Compliance guide for online sellers under Nepal's E-Commerce Act, 2081

The Government of Nepal enacted the Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) Act, 2081 (विद्युतीय व्यापार (इ-कमर्स) ऐन, २०८१) to regulate Nepal’s growing online business sector. It was published in the Nepal Gazette on 16 March 2025 (2081-12-03). The Act sets out clear rights and responsibilities for online buyers and sellers, protects consumer data, requires transparency and prohibits unfair business practices.

As the ecommerce platform your store runs on, Blanxer is built to help you meet the legal and technical requirements of this Act. Most of what follows is a one-time setup inside your dashboard. You can read the Act on the Nepal Law Commission website or download the original PDF.

This guide helps you:

• Understand your legal obligations under the E-Commerce Act, 2081, including the record-keeping and data transparency supported by Blanxer analytics
• Configure your storefront to meet the compliance standards
• Register your business on Nepal’s official e-commerce portal

Does the E-Commerce Act apply to you?

Almost certainly yes. The Act reaches further than most sellers assume, and the line it draws is not about how big you are but about whether you take orders electronically.

What counts as e-commerce

The Act defines e-commerce as buying or selling goods or services through an electronic platform: a website, a mobile app, software, an internet or intranet system, or a social media marketplace. It applies throughout Nepal, and it applies to sellers based outside Nepal who supply goods or services to Nepali customers electronically.

• This is e-commerce

  Selling through your own website or app. Taking orders through Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. Selling through a marketplace. Supplying Nepali buyers from abroad.

• This is not, by itself

  Using a platform only to give information about a product or to promote it. Posting product photos to advertise is not e-commerce on its own. The moment you take an order through that channel, it is.

You must be a registered business

Only a firm, company or organisation registered under prevailing law and permitted to trade may conduct e-commerce. Selling from an unregistered Instagram or TikTok page now sits outside the law. Goods banned from electronic sale by law or by Gazette notice cannot be sold online at all.

You must have an electronic platform, with one exception

Every e-commerce business must establish its own electronic platform. The Act carves out one group: micro-entrepreneurs and cottage-level businesses may sell through someone else’s platform instead of building their own.

This is the legal pathway for small sellers, and it is why trading on an established platform works. Running your online store on Blanxer means the requirement to have a platform is met without you building and maintaining that infrastructure. It does not move your other duties: product disclosures, delivery, returns, privacy and complaint handling all remain yours in full.

Seller, buyer and platform: who owes what

The Act assigns duties by role, so the first thing to settle is which role you occupy. You are the seller and the business. Blanxer is the ecommerce platform your store runs on. Your buyer carries duties too.

• You: a list-based e-commerce business

  You list your own goods and sell them directly to consumers through your own storefront. You own the products, the pricing, the brand and the customer relationship. Your duties are in Section 15.

• Blanxer: your ecommerce platform

  The software your storefront, checkout, inventory and orders run on. The Act requires every e-commerce business to operate on an electronic platform; this is yours. You name it on your portal application.

This is not a marketplace arrangement. Your products do not sit in a shared catalogue beside competitors, and the platform does not own your customer. Your store is your own domain and your own brand, which is exactly why the Act treats you as the business behind it. When you apply for your portal listing you name Blanxer as the electronic platform you trade on, covered in the registration section.

Your duties as the business (Section 15)

These are yours. No platform can discharge them for you:

• Display the full product disclosures clearly and accessibly on your storefront
• Publish everything else prevailing law requires
• Keep transaction records for the retention period set by tax law
• Deliver no later than the time you committed to, force majeure excepted
• Post no reviews, ratings or feedback on your own products, whether yourself or through anyone else
• Run no advertising that misrepresents what a product is or does
• Honour warranty and guarantee conditions for the stated period
• Take back, cancel and refund anything not as displayed, delivered late, or defective
• Carry the liability if you publicly vouch for a product’s authenticity

The first four are fines if breached. The last five sit in the upper penalty tier and can carry imprisonment, so treat fake reviews, misleading ads, warranty and refusing a lawful return as the serious ones. The full breakdown is in fines and penalties.

