Many Czech e-shops break consumer rules without realising it, and any inspection can end in a fine

From 1 January 2027 every Czech e-shop must show a button for withdrawing from a contract, and a shop without one commits an offence.e-Sbírkae-sbirka.gov.czAct 159/2026 Sb. — the withdrawal button (another site)The Czech law, passed and published, that makes every business selling to consumers online offer an "Odstoupit od smlouvy" (withdraw from the contract) button from 1 January 2027. A shop that has no button, or does not confirm a withdrawal, commits an offence under the consumer-protection act.In the source’s words“(1) Má-li spotřebitel právo odstoupit od smlouvy uzavřené distančním způsobem prostřednictvím on-line rozhraní, umožní podnikatel spotřebiteli odstoupit od smlouvy také prohlášením učiněným v on-line rozhraní použitím tlačítka nebo…”Regulation · Inspectors caught 639 e-shops last year, with fines averaging about 20,000 CZK.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·

Good for Someone who'd like to work with small online shops and consumer law.

Category
Retail
Entry
Easy
Verified

The opportunity

2/2 · Clear, recurring pain

In 2025 Czech inspectors found breaches at 639 of the 751 e-shops they checked, 2,399 breaches in all.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·

  • 488 breaches were missing information a buyer must get before ordering.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·
  • 363 were missing information on how to make a complaint.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·
  • 318 were unfair practices, meaning misleading or aggressive selling.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·

Suggested solution

Build an e-shop add-on that scans a shop's checkout and "eco" claims weekly and sends the owner a fix list.

Why now

3/3 · Deadline with penalties

An e-shop with no withdrawal button commits an offence from 1 January 2027, shops pay fines now, and an "eco" ban is a bill.3 sourcesitbiz.czČOI — Q2/2026 e-shop inspection results (another site)103 inspections, violations in 94 of them, 414 breaches and 4.88M CZK of fines in a single quarter — the 2025 baseline has not moved.Complaint · psp.czSněmovní tisk 53 — the Czech green-claims bill (another site)The government bill amending the consumer-protection act and the civil code to bring in the EU green-claims rules. It passed second reading on 24 June 2026; since then only a committee position has followed,…Regulation · e-Sbírkae-sbirka.gov.czAct 159/2026 Sb. — the withdrawal button (another site)The Czech law, passed and published, that makes every business selling to consumers online offer an "Odstoupit od smlouvy" (withdraw from the contract) button from 1 January 2027. A shop that has no button,…In the source’s words“(1) Má-li spotřebitel právo odstoupit od smlouvy uzavřené distančním způsobem prostřednictvím on-line rozhraní, umožní podnikatel spotřebiteli…”Regulation ·

  • E-shops took 159 final fines, 4.88M CZK in all, in April–June 2026 alone.itbiz.czČOI — Q2/2026 e-shop inspection results (another site)103 inspections, violations in 94 of them, 414 breaches and 4.88M CZK of fines in a single quarter — the 2025 baseline has not moved.Complaint ·
  • Inspectors target suspected shops, and 94 of 103 checked then broke the law.itbiz.czČOI — Q2/2026 e-shop inspection results (another site)103 inspections, violations in 94 of them, 414 breaches and 4.88M CZK of fines in a single quarter — the 2025 baseline has not moved.Complaint ·
  • A shop with no withdrawal button commits an offence from 1 January 2027.e-Sbírkae-sbirka.gov.czAct 159/2026 Sb. — the withdrawal button (another site)The Czech law, passed and published, that makes every business selling to consumers online offer an "Odstoupit od smlouvy" (withdraw from the contract) button from 1 January 2027. A shop that has no button, or does not confirm a withdrawal, commits an offence under the consumer-protection act.In the source’s words“(1) Má-li spotřebitel právo odstoupit od smlouvy uzavřené distančním způsobem prostřednictvím on-line rozhraní, umožní podnikatel spotřebiteli odstoupit od smlouvy také prohlášením učiněným v on-line rozhraní použitím tlačítka nebo…”Regulation ·

Willing to pay

1/2 · Some signs

Shops pay for this check done by hand, and 139 firms hold a trade association's yearly certificate that comes with a list of fixes.Market checkapek.czAPEK certification and the checkout sweep (another site)A Czech-language search for anyone checking the information a shop's checkout must show. It found the e-commerce association's yearly certificate, a check done by hand since 1999 that lists what to fix, and a WooCommerce add-on that builds the required checkout pieces, but no add-on that checks a checkout.Market check ·

