Rules when selling door to door or telemarketing

If you're selling your products or services door to door or by phone (i.e. telemarketing) your customers have extra rights to those visiting a shop or website. That's because you're the one making contact or 'soliciting' their business.

Door-to-door and telemarketing sales agreements are considered 'unsolicited consumer agreements'. An agreement is unsolicited when:

  • you (or your agent) approach a consumer without their invitation—this is usually at their home or in a public place like the common area of a shopping centre
  • the transaction costs more than $100 or has an unknown price.

In a dispute about whether a sale was unsolicited, it's up to you to prove that the customer solicited it.

Read these rules to understand consumer rights in door-to-door and telephone sales. Consumers get extra protections if you don't follow these rules and they can make a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading for help.

Office of Fair Trading

Go back to Office of Fair Trading home.

Sales practices guide

Read the Australian Consumer Law sales practices guide to understand the rules for different sales practices.

Follow the law

Use the Small business self-assessment checklist to make sure your business is following the law.

You'll learn about:

  • the Australian Consumer Law
  • your rights and responsibilities when dealing with customers
  • where to get more information.

Stay up to date

Make your business a success by reading the Smart Business Bulletin, which contains current news, informative feature articles and our latest business tips.