By S&S Co. Advocates & Solicitors · Published 24 September 2026 · Informational content, not legal advice — see our disclaimer
Who the Rules Apply To
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 apply broadly to all forms of e-commerce, covering both marketplace and inventory-based models, and to every seller offering goods or services through such a platform — whether or not that seller is itself based in India. A business cannot avoid these obligations simply by being an overseas seller listing on an Indian-facing marketplace.
What Marketplaces Must Disclose About Their Sellers
A marketplace e-commerce entity must display, for every seller on its platform, information including the seller's legal name, principal geographic address, customer care contact details, and GSTIN where applicable, together with a ranking or search-result policy that does not arbitrarily discriminate against sellers. This is meant to give consumers enough information to know who they are actually buying from, not just the platform facilitating the sale.
What Sellers Themselves Must Disclose and Avoid
Sellers must furnish the marketplace with accurate information on return, refund, exchange, warranty or guarantee terms, delivery and shipment timelines, and accepted modes of payment, so that a consumer can make an informed decision before purchasing. Sellers are also barred from falsely representing themselves as a different seller, or from posing as an ordinary consumer when posting a product review.
Both marketplaces and sellers are prohibited from unfair trade practices — including manipulating price to earn an unreasonable profit, and refusing a return, refund or exchange for goods that are defective, deficient, spurious, or materially different from what was advertised, subject to a genuine force-majeure exception covering delivery delays outside anyone's control.
Grievance Redressal and Marketplace Verification Duties
Every e-commerce entity must appoint a grievance officer and prominently display that officer's name and contact details, and must acknowledge a consumer's complaint within 48 hours, redressing it within one month of receipt. Marketplace entities are additionally required to verify sellers' business details — including address and GST registration, where applicable — before onboarding them, and must not manipulate search results or rankings to favour their own related-party sellers over unrelated ones on the platform.
Because amendments to these Rules have been proposed and discussed since 2021, a business relying on this framework for compliance purposes should confirm whether any amendment has actually been formally notified and brought into force at the relevant time, rather than assuming the original 2020 text remains entirely unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules apply to sellers based outside India?
Yes. The Rules apply to every seller offering goods or services through a covered e-commerce platform, regardless of whether the seller is based in India.
What must an e-commerce marketplace disclose about each seller?
The seller's legal name, principal geographic address, customer care contact details, GSTIN where applicable, and a non-discriminatory ranking/search-result policy.
How quickly must an e-commerce entity respond to a consumer complaint?
It must acknowledge the complaint within 48 hours and redress it within one month of receipt, through a designated grievance officer whose details must be displayed.
Can a marketplace favour its own related-party sellers in search rankings?
No. Marketplace entities are barred from manipulating search results or rankings to favour their own related-party sellers over unrelated sellers on the platform.
References & Further Reading
This article references the following statutory provisions. Readers should always verify current rules, fees and timelines against the applicable statute and rules as amended, since these are revised from time to time.
- Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, notified under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.