  • No shop is known to pay for an automated weekly scan yet.2 sourcesMarket checkdoplnky.shoptet.czSlevy správně — the add-on marketplace sweep (another site)A pass over 606 Shoptet and Upgates add-ons. It found a second discount-labelling product at 200 Kč a month, and confirmed nothing in either marketplace covers green claims, information duties or order buttons.Market check · Market checkapek.czAPEK certification and the checkout sweep (another site)A Czech-language search for anyone checking the information a shop's checkout must show. It found the e-commerce association's yearly certificate, a check done by hand since 1999 that lists what to fix, and a…Market check ·
  • A Czech firm sells one-off reviews of "eco" claims at a fixed price.Market checkpravano.czPravano and the green-claims sweep (another site)A Czech-language search for anyone checking a firm's "eco" claims. It found a self-serve checker for pasted text and web pages, fixed-price reviews by a firm registered in August 2026 whose free check is a questionnaire, and consultancies for large brands and packaging, but no add-on that checks a shop's claims every…Market check ·
  • E-shops were handed 646 final fines worth about 13.0M CZK in 2025.sos-msk.czČOI — 2025 distance-selling inspection results (another site)751 e-shop inspections, violations in 639 of them, 2,399 individual breaches and ~13.0M CZK in fines — the Czech compliance baseline, itemised by failure type.Complaint ·

Per seat, monthly

Per year

One purchase

Validated abroad

3/3 · Proven in 2+ markets

German firms have sold e-shop legal compliance as a product for decades, one of them to tens of thousands of shops.trustedshops.comTrusted Shops and IT-Recht Kanzlei (another site)Two durable German businesses built on productised e-commerce legal compliance — certification with buyer protection, and subscription legal texts kept current for tens of thousands of shops.Company abroad ·

Where it works: DE — operating markets: AT, CH, NL, ES, IT, FR, BE, PT, PL, GB — home market CZDECZ
  1. Trusted Shops (another site)Based in GermanyAlso sells in Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, United Kingdom
  2. IT-Recht Kanzlei (another site)Based in Germany
  3. Händlerbund (another site)Based in Germany

Market gap

1/2 · Early rivals only

Shops can pay for a check done by hand, two Czech products do parts of it, and no add-on checks checkouts or "eco" claims.5 sourcesMarket checkpravoeshopu.czCzech e-shop compliance scan (first pass) (another site)The early look at the Czech field: supply was legal services priced per audit — Právo e-shopů, eLegal, AZ LEGAL — with Shoptet's merchant base treated as a distribution channel.Market check · Market checkdoplnky.shoptet.czHlídač Slev and Pravoid (another site)The Czech-language sweep that found productised compliance already selling on Shoptet: Hlídač Slev on discount labelling with ČOI-exportable price history, and Pravoid on generated legal texts with…Market check · Market checkdoplnky.shoptet.czSlevy správně — the add-on marketplace sweep (another site)A pass over 606 Shoptet and Upgates add-ons. It found a second discount-labelling product at 200 Kč a month, and confirmed nothing in either marketplace covers green claims, information duties or order buttons.Market check · Market checkpravano.czPravano and the green-claims sweep (another site)A Czech-language search for anyone checking a firm's "eco" claims. It found a self-serve checker for pasted text and web pages, fixed-price reviews by a firm registered in August 2026 whose free check is a…Market check · Market checkapek.czAPEK certification and the checkout sweep (another site)A Czech-language search for anyone checking the information a shop's checkout must show. It found the e-commerce association's yearly certificate, a check done by hand since 1999 that lists what to fix, and a…Market check ·

New, selling this: Pravoid (since 2025), Flagship Impact. Established, selling this: nobody on file. New, selling something nearby: eLegal (since 2014), AZ LEGAL (since 2016), Hlídač Slev (JARABOT) (since 2023), Slevy správně (Cenový automat) (since 2023), Glocco (since 2026), Pravano (since 2026), Právo e-shopů, SYBA Obalový institut. Established, selling something nearby: APEK (Certifikovaný obchod) (since 1999), Retino (since 2017), Toret Toolkit (since 2023). No established player sells this here.

The space is still open

Execution difficulty

3/3 · Easy

Makes it easier

  • Shops install Shoptet add-ons themselves.
  • The two rival products publish no customer counts.
  • No licence is needed.

Makes it harder

  • Most shops live with the risk of a fine rather than pay to remove it.
  • An association checks shops by hand yearly.
  • The "eco" ban has no Czech start date.

Suggested first moves

  1. Build a scanner that lists every "eco" or climate-neutral claim on a Czech e-shop that the coming ban would forbid unless proven.
  2. Send each flagged shop owner a claim-by-claim report of what to prove or remove, and offer to keep it current for a monthly fee.
  3. Add checks for the breaches inspectors find most often: missing pre-order information, missing complaint information, unfair selling practices and non-compliant order buttons.