Online sales

Things to know

When you sell online to consumers in Canada, you need to comply with provincial internet sales laws – this means that you’ll need to provide certain information to consumers before they make a purchase, and then deliver a copy of your terms of sale or other agreement to them.
If you don’t comply with internet sales laws, a consumer may have remedies, including the right to cancel the contract, and you could face regulatory enforcement.
In some provinces, you can’t include certain provisions, such as class action waivers, mandatory arbitration requirements and choice of law or venue provisions, in your consumer agreements.
Selling certain products and services, such as water heaters, gym memberships, and matchmaking services, can subject you to additional obligations or restrictions.
You may have to comply with accessibility requirements for the design of your website.

Have your website and sales process reviewed to ensure you’ve made all required disclosures.
Have your consumer agreements localized to ensure that they do not include any restricted or prohibited provisions, and that they comply with Canadian laws and contracting practices.
Assess what local laws apply to your products or services and ensure that you are in compliance with them.
Assess whether Quebec’s language laws apply to your operations, including your website, consumer agreements and customer support and, if they do, ensure that you comply with them.
Ensure that your website satisfies any applicable accessibility requirements.

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