Buy from a private individual and most consumer law falls away: no satisfactory-quality guarantee, no 30-day rejection. But one right survives, and it's often enough: the thing must match what the listing said it was.
"Where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description, there is an implied term that the goods will correspond with the description. (1A)As regards England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the term implied by subsection (1) above is a condition."
"Fully working", "genuine", "120,000 miles", "no damage": every factual claim in the ad, the messages, the photos is part of the legal description. If reality differs, the seller broke the contract, and damages or unwinding the deal follow. What you can't claim about is wear and tear you could see, or your own change of heart. Caveat emptor covers quality; it has never covered lies.
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Check where I stand, free →This guide covers England and Wales; Scottish and Northern Irish rules can differ. This is guidance to help you understand your rights, not formal legal advice, and we're entirely independent: no affiliation with Citizens Advice, GOV.UK or any law firm. Every quotation above links to the official text so you can check us. Law verified current at July 2026.