Comet, the electricals chain that disappeared from British retail parks in late 2012, went live again on Monday 9 November 2026. It is not coming back as a chain of shops: the new Comet is an online marketplace that sells products listed by around 2,500 independent sellers and holds no stock of its own. The brand is owned by OnBuy, the marketplace business founded by entrepreneur Cas Paton, which bought it in May 2025 and says it has put £10 million into the relaunch.
For shoppers the familiar black and orange name raises an obvious question: who are you actually buying from when you order a television or washing machine from the new Comet? For sellers the question is different: what does it cost to list, and is a revived brand worth another channel during the busiest weeks of the year? This report sets out what has been confirmed, what is still unclear and what both groups should check before they click “buy” or “list”.
In short
- Comet is back online from 9 November 2026 as a specialist electricals marketplace, with more than one million products from about 2,500 sellers, according to the company and trade title ChannelX.
- No own stock: every sale is made by a third-party retailer or brand, so the seller named on your order, not Comet, is the business responsible for faulty goods and refunds under UK consumer law.
- £10 million relaunch backed by OnBuy founder Cas Paton, who now runs Comet as chief executive; ChannelX reports an ambition to build a £1 billion business.
- Seller fees match OnBuy’s: a monthly plan from £25 plus a sales fee of 7% on most TVs, phones, laptops and large appliances and 8% on games consoles, in line with Amazon UK’s headline rates.
- High street return is only a maybe: Paton told Business Matters he is exploring click-and-collect partnerships that “might put Comet’s name back on a few buildings”, but nothing has been announced.
What exactly has relaunched, and when?
The new Comet opened to shoppers on 9 November 2026. ChannelX, the marketplace trade title, published the company’s announcement that morning, and Business Matters, The Sun, Wales Online, Metro and 365 Retail all reported the launch the same day. The site trades only online and covers TVs, mobile phones, computing, gaming, cameras, kitchen appliances and household electricals.
According to the launch announcement carried by ChannelX, the catalogue runs to more than one million products from 2,500 sellers. The Sun reported that shoppers can also browse a curated selection branded “StarBuys”, a nod to the promotional language the old chain once used. The old logo, the black and orange design Comet used in the 2000s, has been brought back rather than the later rebrand.
Paton was blunt about that choice. “It was non-negotiable that we went live with the brand everyone actually remembered,” he told Business Matters. “Comet is a brand that has such a positive impression on so many people.”
Why the timing is later than first promised
When OnBuy bought the brand from Misco Technologies in May 2025, ChannelX reported that the plan was to relaunch in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Sun also noted on Monday that the relaunch had previously been intended for last Christmas. In practice the brand sat for more than a year as a storefront within OnBuy while the main comet.co.uk address displayed a holding page.
The slip means Comet now arrives with roughly three weeks to go before Black Friday on 27 November. That is a crowded moment to launch a consumer brand, but it is also when electricals demand peaks, which explains why the company is openly recruiting more sellers “ahead of its first peak trading period”, in the words of its announcement.
How is the new Comet different from the chain that collapsed?
The old Comet was a traditional retailer. It bought stock from manufacturers, held it in warehouses and sold it through a national estate of large out-of-town stores, with its own delivery and installation teams. The new Comet does none of that. It is a website that lists products owned and shipped by other businesses, takes a commission on each sale and handles the customer-facing brand.
“Every sale that’s made on Comet is a sale for another retailer,” Paton said in the launch statement. “We’re a friend of the retailers. We’re here to attract customers, build trust and give customers choice.” He told Business Matters the range will stay strictly in electricals: “You won’t find furniture or clothing.”
| Feature | Comet (1933–2012) | Comet (relaunched November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Business model | Retailer buying and selling its own stock | Marketplace; holds no stock, sells for third parties |
| Where you shop | 236 stores at the time of administration, plus a website | Online only (comet.co.uk); click-and-collect partners being explored |
| Range | Brown and white goods, computing, gaming | More than one million listings from about 2,500 sellers |
| Who delivers | Comet’s own delivery and installation network | Each seller, using a courier or fulfilment partner of its choice |
| Who you contract with | Comet Group | The individual seller named on the order |
| Owner | Kingfisher, then Kesa, then OpCapita | OnBuy Ltd, trading through its OnCommerce network |
| Staff | About 7,000 when it failed (The Sun) | A small head-office team; Prolific North reports it is based in Salford |
That last row matters. A store chain employs thousands of people on shop floors, in warehouses and in vans. A marketplace employs engineers, marketers and customer-service staff, and relies on its sellers for the physical side of retail. The relaunch therefore brings back a brand and a shopping destination, not the jobs that disappeared in 2012.
