Govt changes e-commerce rules: Price transparency, no bundled fees, and more
If you like to buy things online, it is likely that you often stumble upon high discounts on products, even though you don’t really know whether this discounted price is actually less than what the item was sold for before. Or you may find yourself paying an additional fee on a transaction. Now, the government has announced that it is changing e-commerce rules to tighten how online marketplaces handle prices, search results, sponsored listings, consumer complaints and customer data.
The Department of Consumer Affairs has amended the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. The new rules will come into force on January 1, 2027.
The changes are aimed at consumer protection while creating what the government described as a transparent and balanced regulatory framework for the e-commerce sector. For buyers, the amendments affect several stages of online shoppingTransparent pricing and search results
One of the main changes relates to discounts. If a platform announces a price reduction, it will now have to show both the reduced price and the “prior price.” According to the PIB release, the prior price means the lowest price at which the goods or services were offered during the 30 days before the discount was announced. This is meant to help consumers judge whether a claim such as “50 per cent off” or “60 per cent discount” reflects a genuine reduction.
The amended rules also say e-commerce entities cannot manipulate search results in a way that misleads users or adversely affects the relevance of the results to a buyer’s query. Since search rankings influence what users see first, the provision is meant to address situations where costlier products, in-house products or less relevant items appear ahead of better matches.
Coming to paid listings. As per the new rules, paid or sponsored listings will have to carry clear and prominent disclosures. This is intended to help consumers distinguish between a product that appears because it matches a search and one that appears because a seller or brand has paid for placement.Avoid dark patterns, bundled fees
According to the release, platforms will also have to comply with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, conduct a yearly self-audit and prominently display a certificate of compliance. The amendments bring existing dark pattern rules more clearly into the e-commerce framework. The 2023 guidelines cover practices such as false urgency, basket sneaking, subscription traps, disguised advertisements, and more.
In addition, platforms cannot collect bundled fees for services unrelated to the e-commerce platform, except under the specified provision for loyalty or membership programmes.Copy of complaints, product information
On grievances, every e-commerce entity will have to provide the complainant with a copy of the complaint as recorded by its grievance officer. Every entity will also have to become a partner in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), linking platforms more closely with the national grievance redressal system. The government said the NCH received 17,71,622 grievances in 2025, of which 5,11,196, or about 29 per cent, were related to e-commerce.
The amended rules further require marketplace platforms to provide key product and seller information. This includes best-before or use-before dates, return and refund terms, warranty, delivery and payment details, to help consumers make informed decisions. For imported goods, the name and details of the importer and the country of origin will have to be disclosed. Marketplace e-commerce entities will also not be allowed to use consumer information for specified purposes without the consumer’s express and affirmative consent.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 14:14 ISTAlso Read | Deepinder Goyal, Art of Living team up to study meditation using TempleAlso Read | After Trump rejects AI slowdown, Sam Altman says competition does not justify recklessnessAlso Read | Explained: Anthropic CEO says AI is moving too fast, here is his 3-step plan to put brakes on it
