Sale Prices and the 30-Day Rule for Webshops
By CodexierPublished 6 min read
Since the EU's price indication rules were tightened, a struck-through price in a Swedish webshop is no longer whatever you choose to call the normal price. When you announce a price reduction on a product, you must show the lowest price you applied during at least the 30 days before the reduction. The Swedish Consumer Agency supervises the rule, and it applies to physical shops and webshops alike. This guide explains what the rule requires, what it covers and how to set up your platform so campaigns stay compliant.
What the rule requires
The rule sits in the Swedish Price Information Act and implements an EU directive. It targets a practice that was common before: raising the list price for a short period, then advertising a large reduction from that higher level. In 2024 the EU Court of Justice confirmed that the reduction you advertise must be based on the prior lowest price, not on some other price you display next to it. In other words, if you write that something is reduced, the size of the reduction must be true against the 30-day lowest price.
Which discounts it covers
The rule applies when you announce a reduction on a specific product's price: sale badges, struck-through prices, percentage-off labels and campaign banners that promise lower prices on named products. Not every price promotion is a reduction in that sense, and the Consumer Agency's guidance should be your reference when in doubt.
| Promotion | Covered by the 30-day rule? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Struck-through price or sale badge on a product | Yes | The typical case |
| A percentage off a category or the whole shop | Yes, for each product affected | Each product needs its own reference price |
| Multi-buy offers such as three for two | Generally treated differently | Still must not be misleading under marketing law |
| Comparison with a competitor's price | Not a reduction of your own price | Governed by rules on comparative advertising |
| Everyday low price claims without a reduction | Not a reduction | Must be true and not misleading |
Special situations such as new products on sale for less than 30 days and gradual reductions within one campaign have their own handling; check the Consumer Agency's current guidance before you rely on them.
Showing the reference price
The cleanest way to comply is to make the struck-through price the 30-day lowest price. Then the reduction you show is automatically correct. If you want to show another price as well, such as a recommended retail price, you must still display the 30-day lowest price clearly and base the advertised discount on it. Two reference prices side by side confuse customers, so most shops choose to show only the lowest price.
- Label the reference price clearly, for example as the lowest price in the last 30 days.
- Calculate any discount badge from that price, not from the regular or recommended price.
- Apply the same logic in product lists, product pages, the cart, newsletters and ads.
- Keep prices including VAT for consumers everywhere the reduction is shown.
Platform setup for compliance
Neither Shopify nor WooCommerce enforces the rule out of the box. Shopify's compare-at price and WooCommerce's regular price are just fields: they display whatever you type. What you need is a record of each product's price over time and a way to fill the reference price from it. Apps and plugins exist for both platforms that log price changes and display the lowest price in the last 30 days, and a small custom solution can do the same if your catalogue or price logic is unusual.
Price history
Log every price change per product and variant with a date, including changes from imports and ERP syncs, not just manual edits.
Reference price source
Fill the struck-through price from the history automatically, so staff cannot type a flattering number by mistake.
Campaign checks
Before a campaign goes live, export the affected products with their current price, 30-day lowest price and displayed discount, and check them.
If you are choosing a platform or setting up a new shop, include this in the requirements from the start; our comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce in Sweden covers the other factors.
Black Week and campaign planning
- Decide campaign products and discounts at least five weeks ahead.
- Freeze regular prices on those products for the 30 days before the campaign; any temporary cut resets the reference.
- Avoid short pre-campaign sales on the same products, since they lower the reference price for the main event.
- Generate the reference prices from the price history and review the export.
- Check every channel: product feeds to Google Shopping and price comparison sites, newsletters and social ads.
- Save the export as documentation in case the Consumer Agency asks.
When you do not need help: if you rarely run sales and change prices by hand in a small catalogue, a spreadsheet log and a checklist are enough. Setup help makes sense when prices come from imports or an ERP, or when you run several campaigns a year. Our store setup service includes configuring price history and reference prices; see pricing or book a call before your next campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 30-day rule apply to B2B webshops?
The rule comes from consumer protection law and targets prices shown to consumers. A pure B2B shop that only sells to businesses is generally outside it, but a shop that sells to both must follow it for consumer-facing prices.
What if a product has been on sale for less than 30 days?
New products are a special case with their own handling under the rules. Check the Consumer Agency's guidance and be careful with reduction claims on products you have only just started selling.
Can we show the recommended retail price instead?
You can show it, but if you announce a reduction you must also show the 30-day lowest price and base the advertised discount on that. Showing only a recommended price as the reference for a sale is not enough.
Who enforces the rule and what happens if we break it?
The Swedish Consumer Agency supervises price information. It can order a trader to change its practices, with a fine if the order is not followed, and misleading price claims can also be challenged under marketing law.
Get your shop ready for the next campaign
Tell us your platform and how prices are updated today. In fifteen minutes we can tell you what it takes to keep reference prices correct automatically.
Book a free 15-minute call