What is the legal ruling on purchasing an item online at a lower price, and then the seller claims a pricing error and asks to cancel the order or increase the price, knowing that the website's terms do not obligate the buyer to pay the increase unless the error exceeds 10%? Is it permissible for the buyer to pay only the displayed price and leave the dispute to the website, or is he obligated to yield to the seller's desire?
If the seller claims there was an unfair discrepancy in the price (ghabn), there is no blame on the buyer for not accepting his request for cancellation (iqalah) or for refusing to increase the price. However, it is preferable to accept his cancellation or the increase. But if the seller claims an error in the price itself, and the buyer believes him, then the buyer must return the sold item or correct the price. If the buyer does not believe him, then this is a claim over which scholars differ. Ibn al-Najjar mentioned various opinions regarding the acceptance of a seller's claim of error in reporting the capital cost.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/189001