Amazon return policy

When the return window starts

For Amazon.com orders, the 30 days count from delivery.

When you start a return, Amazon shows a “return by date” in the confirmation email and in Your Orders. Amazon charges a late fee if you don’t drop the item off or complete a carrier pickup on or before that date, so drop it off by then; starting the return isn’t enough. Amazon’s pages don’t say how that date is set against the 30 days, so the safe plan is to drop it off within 30 days of delivery.

Amazon devices are stricter. Amazon’s device page measures lateness by when the device reaches Amazon, so leave time for shipping.

Amazon’s return rules at a glance

Amazon lists its shorter and longer windows as exceptions to its 30 days from delivery and doesn’t name a different day they count from, so this table counts them from delivery too.

Exceptions that change the deadline

Apple products get half the time. Amazon gives Apple brand and Boost Infinite products sold in new condition 15 days, not 30. If you bought an iPhone, iPad or AirPods on Amazon, the general 30-day rule gives you a date that’s too late. Apple’s own window is different again: see Apple’s return policy.

Amazon Haul is short or final. Haul items over $3 get 15 days. Haul items at $3 or less can’t be returned or refunded.

Renewed depends on the item. A Renewed item has 30 or 90 days, and Amazon’s pages differ on which: the return policy page gives 90 days to select Renewed items, the Renewed page says most get 90, and some get only Amazon’s 30 days plus a warranty. Renewed Premium and Renewed Automotive get 365 days. Check the item’s return window in Your Orders.

Some things get longer. Most nonperishable baby products and mattresses get 90 days. Gifts bought for you from an Amazon registry or gift list get 90, 180 or 365 days depending on the list.

Items sold by other sellers on Amazon.com

Look at the “Sold by” and “Ships from” lines. If both name another seller, the return goes to that seller, not Amazon. The seller has to give you a US return address, a prepaid label, or a refund without sending the item back.

Amazon’s A-to-z terms say to request the return within 30 days of delivery and ship it within 14 days after you start it. Use a trackable service for items over $35. If an item is sold by a seller but ships from Amazon, Amazon’s customer service handles it.

Amazon’s pages don’t say whether the Apple, baby or mattress windows also apply to items from other sellers. Count on the shorter one: a new Apple product from another seller may have 15 days, not 30.

Online orders and store purchases

Amazon Physical Store purchases have their own page. Most items get 30 days from purchase. Gift cards, magazines and newspapers, and Hallmark items can’t be returned there, and grocery items and alcohol can’t be returned but may be refunded or replaced.

You can also drop off many Amazon.com returns at an Amazon store if the Online Return Center offers “Amazon Store Dropoff” for that item.

Memberships and store cards

Amazon’s return pages don’t give Prime members extra return time.

Prime Try Before You Buy works differently. Its terms give you up to 7 days to try clothing, shoes and accessories at home before you’re charged for what you keep, and returns follow Amazon’s fashion returns policy.

Holiday returns

Amazon hadn’t posted holiday return terms for 2026 when we last checked this page (Oct 14, 2026). We’ll update this page when it does.

Gifts and returns without a receipt

For a gift, use Amazon’s Gift Returns Center with the 17-digit order number from the packing slip or digital gift receipt. The refund goes to your Amazon gift card balance after Amazon receives the item. Gifts worth more than $2,000 can only be refunded to the buyer’s payment method.

If you can’t find the order number, Amazon says to contact it with the tracking number, or to have the person who sent the gift contact Amazon. Amazon doesn’t describe a return without any order record.

How to start a return

1. Go to Your Orders and find the item.
2. Choose to return it and pick a reason.
3. Choose a refund or replacement, if offered.
4. Pick how to send it back: a drop-off location, Amazon Store Dropoff, a carrier pickup, or mail.
5. For label-free, box-free drop-off, bring the item and the QR code. Otherwise, print the label and pack it.
6. Note the return-by date in the confirmation email.

Shipping, drop-off and fees

Amazon says most items can go back free at over 8,000 locations, usually within 5 miles, and most don’t need a box or label.