Who are you buying from on the new Comet?
This is the most important point for anyone planning a Christmas purchase. When you buy a laptop on the new Comet, the sale contract is with the seller listed on the product page, not with Comet itself. That is how all third-party marketplaces work, from eBay and Amazon’s third-party listings to OnBuy and the newer marketplaces run by retailers such as B&Q and Debenhams.
OnCommerce, the technology business that powers the site, says every seller must be a verified business selling “genuine” branded products that meet UK product safety rules, and that it checks eligibility before products go live. It also says sellers can be based outside the UK “as long as you’re able to deliver to UK customers”. In other words, a listing on Comet can come from a large UK electricals chain, a specialist independent or an overseas trader.
Because the seller is a business, your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply to that seller. If an item is faulty, misdescribed or never arrives, the legal claim is against the seller. The platform can help resolve a dispute (OnCommerce lists dispute and chargeback fees in its seller pricing, which shows that a process exists) but the platform’s own guarantee is a voluntary scheme layered on top of the law, not a replacement for it.
Before you pay, check four things on the product page: the trading name of the seller, where it is based, the delivery estimate and the returns policy. If the seller is overseas, returns may be slower and more expensive, even though your rights are the same. This is the same discipline Which? has urged on Amazon and eBay shoppers after finding unsafe products still listed, and it applies to any marketplace, however familiar the name at the top of the screen.
What rights do UK shoppers have when buying electricals on a marketplace?
Your rights do not shrink because a product was sold through a marketplace rather than a shop. They attach to the trader who sold it to you. The main protections, in plain terms, are set out below.
| Situation | Your right | Who it is against | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| You change your mind about an online order | Cancel and get a refund, including standard delivery cost | The seller | 14 days from delivery to cancel; refund due within 14 days of the seller receiving the item back or proof of return |
| The item is faulty or not as described | Reject it for a full refund | The seller | 30 days from delivery |
| A fault appears after 30 days | Repair or replacement; refund or price reduction if that fails | The seller | Within six months the seller must prove the item was not faulty at delivery; after that, the burden shifts to you |
| Goods never arrive | Refund or redelivery; risk stays with the seller until you receive the item | The seller | From the agreed delivery date (30 days if none was agreed) |
| You paid by credit card and the item cost £100 to £30,000 | Section 75 claim against the card provider | Card provider, jointly liable with the seller | Generally up to six years |
| You paid by debit card, or under £100 by credit card | Chargeback request through your bank | Your bank (voluntary scheme) | Usually 120 days |
Two practical warnings follow. First, the 14-day cancellation right can carry conditions for bulky goods: a seller may ask you to pay the return delivery cost if it said so clearly before you ordered, which can be expensive for a fridge freezer or a range cooker. Second, if you pay through a buy now, pay later product, Section 75 protection does not apply in the same way, so check the provider’s own dispute process.
Installation, recycling and big-ticket items
The old Comet sold delivery, installation and removal of old appliances as part of the deal. On a marketplace, those services depend entirely on the individual seller. OnCommerce’s seller page says sellers fulfil orders “using the courier or fulfilment partner of your choice” and are not locked into fixed providers. For a washing machine, a dishwasher or a large TV, check whether the listing includes delivery to a room of your choice, connection, and collection of your old appliance before you compare prices.
Retailers selling electrical goods also have obligations to help customers recycle old equipment under the UK’s waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) rules, typically through in-store take-back or a recycling scheme. How each marketplace seller meets that duty will vary, so it is worth asking before you buy if you need an old item taken away.
