Israeli law lets you change your mind about most things you buy, in a shop in Ramat Beit Shemesh or on an Israeli website, and get your money back rather than a credit note. The windows are short (14 days for most goods, only 2 days for clothes and shoes bought in a shop), the item has to be unused, and the shop may keep a small fee of 5% or ₪100, whichever is lower. Here is how it works, as I checked it on Kol Zchut, Israel's official rights guide, on 3 November 2026. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
Bought in a shop
You can cancel and get your money back if the item cost more than ₪50, you haven't used it, it isn't damaged, and you bring it back to the shop.
14 days from the day you received it for:
- furniture
- home and garden goods (except unpackaged tableware)
- electrical and electronic goods, including phones, modems and converters
- things you ordered that haven't arrived yet, unless they were made to your own measurements
- water purifiers and water dispensers
- watches
Only 2 days from the purchase (not counting Shabbat and holidays) for:
- clothing and shoes, as long as the price tag is still on
- jewelry that cost ₪3,000 or less
Opening the box doesn't count as using it. Plugging it into electricity, gas or water does. Bringing it back in its original packaging counts as proof that it wasn't used.
Bring the invoice, the till receipt or an exchange note. If you've lost them, other proof of the purchase, the date, the amount and how you paid will do.
The days are counted from the day after the purchase and include Shabbat and holidays, unless the last day falls on one.
A new car bought from the importer can be cancelled within 14 days, as long as it hasn't been registered in your name yet.
Cash back or a credit note?
When the law gives you the right to cancel, you get your money back, the same way you paid:
- card: the shop cancels the charge
- cash: cash or a cashier's check
- when: on the spot if possible, and within 7 business days at the latest
A shop may hand you a credit note (shovar zikui) only when you aren't entitled to a refund by law, for example when you come back after the window has passed and it agrees to take the item anyway. Even then the note must show the full amount you paid, stay valid for at least two years, and can't be blocked on sale items. If you spend less than the note is worth and the difference is no more than 5% of the note or ₪100, whichever is lower, you get the change in cash.
A franchise branch that displays a sign saying it is a franchise doesn't have to give the refund; the company's own branches do.
Bought online or by phone
These rules cover Israeli websites and phone orders. For goods, you have 14 days from the day you received the item or the order details (for example the order confirmation or the receipt), whichever came later.
Example: you order a heater on 3 November and it arrives on 10 November. You can cancel until 24 November.
For services the windows are different:
- a one-time service (a technician, say): within 14 days, and at least 2 days before the visit
- an ongoing service (a gym, a phone plan): within 14 days, even if it has already started; you pay for the days you had
- holidays and trips that include Israel (a hotel in Eilat, a package with a flight from Israel): within 14 days, and at least 7 business days before it starts
You can't cancel things that lose value quickly (flowers), things made to your order, books, music and software once you've opened the packaging, or digital content.
How to cancel: tell the business, by phone or in writing. A website should have a cancellation link on its home page. Keep a screenshot or a copy of your message.
Sending it back: usually you return it to the business at your own cost. If the business broke the deal (a fault, late delivery, the wrong item), it has to collect it from where it was delivered.
Your refund is due within 14 days of your cancellation.
If something was installed in your home to provide a service, the business may charge up to ₪100 for the installation.
Four months for new olim, people 65+ and people with disabilities
If you bought online or by phone and the sale included a conversation with someone from the business, by phone or in a chat, you have 4 months to cancel instead of 14 days. It doesn't apply in shops.
- New olim count for 5 years from the date their oleh certificate (teudat oleh) or eligibility certificate was issued.
- The business may ask to see the certificate (oleh, senior citizen or disability).
- For services the same 2-business-day and 7-business-day limits before the service still apply.
The cancellation fee
When you cancel because you changed your mind, the business may keep 5% of the price or ₪100, whichever is lower. On a ₪600 microwave that's ₪30; on a ₪3,000 sofa it's ₪100.
It may not charge anything when you cancel because the item is faulty, isn't what was described, arrived late, or the business broke the deal in another way. In a shop that can prove it paid a card-processing fee on your purchase, it may also pass that on.
What you can't return in a shop
Food and supplements, anything that can be copied (books, music, software), underwear, holidays that take place entirely abroad, things made to your measurements and jewelry over ₪3,000, among others. Kol Zchut keeps the full list.
Amazon, AliExpress and other foreign sites
Israeli law covers Israeli websites only. Foreign sites follow their own return terms, and sending something back from Israel usually costs more than small items are worth.
If the shop says no
- Sue: for an online or phone purchase you can sue for the refund plus compensation of up to ₪10,000, which the court can award even if you lost nothing else.
- A complaint: file one online with the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority (073-3717777). It can fine businesses that refuse a lawful cancellation.
- Better terms win: if the shop's own policy is more generous than the law, you get the shop's terms.
Shopping in Ramat Beit Shemesh? See the shopping guide.
Hebrew you'll meet
- ביטול עסקה (bitul iska): cancelling the purchase
- דמי ביטול (dmei bitul): the cancellation fee
- החזר כספי (hechzer kaspi): a cash refund
- שובר זיכוי (shovar zikui): a credit note
- חשבונית / קבלה (cheshbonit / kabala): invoice / receipt