Dark patterns in your shop:
five you can measure

A timer that starts over on reload, a pre-ticked extra in the checkout, “only 2 left” without real stock: patterns that push towards a quick purchase can be recognised from the outside.

Free and without sign-up no credit card usually under two minutes See an example report

What we measure and where it is regulated

Whether a pattern is unfair in a given case is a legal question. Whether it is there is a measurement, and every fix is simpler than the question.

WhatEU reference
Countdown timer that restarts
A countdown that is back at full time after a reload never ends. Annex I lists falsely stating that an offer is available only for a very limited time among the practices that are unfair in all circumstances.		Annex I No. 7 Directive 2005/29/EC
Scarcity without evidence
“Only 2 left” or “15 people are looking at this” without coming from real stock data. Only the retailer knows whether the number is true; the scan sees that it cannot be verified.		Annex I No. 7 Directive 2005/29/EC
Pre-ticked paid extras
Insurance, gift wrapping or express shipping already ticked. Extra payments need express consent; defaults the customer has to untick are not enough.		Art. 22 Directive 2011/83/EU
Costs that only appear in the checkout
Shipping, payment fee or service charge show up only at the last step. The total price including shipping belongs before the order button, and shipping costs are already part of the offer.		Art. 6(1)(e) and Art. 8(2) Directive 2011/83/EU
Shaming decline text
“No thanks, I prefer paying full price” in the newsletter popup. A neutral text costs nothing and takes the pressure out of the popup.		no specific EU rule for shops

Step by step

  1. Timer

    Remove it, or tie it to a real end date that is the same for every visitor and keeps running on reload. In Shopify and WooCommerce the timer almost always comes from an app or plugin; set the fixed date there or remove the app.

  2. Stock display

    Instead of an “urgency” app, use the shop system's own stock display: Shopify shows stock through the theme, WooCommerce under WooCommerce, Settings, Products, Inventory. Remove visitor counters without real data.

  3. Extras in the checkout

    Leave every paid checkbox unticked by default. In insurance or climate offset apps, look in the app settings for “preselected” or “default on”.

  4. Shipping costs

    On the product page a “plus shipping” note with a link to the shipping costs, in the cart the estimated shipping costs. Avoid payment fees or name them up front as well.

  5. Popup texts

    “No, thanks” instead of a sentence that makes the customer look bad. In the popup tool that is a text field.

Questions

Are countdown timers banned outright?

No. A countdown to the real end of an offer is information. The problem is the false claim, such as a timer that never runs out.

Does the Digital Services Act apply to my shop?

The ban on manipulative design in Art. 25 of the Digital Services Act applies to online platforms such as marketplaces, not to a retailer's own shop. Shops are covered by the directives on unfair commercial practices and consumer rights.

How does the scan know whether “only 2 left” is true?

It does not. It reports the claim as unverifiable so you can check whether it comes from real stock data.

What a scan shows

It opens the home page, product pages and the checkout, reloads a page with a timer and compares, reads checkboxes and prices in the checkout and the texts in popups. Every find is in the report with page and text excerpt, as a note, never as a verdict. The checkout path also includes the order button.

Check your website for free

As of 11 October 2026. We name the reference so you can read it yourself; this is not legal advice.

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