FTC Cooling-Off Rule: canceling door-to-door sales
Summary
The FTC Cooling-Off Rule lets you cancel certain sales made at your home, workplace, dorm, or a seller's temporary location until midnight of the third business day after the sale, for a full refund. Online, mail, and phone sales are not covered.
General information, not legal advice. Recall and warranty rights depend on the product and your state; confirm with the official source.
Facts
- id: F1 claim: The rule covers sales at your home, workplace, or dorm, or at a seller's temporary location such as a hotel room, convention center, or fairground. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F2 claim: You can cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale; Saturdays count as business days, Sundays and federal holidays do not. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F3 claim: "Not covered: home sales under $25, temporary-location sales under $130, and sales made entirely online, by mail, or by phone." confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F4 claim: Real estate, insurance, securities, and arts or crafts sold at fairs are not covered. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F5 claim: The seller must tell you about your right to cancel and give you two copies of a cancellation form plus a dated contract or receipt. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F6 claim: You don't need a reason to cancel; the FTC suggests sending the form by certified mail. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F7 claim: After you cancel, the seller has 10 days to refund your money and return any check or trade-in. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F8 claim: Report violations to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
Pointers
- answers: Full rule text where: 16 CFR Part 429 (eCFR) access: open
Source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buyers-remorse-ftcs-cooling-rule-may-help · License: CC-BY-4.0 · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Source: FTC Consumer Advice, \"Buyer’s Remorse: The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule May Help\" (public domain (US government work)).
For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/cooling-off-rule.md.