Pricing

What are your consumer rights on pricing in Ireland?

Businesses in Ireland are generally free to set their own prices, but consumer law places requirements on how prices must be displayed and calculated. These rules help ensure that consumers can make informed choices about their spending.

Prices must be clearly displayed, in Euro, and sales prices must clearly show the previous price.

What are the main price display rules for businesses?

Businesses must:

• Display prices on or near products they sell
• Show the total price, including Value Added Tax (VAT), for goods and services sold to consumers
• Tell you how the price will be calculated if the total price is not known (for example, price per kilo for fruit sold by weight)

What happens if a price is displayed incorrectly?

Businesses must display the correct prices on products in euro. If the price displayed is not honoured and you are asked to pay a higher price, you do not have an automatic right to buy the item at the displayed price. As long as the business tells you before you pay that the higher price applies, you can choose to buy at the higher price or decide not to.

What is unit pricing and why is it important?

Certain goods must have a unit price displayed as well as the total selling price. The unit price is the final selling price for goods measured by:

• One kilogram
• One litre
• One metre

Unit pricing helps you compare the cost of similar products sold in different sized packs, making it easier to find the best value.

What are the rules for sale prices and special offers?

When running price promotions or special offers, it is against the law for shops to give a false or misleading previous price.

Businesses must display the ‘prior price’, which should be the lowest price the goods were on sale for in the 30 days before the sale. For example, if a laptop is advertised as ‘was €700, now €500’, it must not have been available for less than €700 in the 30 days before the sale started.

What is dynamic pricing?

Dynamic pricing is when businesses adjust prices in response to supply and demand. Prices may go up if demand is high or down if demand is low. If lots of people want to buy, and there isn’t enough to go around, prices can go up. If you’re buying when others aren’t, you might get a bargain.

Dynamic pricing is used in industries such as airlines, hotels, restaurants and energy companies. It is not currently defined under Irish or EU consumer protection legislation and is generally not prohibited.

Learn more on our dynamic pricing page.

How does the deposit return scheme work for plastic bottles and drinks cans?

A deposit is charged on certain plastic bottles, aluminium and steel cans. This deposit is not part of the price and is displayed separately. Your receipt will list this deposit on a separate line. The deposit return scheme is operated by Re-Turn.

The deposit amount is not included when calculating a unit price.

What is price fixing?

Price fixing is an illegal practice where competing businesses secretly agree on pricing. They may agree what to charge, minimum prices or discounts for a good or service.

Any sign that a business made a price decision in coordination with a competitor is a warning sign of price fixing. If you suspect a case of potential price fixing, then you should report it to the CCPC. If you prefer, you can report anonymously. 

Are there price controls in Ireland?

In general, there are no price controls in Ireland. This means there is usually no minimum or maximum price for goods or services, allowing for competition among businesses.

Shops are not breaking the law by charging more than their competitors. If you feel you are not getting good value, you should shop around for a better price.

What are the rules for displaying prices in other currencies?

Prices must be displayed in euro, but shops may also display prices in other currencies such as sterling. Shops do not have to accept payment in another currency.

The price displayed in another currency does not have to be a direct conversion of the euro price. Other currency prices are usually what you would pay if buying the item in another country.