The Price Information Act

Prisinformationslagen - Engelska

When you purchase goods or service from a company, you are entitled to accurate and clear information about what the item or service costs. The rules for this are set out in the Price Information Act and various regulations and agreements that supplement this statute.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

When is the Price Information Act applicable?

  • The Price Information Act applies when a commercial enterprise sells goods and services to consumers.

When is the Price Information Act not applicable?

  • The statute does not apply to goods and services sold at an auction.

  • When there is another statute that contains provisions on price information, that law takes precedence over the Price Information Act.

  • When a private person sells something to another private person.

Provisions of the Price Information Act

  • When you see a product in a shop, the price of the product must be displayed on the packaging, on the edge of the shelf, or in a price list. If the product is not marked with the price, there should be a price enquiry terminal where you can easily check the price.

    The price of the goods must be stated in writing. VAT and other governmental taxes and fees must be included in the stated price. If there additional charges or costs, this must be clearly stated.

    In some circumstances, it may be sufficient to state the price verbally. This may be the case in small shops with traditional behind the counter service or if you buy a product directly from the salesperson over a counter.

  • There are no specific rules on how prices are to be displayed online. That does not mean however that there are no rules; in fact the general rules apply, so when goods and services are sold online the price must be clearly presented in an easy to understand manner, similar to the requirements imposed on brick-and-mortar shops.

  • The comparison price (unit price) for products of different volumes must be stated, when this is appropriate. The comparison price unit price should be stated in the measure used for the products, such as kilograms, litres, metres or other measurement. If a unit price is not relevant for the product, the product does not need to have a unit price.

    For products sold in bulk, such as fruit and vegetables, only the unit price needs to be indicated. It must be possible however to ascertain the total cost of the item before payment.

  • For some services, such as certain work done by tradesmen, it may be difficult to get a final total price before you purchase the service. The company or tradesman providing the service should be able to explain how the price will be finally established. Information on pricing should also be available where the company has its offices plus where it markets its services.

    A price quote given by a business to a consumer (B2C) must always include VAT, unless it is clearly stated otherwise.

  • If a company indicates that it has reduced the price of a product, it must also indicate the previous price. The previous price to be indicated is the lowest price the company has charged for the product in the 30 days prior to the price reduction.

    If the price has been gradually reduced over the 30 days, the price before the first price reduction should be indicated. If the price has been reduced for items that are perishable, or who sell by date is near, the previous price does not need to be stated.

Further information

Proofread: 17 April 2025