Amazon lists these fees:

• Return shipping: if you pick a paid option, return a heavy or bulky item, or have an unusually high return rate. It’s taken out of your refund.
• Late fee: if you don’t drop the item off or complete a carrier pickup on or before the return-by date, 20% of the item price for the first 30 days after that date, and the full item price after that.
• Damage fee: up to 50% of the item price for returns that are damaged, missing parts, used, or have tags removed. Amazon Luxury items are charged the full price.
• Restocking fee: the full item price for opened collectible cards, board games and collectible figurines, and for software and video games that are opened or activated.
• Amazon devices: a 20% restocking fee if the device reaches Amazon within 30 days after the window ends, and no refund after that.

Fashion items marked “Free returns” next to the price ship back free within 30 days if they’re new and unworn with tags.

Refunds

Amazon says it can take up to 30 days to receive and process a return. Some returns get an advanced refund when the carrier first scans the package. Third-party sellers usually refund within 2 business days of receiving the item.

Once the refund is issued, Amazon’s table says it shows up in about 2 to 3 hours on a gift card balance, 3 to 5 business days on a credit card, up to 10 business days on a debit card or bank account, and up to 30 days on a prepaid card. If the original payment can’t be used, the money goes to your Amazon balance.

Refunds are smaller for used, damaged or incomplete returns, and for items that were part of a discount deal. Bundles with savings have to come back whole.

What can’t be returned

Amazon’s lists include:

• Perishables, and Amazon Fresh and grocery products such as food and pet food
• Amazon Pharmacy products and pet medication
• Hazardous materials, such as flammable liquids or gases, and other items with shipping restrictions
• Customized products made for you
• Gift cards (except where law requires) and prepaid game cards
• Downloadable or opened software, online subscriptions you’ve used, and certain other digital products
• Items marked Final Sale, including trading card games, Funko Pop and other collectibles, and some discounted items
• Amazon Haul items at $3 or less, and anything from the Amazon Bulk Liquidations Store
• Live insects, automobiles, and items with the serial number or UPC removed
• Some jewelry and some health and personal care orders

If one of these arrives damaged, defective or not what you ordered, Amazon says to contact Customer Service.

Questions people ask

Does Amazon’s 30 days start when I order or when it arrives?

When it arrives. Amazon counts 30 days from delivery for most items.

Is it enough to start the return by day 30?

Not always. Amazon’s late fee applies if you don’t drop the item off or complete a carrier pickup by the return-by date in your confirmation. Drop it off by then. For Amazon devices, the device should reach Amazon by the end of the window.

How long do I have to return AirPods or an iPhone bought on Amazon?

15 days from delivery, if it’s new. Amazon’s policy gives Apple brand products sold in new condition 15 days instead of 30.

Can I return groceries or pet food to Amazon?

No. Amazon lists Amazon Fresh and grocery products, including food and pet food, as non-returnable. If something arrives damaged or wrong, contact Amazon Customer Service.

What this page doesn’t settle

• How Amazon sets the return-by date against the 30 days. Drop off within 30 days of delivery to be safe.
• Whether the Apple, baby and mattress windows apply to items from other sellers.
• Which Renewed items get 90 days and which get 30. Your order history shows the item’s period.

Amazon’s published pages don’t answer these. If one matters for something you bought, ask Amazon before relying on the later date.

Official sources

• Amazon Return Policy (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Returns to Third-Party Sellers (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• Amazon Refund Timelines (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Non-returnable Items on Amazon (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Return Items You Ordered (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• Amazon Gift Returns (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• Free Returns on Fashion Items (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• Return Shipping Cost (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• A-to-z (Amazon help page for third-party seller orders) (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Ordering from an Amazon Seller (checked Oct 14, 2026)
• Amazon Device Return FAQs (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Amazon Physical Store Return Policies (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Amazon Renewed returns and warranty (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Prime Wardrobe Terms and Conditions (checked Oct 14, 2026)

How we keep this page current

We read this guide against Amazon’s pages listed above at least once a month, and every week from November through January. “Last checked” is the last day every rule on this page was read against them; “Last changed” is the last day the guide’s content changed. Amazon decides what it accepts: if your receipt, order page or the item’s page says something different, that applies to your purchase. How we check these guides.