Compliance

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 and their 2026 amendment ask a marketplace to show, in one place, how it deals with the practices the law calls dark patterns, and to certify once a year that it has checked itself. This page is that place. The other duties - the seller of record on every shop page, the grievance officer, the ranking parameters, country of origin - are on their own pages and are linked from the footer.

The first annual self-audit is due before 1 January 2027, when the amended rules take effect. Until it is signed, the checklist below is the standing statement of how the site behaves, and every line of it is open to challenge through the grievance officer.

Once a year the person named below walks every line above against the live site - as a customer, as a seller and as an administrator - and records anything that no longer holds. Fixes are made before the certificate is signed.

False urgency

No countdown timers, no "only 2 left" unless it is the real stock count, no "12 people are viewing this". Sale end dates shown are the ones the seller set.

Basket sneaking

Nothing is added to the cart or the total except what you chose. Delivery is a separate, visible line; there is no pre-ticked insurance, donation or add-on.

Confirm shaming

Declining anything - a coupon, notifications, an account - uses neutral words ("Not now"). No guilt copy.

Forced action

You can browse, search and read every policy without an account. An account is needed only to order, and cash on delivery needs no card.

Subscription trap

There are no subscriptions. Nothing recurs.

Interface interference

The primary button is the action you came for; the alternative is visible and works. Prices are shown in one size, taxes included.

Bait and switch

The price at checkout is the price on the product page at that moment; if a sale ended in between, the checkout stops and says so rather than charging more.

Drip pricing

The product page price includes taxes. Delivery is shown before you pay, with the option to choose a cheaper speed. No fee appears only on the final screen.

Disguised advertisement

There is no paid placement, so there is nothing to disguise. See How products are ranked.

Nagging

A dismissed prompt stays dismissed. Order and account messages are sent because you need them; every other notification - push, digests, tips - has its own switch in your account.

Trick question

Every choice is worded plainly and positively ("Send me order updates by email"), never as a double negative.

SaaS billing

Not applicable - nothing is billed on a schedule.

Rogue malware

No downloads, no pop-unders, no third-party scripts beyond the analytics, sign-in and payment providers named in the privacy policy.

Consumer data and connected brands. The platform does not use what you browse or buy to promote goods sold under any brand connected to the people who run it. Recommendations (“similar products”) come from the product you are looking at, not from who sells it.

No bundled fees. You pay for the goods and, when it applies, for delivery. No fee for an unrelated service is attached to an order.

Tell the grievance officer - contact details. Complaints are acknowledged within 48 hours and resolved within one month. The National Consumer Helpline is 1915.