What will sellers pay to list on Comet?
For businesses, Comet is not a separate platform with its own contract. It runs on the OnCommerce network, which also powers OnBuy and easyShop, the multi-category marketplace launched in October 2026 with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet. A single OnCommerce seller account gives eligible products access to Comet and to the wider network, which OnCommerce describes as 43 sites across 21 countries.
OnCommerce’s published price list applies the same fee structure across all of its retail brands. Sellers choose a monthly plan and then pay a sales fee only on completed orders, calculated on the total price including delivery. There are no listing fees and no separate transaction fees, according to the company.
The three plans are Standard at £25 a month; Partner at £69 a month (shown as a reduction from £129 until January 2028); and Professional at £249 a month (reduced from £499 until January 2028). All fees are subject to VAT. The higher tiers add a dedicated store, comparison table placement, a “Professional seller” badge and a logo shown across the site.
Sales fees, effective from 4 February 2026, are 7% for consumer electronic devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, televisions, audio equipment, cameras and smart home devices; 7% for large appliances and white goods; 8% for games consoles; and a standard 15% for most other items, including accessories and consumables. There is a minimum fee of £0.25 per item sold. Refunds trigger a fee of 20% of the order value, with a floor of £0.25 and a cap of £5, and disputes and chargebacks carry fees of £6.50 and £14 respectively.
| Fee (UK, excluding VAT) | Comet / OnCommerce | Amazon UK (Professional) | eBay UK (business seller) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | £25, £69 or £249 | £25 | Optional shop subscriptions |
| Televisions | 7% | 7% (Consumer Electronics) | 6.9% up to £1,000, 3% above, plus per-order fee |
| Mobile phones and smartphones | 7% | 7% (Consumer Electronics) | 6.9% up to £1,000, 3% above, plus per-order fee |
| Laptops and computers | 7% | 7% (Computers) | 9.9% in the main category, 6.9% in some subcategories |
| Large appliances | 7% | 7% (Full-Size Appliances) | 6.9% up to £400, 3% above, plus per-order fee |
| Games consoles | 8% | 8% | 6.9% up to £400, 2% above, plus per-order fee |
| Accessories and cables | 15% standard rate | 15% on the first £100 (Electronic Accessories) | Usually 9.9% or more |
| Per-order charge | None; minimum £0.25 fee | Per-item minimum applies | £0.30 (orders up to £10) or £0.40 |
Figures are taken from the published fee pages of OnCommerce, Amazon UK and eBay UK on 9 November 2026. eBay’s rates apply to the total amount of sale, including postage, and sellers below its performance standards pay extra percentage points. Category definitions differ between platforms, so a product that counts as a “device” on one may be an “accessory” on another.
The “no compete promise” and payment timing
The main selling point Comet offers merchants is not price but positioning. OnCommerce calls it a “no compete promise”: because Comet does not sell its own stock, it says it will never compete with sellers for the same sale. That is a direct contrast with Amazon, which sells its own retail inventory alongside third-party listings, and with retailer marketplaces that also sell their own ranges.
Payment terms are worth reading closely, especially for small businesses managing cash flow over Christmas. OnCommerce says funds become available “around 7 days after the expected delivery window”, after which sellers choose when to withdraw. A product with a five-day delivery estimate sold on 28 November would therefore not release cash until early December. Sellers relying on Royal Mail during the current service problems should also note that the clock depends on the delivery estimate they set; we covered who carries the risk when Royal Mail delays hit online sellers last week.
Who is behind the relaunch, and can it compete?
Cas Paton, 42, founded OnBuy in Bournemouth after a series of earlier online businesses and is now chief executive of both OnCommerce and Comet. According to the company’s legal notice, OnCommerce, OnBuy, Comet and easyShop are trading names of OnBuy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, and its Irish sister company OnBuy (EU) Ltd.
When it announced the Comet deal in May 2025, OnBuy said it had facilitated more than £150 million of UK sales in 2024 and generated gross profits of over £20 million, according to ChannelX. It described the UK consumer electronics market Comet was targeting as worth £25 billion. Neither figure has been independently audited in the material published with the relaunch.
