Something you bought in Sweden broke. Whether you’re a visitor, a student or a resident, the law gives you more time than most countries do, and the seller, not the manufacturer, owes you the fix.
When you need this
- Headphones, a jacket zip or a kettle you bought in Sweden stops working
- A parcel from a Swedish webshop arrives damaged or not as described
- The shop tells you to “contact the manufacturer” or says the warranty has expired
- You’re told sale items or second-hand goods can’t be complained about
- You’ve lost the receipt and assume the right went with it
- You’ve gone home, and the item fails months later
- You live in Sweden and the washing machine dies in its second or third year
How reklamation works
Reklamation is the Swedish word for a complaint about a fault, and reklamationsrätt is the legal right behind it. It comes from the Consumer Sales Act, Konsumentköplagen (2022:260), which covers every purchase of goods a private person makes from a business.
The core rule is short. The seller answers for any fault that existed when the item was delivered and that shows itself within three years. For the first two of those years, the law assumes the fault was there from the start, so the seller has to prove it wasn’t. That three-year period is a year longer than the EU’s two-year minimum, which is the figure many visitors know from home.
Reklamation is not the same as returning something you’ve gone off. Swedish shops don’t have to take back an item that works (that’s the shop’s own öppet köp policy, explained in our guide to returns in Sweden). But a “no returns” sign, a sale price or a missing box can’t take away your right to complain about a fault.
Who is covered: tourists, students and residents
The right depends on who sold the item, not on your passport or whether you’re folkbokförd (registered as a Swedish resident). A tourist buying in a Stockholm shop, an exchange student ordering from a Swedish webshop and a long-term resident all get the same three years against a business.
| You bought from | Law | Time to complain | Can the terms remove it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A shop, webshop or second-hand business | Konsumentköplagen | 3 years from delivery | No |
| A private person (Blocket, loppis, Facebook) | Köplagen, the Sale of Goods Act | 2 years from receipt | Yes, largely |
| A public auction, used goods | Konsumentköplagen, adjusted | Judged against the starting price | Partly |
Sale items and second-hand goods from a business are fully covered. With used goods, normal wear isn’t a fault: a faded second-hand jacket is what you paid for, a zip that never worked is not. Goods bought for a business, even as a sole trader, fall outside the act, and so do services and repairs, which have their own law.
The deadlines that matter
Three time limits run at once, and mixing them up is the commonest way to lose a claim.
| Clock | Length | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Seller’s liability | 3 years from delivery | The fault must appear within this time |
| Presumption | 2 years from delivery | The seller must prove the fault is not its responsibility |
| Your notice | 2 months from noticing | A complaint inside this window is always in time |
The two-month rule is the one that bites. The statute says a complaint within two months of noticing the fault is always on time; after that it must still be within a “reasonable time”, which invites argument. A claim also lapses if it isn’t made within two months after the three-year period ends. If the seller replaces the item, the replacement starts a fresh three-year reklamation period from the day you receive it.
How to complain, step by step
- Check who sold it. A business means Konsumentköplagen and three years. A private seller means köplagen; see below.
- Check the dates. Note when the item was delivered and the day you noticed the fault.
- Document it. Take photos or a short video, and find the receipt, order confirmation or a bank or card statement showing when, where and for how much you bought it. No law requires the original receipt.
- Write to the seller within two months of noticing. E-mail or the shop’s complaint form gives you a dated record. Say what you bought, when, what’s wrong and what you want. Konsumentverket, the Swedish Consumer Agency, publishes a template.
- Ask for repair or a replacement. You choose. The seller may push back only if your choice is impossible or unreasonably costly, and it must fix things within a reasonable time at no cost to you.
- Let the seller pay the freight. If the item has to go back for repair or replacement, the seller pays the shipping both ways.
- If that fails, ask for a price reduction or to cancel the purchase (hävning). A cancelled purchase is refunded the way you paid; you don’t have to accept a credit note.
- If the seller refuses, escalate. ARN, the National Board for Consumer Disputes, tries written complaints and accepts English if the business doesn’t object. EU, Norway and Iceland residents can also use their home European Consumer Centre (ECC) for free. Our guide to ARN consumer disputes covers the process.
Inside the first two years, question any request to pay an inspection fee: proving the fault isn’t its responsibility is the seller’s job then. After two years, a fee is fair only if you were told in advance, the amount is reasonable and the fault turns out not to be the seller’s.
Paid by invoice, for example through Klarna? The law lets you hold back as much of the unpaid amount as you need to secure your claim. Tell the creditor as well as the seller.
