The Sale of Goods Act 1979 is perhaps the most useful and relevant to the problems many consumers face when they make purchases on the High Street, online or by mail order. It is worth knowing about this piece of legislation, in terms of what rights you have and how you can resolve the situation, because not all shops can be relied on to act in an honourable or lawful way.

The main focus of the Act is the provision of three statutory rights, although the act goes on to describe exactly what consumers are entitled to if any of these statutory rights are breached.

There is some confusion about how the Sale of Goods Act applies to second-hand goods, items purchased on the internet or by mail order, items purchased via a doorstep sale, or anything bought from an online auction or marketplace. This following sections will cover all these situations, and hopefully give you a better understanding of how the law protects you and what you must watch out for.

How the Sale of Goods Act applies to:

• Second-hand goods
• Goods sold online or by mail order
• Doorstep sales
• Ebay or other online auctions or marketplaces

Your Statutory Rights

• How do you measure quality?
• It’s not fit for purpose
• How long should it last?
• Is the guarantee worth the paper it’s written on?
• I bought it from a bloke down the pub
• Rights when knowingly buying damaged goods

And if your statutory rights are broken