Reports of Comet’s long-term goal differ. The launch announcement published by ChannelX says the ambition is “to ultimately build Comet into a £1 billion business”. Business Matters, which interviewed Paton, reported that he believes Comet “could eventually become a business worth between £250m and £500m”. The figures are not necessarily contradictory: one may refer to sales passing through the site and the other to the company’s value.
No timescale has been attached to either figure, and readers should treat both as aspirations rather than forecasts.
For context, £1 billion in annual sales would make Comet a meaningful presence in British electricals, though still a fraction of the established players. The new site is entering a market where Currys has been reporting UK share gains in a flat market, and where Amazon, Argos, AO and John Lewis already dominate search results for televisions and appliances.
Paton’s bet is that recognition does work that advertising would otherwise have to pay for. “Ask almost anyone in Britain about Comet and they’ll have a memory attached to it,” he said in the launch statement. “But this isn’t about trying to recreate the Comet of the past. We want to take that nostalgia, history and trust and build something for the way people shop today.”
He told Business Matters the relaunch made sense despite pressure on household budgets.
“The market is really tough. Money is really tight,” he said. “But people still need a kettle. They still need a toaster. They still want a TV.”
The case for the model is that brand familiarity can lower the cost of attracting first-time buyers, and that a specialist site can feel easier to search than a general marketplace. Electricals also suit online selling: products are standardised, identified by model number and easy to compare. British shoppers are also spending more online overall, with UK online sales up 10.1% in October against just 2.2% for stores, according to the BDO High Street Sales Tracker.
The case against is that a marketplace with 2,500 sellers is only as good as the weakest of them. Late deliveries, poor packaging or difficult returns from a single seller will be blamed on the Comet brand, not on the trader. The new site also competes with Amazon, eBay and the big retailers’ own sites on Google, where price-comparison and shopping ads favour established players. Repeat custom, not first visits, will decide whether the relaunch works.
There is also the growing number of new marketplaces chasing the same British shoppers. OnCommerce launched easyShop in October; Refurbed, the Austrian refurbished-tech marketplace, brought its platform to the UK the same month. Each one needs sellers to list and shoppers to come back.
Why did the original Comet collapse?
Comet was founded in Hull in 1933 by George Hollingbery as a business that charged wireless radio batteries for a weekly fee. It moved into radio rentals, opened its first shop in the 1950s and grew into a national discount electricals chain after resale price maintenance was abolished in the 1960s, according to historical accounts of the business.
The chain was bought by Woolworths (later part of Kingfisher) in 1984 and passed to Kesa Electricals when Kingfisher split its businesses in 2003. Through the late 2000s it faced the same pressures that would later hit other big-box retailers: online competitors that could undercut store prices, supermarkets selling televisions, and a squeeze on household spending after the financial crisis.
From a £2 sale to administration
In November 2011, Kesa sold Comet to the private equity firm OpCapita for a nominal £2, while providing a working-capital contribution and keeping legacy pension liabilities, according to reports at the time. A year later, after suppliers pressed it to pay upfront for Christmas stock, the business entered administration on 2 November 2012 with Deloitte appointed as administrators.
No buyer was found. The 236 stores closed in waves through November and December 2012, and The Sun reported on Monday that the collapse cost about 7,000 jobs and the government £49.4 million in redundancy payments and lost tax. Other accounts put job losses nearer 6,500. A later employment tribunal ruled that staff had not been properly consulted about redundancies.
Has Comet been revived before?
Yes, and that is the detail many headlines have skipped. In December 2019, the rights to the Comet name and website were bought from the administrators by The UK Computer Group, later renamed Misco Technologies, and comet.co.uk was relaunched as an online shop in August 2020, according to trade reports from the time. That version never regained the scale or profile of the original chain.
Misco sold the brand to OnBuy in May 2025. “Following 6 years of exponential growth in our core business, we’ve taken the decision to sell the Comet brand,” Misco managing director Adam Muir said at the time, as quoted by ChannelX. So “back after 14 years” is accurate for the shops and for the brand as a major retailer, but the name has been trading online, in a smaller form, for much of the past six years.
