In brief
- Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November. Between last year’s and this one, five rules have changed for online shops selling in France.
- The “withdraw from contract here” button has been mandatory since 19 June, textile places of manufacture have been shown next to the price since 10 July, a €2 customs fee per item has applied to parcels from outside the Union since 1 November, and buy now, pay later becomes credit on 20 November, one week before Black Friday.
- The reference price rule has not changed, but it is still the worst applied: in the coordinated EU check of Black Friday 2025, only 40% of the 314 online shops checked announced their reductions in full compliance.
- For 27 November, any price applied from 28 October counts towards the crossed-out price.
Black Friday 2026, on 27 November, is the first at which the mandatory withdrawal button, the display of textile places of manufacture in France, the €2 customs fee and buy now, pay later treated as credit all apply together. The oldest rule, the thirty-day reference price, remains the most checked and the most broken: in the EU check of Black Friday 2025, 60% of the online shops checked were not fully compliant.
How we checked Every rule in this article refers to a text we have read and to a Dots Paper that covers it in detail. The figures from the EU check come from the press release of the Belgian Federal Public Service Economy, which took part, read on 13 October 2026. The sources are listed at the end of the article.
What did the EU check of Black Friday 2025 show?
From 3 November to 5 December 2025, the European Commission and the authorities of 25 countries in the Consumer Protection Cooperation network jointly checked 314 online shops. 93% announced reductions during Black Friday; only 40% did so in full compliance with EU rules.
The Belgian checks, targeted at strongly suspected shops, give the detail of the failures: of 23 businesses checked, 16 were in breach. Among them: no reference price (21.7%), a wrong reference price that was too high (52.2%), and misleading pricing practices such as fake countdowns or crossed-out prices never actually applied (69.6%). These percentages concern the targeted sample, not the market as a whole, but they show where inspectors look.
Which price should be crossed out on 27 November?
The crossed-out price must be the lowest price applied during the thirty days before the reduction. For Black Friday on 27 November, the window opens on 28 October. A warm-up operation launched in early November therefore sets the Black Friday crossed-out price at its level, and flattens the discount you can show on the day traffic peaks.
Only one exception works the other way: when the same operation increases its discount in stages without interruption, the reference remains the price before the first stage. Two separate campaigns do not qualify. The mechanism and its traps are covered in our article on price reduction announcements and the reference price. And the same rule will link your December promotions to the crossed-out price of the French winter sales starting 6 January 2027.
What has changed since Black Friday 2025?
| Rule | Since | What to check before 27 November |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal button | 19 June 2026 | A “withdraw from contract here” button, visible for fourteen days, including for guest orders. Details |
| Textile places of manufacture (France) | 10 July 2026 | Places of manufacture next to the price, at the same size, on every textile product page. Details |
| €2 customs fee | 1 November 2026 | If you ship from outside the Union, €2 per declaration line on top of the €3 duty. Details |
| Buy now, pay later | 20 November 2026 | Your “pay in 3, interest-free” banners become advertising for credit, one week before Black Friday. Details |
| Cold calling (France) | 11 August 2026 | No follow-up call to a private individual without their prior consent. Details |
The fourth line deserves particular attention: the change takes effect on 20 November, right in the middle of preparing the operation. Banners and emails scheduled in advance must be re-read before that date, not after.
The checklist before 27 November
- Reference price: for each discounted product, the lowest price applied since 28 October, taken from your price history, not copied by hand.
- No fake countdowns: a timer that does not match any real end of the offer is one of the misleading practices the checks picked up.
- No fictitious crossed-out prices: no “recommended” price nobody charges, no crossed-out price never applied.
- Withdrawal button: tested on a guest order, in every language.
- Textile product pages: places of manufacture next to the price, at the same size.
- Split payment: advertising copy compliant with the credit rules from 20 November.
- Cost of imported parcels: fee and duty built into your prices or delivery charges if you ship from outside the Union.
- Measurement: your analytics tools actually record the weekend’s orders, consent included. Check it beforehand, not in December.
What this says about the bigger picture
Black Friday has become the time of year when European authorities look at the same sites together, with the same questions. The 2025 check showed it: most failures are not fraud, they are badly calculated reference prices and marketing habits that the rules have made unlawful.
A shop that prepares its Black Friday as a compliance project as much as a campaign wins twice: it avoids enforcement, and it shows discounts people can believe. That preparation work is what we do through our e-commerce and marketplaces expertise.
Sources
All of these pages were opened on 13 October 2026.
- FPS Economy (Belgium), “7 boutiques en ligne contrôlées sur 10 ne respectent pas les règles en matière de promotions” (in French). View
- French Consumer Code, Articles L. 221-21 and D. 221-5 (withdrawal button), Légifrance (in French). View
- European Commission, guidance on the €3 duty and the handling fee, version of 5 October 2026. View
- DGCCRF, guidance on sales of 29 June 2026 (reminder of the reference price rule, Article L. 112-1-1 of the French Consumer Code) (in French). View
FAQ
What changes for Black Friday 2026?
Since Black Friday 2025, five new rules concern online shops selling in France: the mandatory withdrawal button since 19 June 2026, the display of textile places of manufacture since 10 July, the €2 customs fee per item on parcels from outside the Union since 1 November, buy now, pay later treated as credit from 20 November, and prior consent for cold calling private individuals since 11 August.
Which price should be crossed out for Black Friday on 27 November 2026?
The lowest price applied during the thirty days before the reduction, that is from 28 October 2026. A warm-up promotion within that window lowers the Black Friday crossed-out price.
Do shops follow the Black Friday rules?
Not all of them. In the check coordinated by the European Commission and 25 countries from 3 November to 5 December 2025, only 40% of the 314 online shops checked announced their reductions in full compliance with EU rules. The most frequent failures concerned the reference price, fake countdowns and crossed-out prices never actually applied.
Can Dotsland help?
Yes. We review prices, banners, checkout and measurement with you before the operation. Work through the checklist above first, then get in touch.