The buyer’s duties (Section 17)

The Act is not one-directional, which matters when you are handling a difficult claim. A buyer must honour the contract, must not act with intent to harass anyone, must inspect what was delivered against the contract, and must raise any complaint promptly. A buyer who accepts delivery, waits weeks, then claims a mismatch stands on weaker ground than one who reports at once. It does not dilute your obligations, but good faith runs both ways.

Two rules that close the usual escape routes

You cannot point at the manufacturer: a business may not avoid a complaint about a product it sold by arguing it did not make, import or supply the item. And your staff are you: anything your employees or representatives do in the course of e-commerce is deemed done by the business itself.

What your online store must display (Section 4)

Section 4 requires every online store to publicly identify the business behind it, completely, clearly and where consumers can easily find it. The platform must display:

• The name of the platform
• Your business name, address, the body you are registered with, and your registration number
• Your registered or head office, and every branch and outlet
• Any special licence your products require
• Whether you are an intermediary or a list-based e-commerce business
• Your VAT or PAN number
• Your contact details: email, phone, mobile and social media
• The person or unit that handles complaints
• Your portal listing number

In Blanxer this is not something you build by hand. A dedicated panel collects each detail once and renders a compliant block across your whole storefront footer.

Field reference

Each field maps to a labelled entry in your footer. Fill every field marked required. A partially filled panel produces a footer that does not satisfy the Act.

What your customers see

Once saved with Show in website enabled, Blanxer renders the details as a structured block above your footer’s copyright line, on every page of your store:

One detail worth knowing: the complaint officer block shows three values, but only the name comes from the Complaint Officer field. The phone and email beneath it are your compliance Contact Number and Email. If you want complaints routed to a dedicated person, put their direct line and address in those two fields rather than a general sales contact.

Every one of these details must belong to your own legal entity. Trading under another business’s registration or PAN, even a friend’s or a family company’s, is a separate offence and defeats the point of the disclosure.

Section 4 disclosures the panel does not collect

Add these to your footer or an about page so the complete set is present:

Our business information page template covers every item in one page.

Still configured separately

The compliance panel covers your business identity. These header and footer items live elsewhere in the dashboard and are equally necessary:

• Logo or company name in the header

  Your store must be identifiable at a glance from any page. Set it in Appearance → Components → Header.

• Policy page links

  Terms, Privacy, Refund and Delivery must be linked from the footer. Covered in policy pages.

• Active social accounts

  Link every account you actually run, from Appearance → Components → Footer → Customized Footer → Socials. For WhatsApp use https://wa.me/+977980123456.

• Special permits, if applicable

  Regulated goods such as cosmetics, medicine and food require the issuing authority and licence number to be displayed. Add these as a custom footer entry.

How to register your online business in Nepal (Section 5)

Listing your business with the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSCP) is mandatory from the day you start selling. Under Section 5 you apply electronically on the Department’s portal, online.doc.gov.np, and the Department issues your platform registration number within 7 days. That number is what goes into the E-commerce Number field described in what your store must display.

1. Step 1

   Visit the official portal

   Go to online.doc.gov.np and open विद्युतीय व्यापार सूचीकरण (e-commerce listing).

2. Step 2

   Create a user account

   • Click sign-up: विद्युतिय ब्यापार (e-Commerce) फर्म सुचीकृत गर्न युजर र पासवर्डको लागि
   • Fill in your details and select Register

3. Step 3

   Find your company and file

   Look up your registered company name using the IRD PAN search: ird.gov.np/pan-search

   Once you find it, click Ecommerce Register and enter your company details.

What your application must contain

• Business name and address, the registering body, and your registration certificate number
• Identity details of the proprietor, the partners or the directors, depending on how you are registered
• A clear description of your business
• VAT number or PAN
• Phone, email, social media links and contact address
• The number and location of your branches or outlets, if you have any

• 7 days to receive your number

  Under Section 5, the Department issues your platform registration number within 7 days of your application.

