Does the Omnibus Price Rule Apply to Dutch Webshops?

Yes. If your webshop announces price reductions to consumers in the Netherlands, the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161 — as transposed into Dutch consumer law — applies to you. What matters is that you are directing offers at Dutch consumers, not where your company happens to be established.

What the rule requires

Whenever you announce a reduction, you must state the prior price, and that prior price is the lowest price you charged in the 30 days before the reduction. A discount claim is only lawful if the “before” figure reflects that genuine 30-day low, which stops sellers inflating a reference price just before a sale.

Who supervises it

Enforcement sits with the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), the national Dutch regulator for consumer protection and fair trading. The ACM has actively scrutinised misleading pricing and online-selling practices, so the reference-price rule is enforced in practice, not just on paper. Information should be presented clearly and in Dutch.

• The rule applies to announced reductions — sales, promotions, “was/now” pricing.
• The reference price is a defined value: the 30-day low, not a figure you choose.
• You should keep a per-product price history so each reference price is defensible.

In short, a Dutch-facing webshop cannot sidestep the rule. The safest approach is to track your 30-day prices automatically and display them as the reference for every reduction. For more, see our Omnibus law page and the complete Omnibus guide.

This answer is educational and does not constitute legal advice.