That history is relevant to shoppers who might have an old Comet extended warranty, gift card or order history. The current owner is a different company from the chain that collapsed in 2012 and from the 2020 online relaunch. Guarantees sold by the old Comet Group are not the responsibility of OnBuy, and the administration of the original company ended long ago.
What should shoppers check before buying from Comet this Black Friday?
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday on 30 November. If the new Comet runs promotions during that week, the same rules apply as anywhere else: a “was” price must be genuine, and any compulsory charges must be included in the headline price under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Our guide to UK rules on fake countdown deals explains what the Competition and Markets Authority now treats as unlawful.
- Read the seller name. Find out who is actually selling the item, whether it is a UK business and whether it has reviews you can check outside the site.
- Compare by model number. Electricals have precise model codes. Search the exact code on other retailers’ sites to see whether the Comet listing is genuinely cheaper.
- Check delivery and installation. For large appliances, confirm whether delivery is to the kerb or to a room, whether connection is offered and whether old items are taken away.
- Look at the returns policy. Note who pays return delivery on bulky items and where returns must be sent.
- Pay with protection. For items costing more than £100, a credit card adds Section 75 cover. For smaller items, keep the receipt and know your bank’s chargeback deadline.
- Keep everything. Save the order confirmation, the listing (a screenshot helps) and any messages with the seller in case a dispute is needed later.
None of these checks is specific to Comet. They are the sensible baseline for any marketplace purchase, and they matter more when the brand at the top of the page is a name many people associate with the old store guarantee rather than a platform of independent sellers.
What happens next?
Three things will show whether the relaunch has substance beyond the headlines. The first is seller numbers: Comet has said it is welcoming new sellers ahead of peak trading, so the size and quality of the catalogue should change quickly over the coming weeks.
The second is any click-and-collect deal. Paton told Business Matters, “I want Comet to be able to connect to stores again. We’re exploring a few options that might put Comet’s name back on a few buildings.” A named partner would be the first physical presence for the brand since 2012.
The third is trading data. OnCommerce is a private company and is not obliged to publish weekly or monthly sales, so the first public evidence of how Comet’s first Christmas went is likely to come from company statements in the new year or, later, from accounts filed at Companies House. Until then, shoppers should judge each purchase on the seller behind it, not the name above it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Comet really back?
Yes, as an online marketplace. The Comet brand went live again on 9 November 2026, selling electricals from about 2,500 third-party sellers. There are no Comet shops, and the company holds no stock of its own.
Who owns Comet now?
Comet is owned by OnBuy Ltd, the company behind the OnBuy marketplace, which bought the brand from Misco Technologies in May 2025. It trades through the OnCommerce network, which also runs easyShop. Cas Paton, OnBuy’s founder, is chief executive.
Who do I contact if my Comet order is faulty?
Contact the seller named on your order first, because your legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are against that seller. If the seller does not respond, use Comet’s customer service and dispute process, and consider a Section 75 or chargeback claim through your card provider.
Can I return something I bought on Comet if I change my mind?
Yes. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you can cancel most online orders within 14 days of delivery and receive a refund within 14 days of returning the item. The seller may charge for return delivery if it told you so before you bought, which can be costly for large appliances.
Will Comet open shops again?
Not as a chain. Cas Paton told Business Matters he is exploring click-and-collect partnerships that could put the Comet name on some buildings, but no partner, location or date has been announced.
Is an old Comet warranty or gift card still valid?
No. Warranties and gift cards issued by the original Comet Group, which entered administration in November 2012, are not the responsibility of the new owner. The current Comet is run by a different company.
How much does it cost to sell on Comet?
Sellers need an OnCommerce account, with plans at £25, £69 or £249 a month plus VAT. Sales fees are 7% for most electronic devices and large appliances, 8% for games consoles and 15% for most other items, charged on the total including delivery, with a £0.25 minimum per item.
Is Comet cheaper than Amazon or Currys?
There is no general answer, because prices are set by each seller and change frequently. The safest approach is to compare the exact model number across Comet, Amazon, Currys, Argos and AO, including delivery and installation costs, before buying.