• 7 days to update branches

  Under Section 5, changes to your branches or outlets must be updated on the portal within 7 days.

Terms, privacy, return and delivery policy pages

A contract concluded electronically is a valid, binding contract under Nepali law. Your policy pages are where that contract lives, so four of them must exist on your website and be linked from your footer.

Beyond ordinary contract requirements, yours must spell out terms on delivery, cancellation, return, exchange, warranty or guarantee, and refunds. The four pages below are how you satisfy that in practice. The day counts in them are examples of what a store might commit to, not numbers set by the Act: under Section 9 the delivery time is whatever your contract states, and Section 10 sets no fixed return window.

1. Terms and conditions

By using this website, customers agree to the following terms:

• All product prices are inclusive of applicable taxes.
• Orders are processed within 24–48 hours and delivered as per the delivery policy.
• Customers may cancel an order before it is dispatched.
• Returns must be requested within 7 days of delivery, as per the return policy.
• Warranties and guarantees are honoured as stated in the product details.
• Misuse, misrepresentation or reselling of products is prohibited.

2. Privacy policy

Explain plainly how customer data is collected and used:

• We collect name, email, address and phone number to process orders.
• Customer data is never sold or misused.
• We use secure payment gateways and encrypted platforms.
• Customers may request deletion of their data at any time.
• Cookies are used to improve the user experience.

3. Return and refund policy

State the conditions and the timeline without ambiguity:

• Faulty or misdescribed products can be exchanged within 7 days of delivery.
• A full refund is available if claimed within 7 days of purchase.
• Refunds are processed within 3–5 business days after return verification.
• Give a concrete channel to start a return: an email address and a phone number.

A published window like this cannot narrow the statutory right: an item that does not match its listing must still be taken back under Section 10 (see returns and refunds).

4. Delivery policy

Set honest expectations for every region you serve:

• Inside Kathmandu Valley: 1–2 business days.
• Outside the Valley (major cities): 2–5 business days.
• Delays may occur during strikes, holidays or unforeseen circumstances.
• Shipping charges may apply depending on order value and delivery location.

You do not need to write these from scratch. We publish a copy-paste pack of all eight policy pages, written to this Act. Fill in the brackets and publish.

How to publish and link these

1. Create all four pages in Pages → Add Page
2. Go to Appearance → Components → Footer → Customized Footer
3. Add each page under the Legals section

Product page requirements (Section 6)

Section 6 sets out what every listing must disclose. At a minimum that is the final price including tax, any extra delivery charge, the delivery time, the payment methods, the warranty, the manufacturer, the country of origin for imported goods, whether the item can be returned or refunded, whether the order can be cancelled before dispatch, manufacture and expiry dates, the contract terms in plain language, and a way to leave reviews and complaints. Trading without these is an offence in its own right, and missing fields are the most common reason for consumer complaints under the Act.

Two things to police continuously rather than once. Do not leave products listed that you cannot actually supply, and do not sell expired or near-expiry goods, which matters most in food, cosmetics and supplements. Both turn into a mismatch against your own listing, which is exactly what triggers a mandatory return. Real-time inventory keeps displayed stock honest.

Example listing

Returnability deserves particular care. You must state on every listing whether the item can be returned, and if so on what conditions and within what period. The return right in Section 10 is triggered by a mismatch against these disclosures, so what you write here is the standard you will be measured against.

Payments, cash on delivery, delivery and returns

Sections 8, 9, 10 and 18 govern what happens after the customer clicks buy. This is where the Act is most specific, and where the consumer protections are strongest.

Payments and cash on delivery (Section 8)

• Cash on delivery is legally recognised

  Under Section 8 the buyer may pay before or after delivery, either to you or to the carrier acting on your behalf. Payment to the carrier counts in law as payment to you. This is the provision that puts COD on a firm legal footing.

