In short. An online shop generally displays both the tax-inclusive selling price and unit price for consumer goods, subject to the directive’s exceptions and national rules.
Definition: An online shop offering goods to consumers generally displays both the selling price, meaning the final price for the item or quantity offered, and the unit price, meaning the final price per standard quantity. Both include VAT and other taxes; the Price Indication Directive provides exceptions and allows national exemptions.
Key facts
- As of 17 October 2026, Article 3(1) of the Price Indication Directive requires selling and unit prices, subject to Article 5; an identical unit price may be omitted.
- The EU's Your Europe guidance confirms that unit pricing also applies to advertisements mentioning a selling price.
- The European Commission's overview describes the selling-price standard as unambiguous, easily identifiable and clearly legible.
What quantity does the unit price describe?
Article 2(b) of the directive defines the unit price as the final price, including VAT and all other taxes, for one kilogramme, litre, metre, square metre or cubic metre. It also permits a different single quantity widely and customarily used in the relevant Member State for specific products. Article 2(a) defines the selling price as the final tax-inclusive price for a unit or given quantity of the product.
The EU's Your Europe guidance explains comparison between package sizes using large and small boxes of breakfast cereal. The unit price provides a common quantity against which those packages can be compared.
How must the prices appear?
Article 4(1) of the directive sets the display standard: the selling price and unit price must be unambiguous, easily identifiable and clearly legible. Member States may limit the maximum number of prices indicated.
Article 4(2) requires the unit price to refer to a quantity declared under national and EU provisions. Where those provisions require both net weight and net drained weight for a prepacked product, displaying the unit price based on net drained weight is sufficient.
The advertising obligation follows from Article 3(4): an advertisement mentioning a product's selling price also indicates its unit price, subject to the exemptions under Article 5.
Which exceptions depend on national rules?
Article 3(2) of the directive allows Member States to exclude products supplied while providing a service, sales by auction, and sales of works of art and antiques from the obligation to indicate both prices.
Article 3(3) requires only the unit price for products sold in bulk. Article 2(c) defines these as products that are unpackaged and measured in the consumer's presence.
Article 5(1) permits a waiver of unit pricing where the product's nature or purpose makes it unhelpful, or where it could create confusion. Under Article 5(2), Member States implementing that waiver may establish a list of non-food products or categories for which unit pricing remains required. These are national regulatory choices rather than automatic exemptions for every shop selling such goods.
Related terms
- What prior price must a shop show when announcing a discount?
- Must Google product feed prices for EU markets include VAT?
FAQ
Must you show the same amount twice?
Article 3(1) of the directive allows you to omit the unit price when it is identical to the selling price.
Does an advertisement need a unit price?
If your advertisement mentions a selling price, Article 3(4) requires a unit price, subject to Article 5. The EU's consumer guidance expressly repeats this advertising rule.
Sources
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