inertia selling

Inertia selling takes place when unsolicited goods are sent to a consumer by a business with a view to their acquiring them. The consumer has no reasonable cause to believe that they were sent with a view to their being acquired for the purposes of a business, and there is no agreement with the consumer to acquire the goods or any agreement to return the goods.

The recipient of the goods may use, deal with or dispose of the goods as if they were an unconditional gift to him, and the rights of the sender are extinguished such that they are not entitled to sue for payment of the goods.

Usage: The supplier was found guilty of claiming payment for goods supplied by inertia selling.

Related Words: Distance Selling; Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations; contracts; agreement.