• Give a bill immediately, then keep it

  Section 8 requires you to give the buyer a bill or receipt, electronic or physical, immediately on payment, and you should keep your own record of it. Payments must use instruments recognised under federal payment and settlement law.

Foreign-currency transactions must comply with federal law. If you import goods bought from a foreign e-commerce business, or export to foreign buyers through a platform operated in Nepal, the export side requires payment to be assured through the banking system first. For taking QR and online payments through recognised channels, see payment gateways in Nepal.

Delivery (Sections 9 and 18)

The Act sets no fixed number of days for delivery. Under Section 9, the delivery time is whatever your contract states: the time on the product page, in your delivery policy and in the order confirmation. Once you commit to it, you are bound by it.

• Hand over the goods at the place, date and time, or within the period, that the contract specifies, to the buyer or their representative
• If the buyer wants to collect in person from one of your outlets, you must let them
• Before dispatch either side may propose changing the delivery place, person or time. If both agree, you deliver on the changed terms and any fee adjustment is by mutual consent

Section 18 places the duty to deliver on the business regardless of what other laws say, wherever the contract names a place, time or person. You may contract a courier, and carrier duties under consumer protection law apply to them too, but a failed delivery remains your liability toward the buyer. Timestamped dispatch and tracking from a courier integration is your evidence that you delivered on time; see our logistics integration guide.

Returns and refunds (Section 10)

This is the strongest consumer protection in the Act, and it works differently from the seven-day goodwill policy most stores publish. The trigger is not the customer changing their mind. It is the delivered item not matching what you described on the listing. The Act sets no fixed return window for this right.

1. The item does not match your Section 6 disclosures. The buyer may return it.
2. You must take it back unconditionally. There is no discretion here.
3. The buyer chooses the remedy. They may take a replacement of equal value, or decline it.
4. If they decline a replacement, refund in full. The full amount paid, including tax, must be refunded.

Because the right keys off a mismatch with your own disclosures, the cheapest way to limit returns is to describe products accurately in the first place.

Customer data and privacy (Section 12)

Section 12 gives your customers rights over the data you hold about them, and gives you a duty of confidentiality that is enforceable under prevailing law.

Your duty

• Keep every person’s personal information and identity-revealing details confidential
• Do not share or use that information except as prevailing law allows
• Exchanging transaction details between buyer, business and carrier to fulfil the order is permitted

Rights you must provide

• Customers must be able to enter and edit their own personal details on your platform
• Customers must be able to close or disable sources that reveal their identity
• You cannot deny a customer these controls

The same duty covers anything a customer gives you that is not an order. Do not publish testimonials, photographs, reviews or private messages without their consent.

Treat these as requirements rather than features. A store with no way for a customer to edit their details or close their account is not compliant. Make sure customer accounts are enabled and that the edit and deletion paths actually work before you rely on them.

Handling complaints: the 15-day rule

Section 33 requires more than a named officer in your footer. It requires a working complaint process with a statutory clock, and an online mechanism to run it.

1. The customer complains electronically, in writing or in person, to your designated complaint officer or unit.
2. You register and acknowledge it immediately. Log the complaint and confirm receipt to the complainant straight away.
3. You investigate. You may ask the complainant for additional information if you need it.
4. You decide within 15 days. If it can be addressed, address it.
5. If it cannot be resolved, explain in writing. A written explanation with reasons, still within 15 days of receiving the complaint.

Fines, penalties and enforcement

Penalties come in two tiers. The lower one is a fine the Inspection Officer can impose directly. The upper one is prosecuted by the state in the Consumer Court and can carry imprisonment.

Tier 1: Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,00,000, imposed by the Inspection Officer

Under Section 22, the Inspection Officer can fine a business Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,00,000, scaled to the gravity of the offence, for the offences in Section 21(a) to (d):

• Trading without establishing an electronic platform
• Operating without a portal listing
• Trading without the required product disclosures
• Breaching the process duties: displaying product details, keeping records, delivering on time

If you disagree with a fine, Section 22 lets you appeal to the Director General within 7 days. The appeal must be decided within 35 days, and that decision is final.