Warranty vs reklamation
A garanti (warranty) is a voluntary promise from the seller or the manufacturer, on terms they choose. Reklamation is the law. The two run side by side, and a warranty can add to your rights but never reduce them.
| Reklamation | Warranty (garanti) | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Konsumentköplagen | Company’s own promise |
| Who you claim from | The seller | Whoever issued it |
| Length | 3 years | Whatever the terms say |
| Burden of proof | On the seller for 2 years | On the company for the whole warranty |
| Optional? | No, it always applies | Yes |
Two practical consequences follow. First, “contact the manufacturer” is not a valid refusal: your legal claim is against the seller, and a detour can eat into your two months. Second, after two years a warranty can be the better route, because the company carries the burden of proof for its whole length. And if the warranty card is less generous than the advertising promised, the advertised terms apply.
Extended warranties sold at the till largely duplicate what the law already gives you for the first three years.
Buying from a private person
Blocket, Tradera, Facebook Marketplace and the weekend loppis (flea market) are mostly private sales, and the rules change completely. The weaker köplagen applies, the seller can agree terms that override it, and you must raise a fault within a reasonable time and at the latest two years after receiving the item. The platforms usually take no responsibility.
“Befintligt skick” (“as is”) in an ad doesn’t remove every right. You can still complain if the item isn’t as described, is in much worse condition than its price suggested, or had a serious fault the seller knew about and kept quiet. A dispute you can’t settle goes to the district court, tingsrätten. More in our guides to second-hand shopping and buying on Blocket.
Changing in 2027? The four-year proposal
You may read that the period becomes four years after a repair. As of 14 October 2026, that’s a proposal, not law. A government inquiry, SOU 2025:124, published in January 2026, proposes:
- extending the seller’s liability from three to four years when a fault is fixed by repair
- requiring sellers to tell you about your choice between repair and replacement, and about that extension
- a standard EU notice describing the seller’s legal liability before you buy
All three are proposed from 1 January 2027. The consolidated Konsumentköplagen we read on 14 October 2026 contained none of them, and we found no bill before parliament. Until it passes, three years is the rule.
Practical information
| Item | Detail (checked 2026-10-14) |
|---|---|
| Making a reklamation | Free |
| Seller’s liability | 3 years from delivery |
| Seller presumed responsible | First 2 years |
| Notice that is always in time | Within 2 months of noticing |
| Freight for repair or replacement | Paid by the seller |
| Inspection fee, first 2 years | Normally none |
| Private seller (köplagen) | 2 years from receipt; terms can differ |
| ARN complaint fee | 150 kr |
| ECC advice | Free |
| Four years after repair | Proposed from 1 January 2027; not law on 14 October 2026 |
FAQ
How long can I complain about a faulty product in Sweden?
Three years from delivery, if you bought it from a business. Konsumentköplagen makes the seller liable for any fault that existed at delivery and appears within that time, for new and second-hand goods alike. You must tell the seller within two months of noticing the fault. From a private person the limit is two years, and the terms can be agreed away.
What is the difference between reklamation and a warranty in Sweden?
Reklamation is your legal right against the seller, three years for faults that existed at delivery. A warranty, garanti, is a voluntary promise from the seller or the manufacturer, on its own terms. It can add cover, for example a longer period or the burden of proof on the company throughout, but it can never take away your statutory rights.
Can I complain about a faulty item without the receipt?
Yes. No Swedish law requires a receipt for a complaint. You need to show when, where and for how much you bought the item, and a bank or card statement, an order confirmation or an e-mail receipt can do that. Missing original packaging does not end the right either. Photographing receipts on the day still saves argument later.
Who has to prove the fault in Sweden?
For the first two years after delivery, the law presumes a fault existed when you received the item, so the seller must prove otherwise. That is why you should normally not pay an inspection fee in that period. In year three you must show the fault was there from the start. Under a warranty, the company carries the burden for the whole warranty.
Does the three-year right apply to tourists and things bought on sale?
Yes. The right depends on buying from a business, not on residence, so a tourist buying in a Swedish shop is covered like a resident. Sale items and second-hand goods from a business are covered too, though normal wear on used goods is not a fault. Purchases from private people, for example on Blocket, fall under the weaker köplagen.
Is the reklamation period becoming four years in Sweden?
Not yet. A government inquiry, SOU 2025:124, proposes extending the seller’s liability from three to four years when a fault is fixed by repair, from 1 January 2027. On 14 October 2026 the consolidated Konsumentköplagen contained no such amendment and no bill had been found. Until it passes, three years applies, and a replacement item starts a new three-year period.
Related guides
- Returns in Sweden: öppet köp vs ångerrätt — the shop’s goodwill and the 14-day online right, the other two return rules
- ARN consumer disputes — what to do when the seller says no
- Shopping in Sweden — payment, opening hours and till habits around a purchase
- Second-hand Sweden: loppis and thrift — your thinner rights against private sellers
- Klarna and pay-by-invoice — holding back payment when an invoice purchase is faulty
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Konsumentverket, Regeringskansliet legal database (Konsumentköplag 2022:260, Köplag 1990:931), Regeringen and Riksdagen (SOU 2025:124), European Commission, ARN, ECC Sweden — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.