Return Policies of 15 Major US Retailers, Compared

The single biggest source of lost money on consumer purchases isn't broken products. It's missed return windows. You buy something, decide it's not right, and by the time you get around to returning it — 31 days, 91 days, or 16 days later — the window has closed.

This guide lays out the actual return windows for 15 major US retailers, the categories with shorter or longer windows, and the rules most people don't know about.

Quick comparison table

Now the details.

The retailers with effectively unlimited windows

Costco

Costco's return policy is famously generous. Most items have no time limit. You can return a couch you've owned for years or a vacuum you used twice. Purchases are tied to your membership, so a receipt helps but is not required.

Exceptions:

• Electronics and major appliances (TVs, projectors, computers, touchscreen tablets, smart wearables, cameras, drones, camcorders, MP3 players, cell phones, and refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, washers, dryers and the like): 90 days from the date you received the item.
• Cigarettes and alcohol where prohibited by law.
• Diamonds of 1.00 carat or larger: bring the original IGI and/or GIA certificates; you get a credit memo while Costco's gemologist inspects the stone.
• Special order kiosk and custom-installed products: not returnable except for warranty repair or replacement.
• Tires and batteries: sold with their own product-specific limited warranty.
• Membership fees: refundable at any time.

Combined with Costco's free 2-year warranty extension, this is the most consumer-friendly return policy in retail. For the full list of 90-day categories, how the membership lookup replaces a receipt, and what "no time limit" does not cover, see Costco's return policy, explained.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom famously has no posted return deadline. Its return policy reads: "We handle returns on a case-by-case basis with the ultimate goal of making our customers happy," and its FAQ says plainly, "There are no time limits for returns or exchanges." There are no restocking fees and returns are free in store or by mail. Without a record of sale, Nordstrom asks for ID and refunds the current price on a gift card. Items from third-party sellers on Nordstrom.com have their own return-by dates.

Final sale items (clearly marked) are not returnable.

L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean's guarantee is 1 year from purchase if you're not satisfied, and proof of purchase is required for a refund or exchange. After a year, L.L. Bean will consider items that are defective in materials or craftsmanship. Products bought before February 9, 2018 are not subject to the one-year limit.

REI Co-op

REI's return policy gives members 1 year and non-members 90 days from the purchase date on most items, e-bikes included. Outdoor electronics: 90 days for everyone. Used gear bought in store, memberships, lift tickets and gift cards are excluded. Online orders can be returned from your purchase history; in-store purchases need the receipt or a gift receipt.

The 90-day-window retailers

Most major retailers have settled on roughly 90 days as the standard.

Target

Standard: 90 days for most unopened items in new condition, per Target's return policy. One year with a receipt for Target-owned brands (Goodfellow, A New Day, Cat & Jack, Pillowfort, etc.). Paying with a Target Circle Card, or holding a Target Circle 360 membership, adds 30 days on nearly all items. For online orders the clock starts when you receive the item.

Shorter windows:

• Electronics and entertainment items: 30 days
• Apple and Beats products, and any mobile phone: 14 days, with a restocking fee of up to $35 on an opened phone
• Opened music, movies, video games and software: exchange for the same title only

Target can usually find a purchase through your Target account or the card you paid with, even without the paper receipt. The details are in our Target exceptions guide.

Home Depot

90 days with proof of purchase for most items, per Home Depot's return policy, and 365 days for purchases on The Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, Pro Xtra Credit Card, or Commercial Account, except the short-window categories below.

Shorter windows:

• 48 hours: major appliances (all returns, by phone, weekends excluded), portable gas generators, gas pressure washers, window and portable air conditioners, dehumidifiers
• 7 days (since July 7, 2026): pumps, portable evaporative coolers, portable heaters
• 30 days: furniture, tractors, TVs and computers, paint sprayers, gas lawn equipment, holiday decor

Items in the 48-hour and 30-day groups must be unused and factory-sealed. Without a receipt, Home Depot refunds store credit at the lowest advertised price and asks for photo ID. Tinted paint and custom orders are not returnable, and special orders can carry a 15% restocking fee. The full comparison is in our Home Depot and Lowe's guide.

Lowe's

90 days with proof of purchase for most new, unused merchandise, per Lowe's return policy, and 365 days for purchases on Lowe's credit accounts (MyLowe's Rewards Credit Card, Lowe's Commercial Account, Business Advantage, Business Rewards).

Shorter windows:

• 48 hours: major appliances, air conditioners, paint sprayers, portable generators, pressure washers, chainsaws and pole saws, golf carts and utility vehicles (30 days if still in the unopened factory-sealed box)
• 30 days: liquid paint, TVs and electronics, water heaters, most outdoor power equipment (Craftsman gets 90), HVAC systems, custom blinds
• 365 days: trees, shrubs and perennials

Lowe's does not accept returns without a valid proof of purchase, though it can look one up by payment card, phone number, or MyLowe's account.

Walmart

90 days for most items, in store or online, counted from purchase or receipt.

Shorter windows:

• Most consumer electronics: 30 days
• Wireless phones: 14 days
• Major appliances: 2 days after delivery (30 days if still factory sealed)
• Marketplace seller items: 30 days for most, 14 days for many electronics and luxury items (check the listing)

No returns:

• Firearms and ammunition
• Prescription medications and devices
• Alcohol, tobacco, gift cards, and trading cards (opened or sealed)

Walmart can look up store purchases by the card you paid with, and online orders by phone or email. Without any of that, a government photo ID gets you store credit on a Walmart gift card. For the full list of category clocks, the October 1 holiday extension, and how the Allstate protection plan interacts with all of it, see the Walmart returns and protection plan deep dive.