Tier 2: Rs 50,000 to Rs 5,00,000, or 6 months to 3 years’ imprisonment, or both

• Fake reviews and ratings
• Misleading advertising
• Refusing lawful returns or refunds
• Ignoring warranty obligations
• Unfair trade practices
• Reneging on an authenticity commitment

How a Tier 2 case runs

• The Inspection Officer investigates, and the government attorney decides whether to prosecute
• Cases are filed in the Consumer Court, or the District Court where no Consumer Court exists
• The Government of Nepal is the plaintiff. These are state-prosecuted cases, not private disputes
• Cases follow summary procedure, which means faster trials
• Prosecution under this Act does not bar prosecution under any other law for the same conduct

Monitoring and complaints

• The Department monitors and inspects e-commerce. Where a sector regulator exists for your product category, its regime applies as well
• If an inspection finds deficiencies in your platform, the Department can issue directions you are obliged to follow
• On 18 August 2026 the DoCSCP issued a directive enforcing mandatory portal listing and warning of legal action against businesses that have not listed
• Anyone who learns of a violation may complain with evidence to the Director General or an Inspection Officer, including electronically, and may request anonymity, which must be honoured
• Inspection officers must investigate within 6 months
• The Consumer Protection Act applies to everything this Act does not itself cover, including quality, labelling, pricing, dispute resolution and compensation

There are incentives as well

The Government may, by Gazette notice, grant exemptions, facilities or concessions to micro, cottage and small industries that sell Nepal-made products above a set threshold through electronic platforms. If you manufacture locally and sell online, this is worth watching.

What your ecommerce platform has to give you

The duties in this Act are yours, but meeting them is mostly a systems problem. Most obligations are not one-off tasks. They are records you must produce, disclosures that must stay current, and clocks you must prove you met. Use this as a checklist against any platform you evaluate:

Where the line sits

A platform can carry the infrastructure. It cannot carry your legal position. Registering your business, listing on the portal, describing products truthfully, delivering when you said you would and never gaming your own reviews are yours alone, and no software substitutes for them.

What good tooling does is remove the excuse. If your records, invoices, tracking and complaint history are byproducts of running the store properly, then meeting this Act stops being a project and becomes a consequence of normal operations. See what each plan includes on the pricing page, or browse our payment and courier integrations.

E-Commerce Act compliance checklist

Work through these once and your store is set up. Revisit them whenever your business details change, and remember the 48-hour and 7-day clocks when they do.

• Register your business. Trading online as an unregistered page is outside the law.
• Complete Setting → Store Details → Ecommerce Compliance Information and enable Show in website.
• Name “Blanxer” as your electronic platform on the DoCSCP application form.
• List on the DoCSCP portal (online.doc.gov.np), once per business, even if you run several storefronts.
• Add the listing number to the compliance panel once it is issued, within 7 days of applying.
• Publish all four policy pages and link them from the footer.
• Check that every product page carries the price including tax, delivery charge and time, payment methods, origin for imports, expiry, warranty, precautions, cancellation before dispatch, and whether the item is returnable.
• Confirm bills and receipts are issued to buyers immediately on payment.
• Enable customer accounts, and verify the edit and account-closure paths work.
• Name a complaint officer and put a real complaint process behind them, decided within 15 days.
• Update your platform within 48 hours of any change to your business details.
• Update the DoCSCP portal within 7 days of any change to your branches or outlets.
• Keep digital and tax records of orders, payments and refunds.
• Never review your own products, and never advertise what the product does not do.

Source

Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) Act, 2081 (विद्युतीय व्यापार (इ-कमर्स) ऐन, २०८१), published in the Nepal Gazette on 16 March 2025 (2081-12-03). Read the full text on the Nepal Law Commission website or download the original PDF.

Need help with compliance? Contact the Blanxer team at [email protected], open your Blanxer dashboard, or go to the DoCSCP portal.