The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) told online retailers selling to UK consumers on 2 November that mandatory delivery fees must be built into the total price and shown up front, as the Christmas shopping period approaches.
The open letter, signed by Sorcha O’Carroll, senior director, consumer, at the CMA, said some businesses remain non-compliant in how they present delivery charges.
The regulator said it would keep monitoring pricing across the sector and is committed to enforcement action if non-compliance appears to continue.
In the letter, the CMA said: “The first price consumers see should be the price they pay.”
The rule comes from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCC Act). Under it, a price given to a consumer must be the total price, including mandatory delivery or collection fees and any other unavoidable fees, taxes and charges.
The CMA said the total price must appear at every stage where a price is given, including advertising, product pages, baskets, checkout and payment pages.
Where a single flat delivery charge applies to a multi-item basket, the retailer must still show the total price of the products including that charge throughout the shopping process, the letter said.
Retailers may still show a breakdown, or the delivery fee within the price. The CMA gave the example of displaying a product price both with and without delivery.
Where delivery charges are optional, retailers must say clearly throughout the process that they apply. If the amount cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, they must explain that an additional charge may be payable.
The CMA said customers should not have to search separate pages, hidden menus or expandable sections for this information.
The requirement is not limited to shops. It also applies to online marketplace operators, comparison sites and search engines. Where a marketplace lists items from different traders, each with its own delivery charge, the delivery price should be in the total price of each product.
The regulator listed four practices it is looking out for:
- displaying a product price without the mandatory delivery charge in the total price;
- leaving mandatory delivery charges out of basket totals or order summaries;
- failing to give information on optional delivery fees, or placing it behind links, separate pages, pop-out pages, expandable sections or drop-down menus;
- giving no information on delivery charges until late in checkout.
The CMA said many businesses had changed their practices since the DMCC Act came into force, and it welcomed those changes. It said it seeks to use its enforcement powers in a fair and proportionate manner.
If it finds the law has been broken, the Act gives it the power to impose substantial penalties, and it may also require redress to be paid to affected consumers.
The regulator has already enforced the rules on drip pricing (adding charges as a customer moves through a purchase) against four businesses. It imposed fines totalling more than £5.1m and secured more than £1.35m in refunds for affected consumers.
The CMA published detailed price transparency guidance, known as CMA209, in November 2025. The letter points retailers to Chapter 4 for the core requirements and to paragraphs 5.2 to 5.21 on how delivery fees should be presented.
The CMA told retailers to review their website, mobile app and online advertising against the Act and the guidance, and to make any changes needed so that consumers get clear, prominent and timely information on the total price they are likely to pay.