Macy's

30 days from delivery or purchase for most items, per Macy's return policy, which is a much shorter window than Macy's used to offer. Items must be unworn, unaltered, and carry their original tags.

• Last Act items: final sale, no returns, exchanges or price adjustments
• Designer boutiques: shorter windows and specific locations, such as 14 days for Burberry at Herald Square
• Furniture and mattresses: returned to the seller, not in store
• Without a receipt: store credit at the lowest selling price in the last 90 days, if the purchase can be found on your account

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond is now an online-only retailer, and its help center gives 30 days from delivery for most new and unused items. After 30 days it does not accept returns; defects go to the manufacturer's warranty. Large appliances, outdoor power equipment and mattresses have their own rules, including inspecting at delivery and refusing damaged items on the spot.

The shorter-window retailers

Amazon

30 days is the standard, but it varies a lot by category:

• Most general merchandise and electronics: 30 days from delivery, per Amazon's return policy
• Apple products: 15 days
• Mattresses and most baby products: 90 days
• Marketplace third-party sellers: depends on seller — check each listing
• Holiday extension: announced each fall rather than written into standing policy. For the 2025 season, items bought November 1 through December 31 were returnable until January 31, 2026.
• Registry gifts: 180 days from a Wedding Registry, 365 days from a Baby Registry
• Fees: up to 50% for a used or damaged return, 100% on opened software and games, 20% for a late drop-off

Amazon's "lookup" is your order history. If you bought from a third-party seller, the seller's policy may differ from Amazon's.

Best Buy

Standard: 15 days, counted from the day you receive the product, per Best Buy's return policy. This is shorter than most people realize.

• My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total (paid memberships): 60 days on most products, but not on Marketplace items sold by third parties
• Holiday season: no standing extension is published; check the policy page in November
• Open-box, clearance and refurbished items: same windows as new
• Cell phones, cellular tablets and other activatable devices: 14 days regardless of membership, with a $45 restocking fee once activated
• Drones, cameras, projectors and a few other categories: 15% restocking fee if opened

Items must come back in like-new condition with their contents, so don't lose the box. The full list is in our Best Buy exceptions guide.

Apple

14 days from the date you receive the product, per Apple's sales and refund policy.

• A receipt is required; with a gift receipt you get an Apple Gift Card
• Products must be in original condition with all included parts, accessories, and packaging
• If Find My or another security feature is still on and can't be disabled, Apple may refuse the return
• Apple products bought elsewhere go back to that retailer under its policy
• If Apple lowers a product's price within 14 days of delivery, you can ask for the difference within 14 days of the price change

Sephora

30 days for a full refund to the original payment method, for new or gently used products with proof of purchase, per Sephora's returns policy. The policy took effect for purchases from April 24, 2025; items are no longer accepted or refunded after 30 days from purchase, in store or by mail, and Sephora may ask for government ID.

What most people get wrong

"I can return any time during the holiday extension"

Holiday extensions apply to items purchased during the extension window, not to items purchased earlier, and the windows differ: Walmart's opens October 1, Amazon's November 1. If you bought something before a retailer's window opened, you have the standard clock.

"I can return without the receipt if I paid with my card"

Sometimes yes (Target, Costco for members), but many retailers require the receipt regardless. Walmart will accept ID for store credit, but you don't get cash. Save your receipts.

"I have 30 days from when it broke"

No — return windows count from purchase or delivery date, not from when something fails. Once the window closes, you're in warranty territory, not return territory.

"If I missed the return window, I'm out of luck"

Not necessarily. Once the return window closes, the manufacturer warranty kicks in. Then potentially:

• Retailer warranty extension (Costco on TVs, computers and appliances, or a paid plan elsewhere)
• Credit card extended warranty (Chase Sapphire, Amex Platinum and Gold, Citi ThankYou cards, Capital One)
• Manufacturer warranty (usually 1 year, sometimes as short as 90 days)
• Third-party protection plans you may have bought

A "missed return window" is annoying but rarely the end of the road for protection.

How to track return windows

Three things help:

1. Save the receipt. Photo or email confirmation works. Without proof, even retailers that accept returns are limited in what they can do.
2. Note the deadline at purchase time. A calendar reminder set to 7 days before the window closes is the simplest hedge.
3. Know which window you're in. A 15-day Best Buy window or a 30-day Macy's window feels like 90 days if you're used to Target. Don't assume.

This is also exactly the problem HeresNext was built to solve — it tracks return windows automatically based on retailer and category, and reminds you 30, 7, and 1 day before any window closes.

Store-by-store guides

• Amazon's return policy, decoded and the Prime perks you already paid for
• Walmart returns and protection plans
• Costco's return policy: no time limit, with 90-day exceptions
• Target's Apple and electronics exceptions
• Best Buy's return and price-match exceptions
• Home Depot vs. Lowe's
• IKEA's return policy
• Micro Center's 15-day component window
• High-end furniture: Williams Sonoma and RH

Bottom line

The retailers with the most generous return policies (Costco, Nordstrom, REI, IKEA, L.L. Bean) are not the cheapest, but the policy itself is part of what you're paying for. The retailers with shorter windows (Apple at 14 days, Best Buy at 15, Macy's and Sephora at 30) require more vigilance.

Save the receipt. Note the deadline. And remember that "return window closed" doesn't mean "no recourse" — it just means you've moved into warranty and credit card protection territory.