026. The team will get in touch in time and explain what concretely needs doing.

Which product groups are not covered?

The label applies to the sale of goods to consumers, so a few things fall outside it: pure services (for example coaching, consulting, photo shoots), purely digital products such as e-books, software or downloads, which fall under separate rules for digital content, and pure B2B sales. Good to know: goods with digital elements, like a smartwatch, still count as goods and are covered. For special cases such as used goods sold at public auction, different national rules can apply, so check in case of doubt.

Please note

The legal guarantee label is based on an interplay of the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU (as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/825), the Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960. This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Whether and how the new rules apply to your business depends on your individual circumstances.

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