Amazon return policy
Most items sold by Amazon can be sent back within 30 days of delivery if they are unused, and most returns can be dropped off for free.
Placeholder figures, last touched September 2026. Amazon’s own policy page
Work out your deadline
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We work out the deadline and show how many days are left. Nothing is sent anywhere.
The short version
- Standard window
- 30 days from delivery
- Clock starts
- At delivery, not when you ordered
- Receipt
- Your order history is the receipt. You start the return from Your Orders. For a gift, you need the 17-digit order number from the packing slip or digital gift receipt.
- Refund goes
- Back to the original payment method.
- Refund timing
- Amazon can take up to 30 days to receive and process the return. After that, a gift card balance refund shows within hours, a credit card refund takes 3 to 5 business days, and a debit card or bank refund can take up to 10 business days.
- Return shipping
- Free for most items at thousands of drop-off locations, usually without a box or label. You may pay if you pick a drop-off option that is not free, if the item is heavy or bulky, or if you return things unusually often.
Categories on a different clock
These are where returns get refused. The headline window does not apply to them.
| Category | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple and Boost Infinite products (new) | 15 days | Shorter window than the standard one. |
| Amazon Haul items over $3 | 15 days | Haul items priced $3 or less cannot be returned at all. |
| Kindle books, digital textbooks, Alexa music purchases | 7 days | Only if bought by mistake and not read or downloaded. |
| Baby products, mattresses, gift-list purchases | 90 days | Nonperishable baby items, mattresses other than crib mattresses, and items bought from someone's birthday or custom gift list. |
| Amazon Renewed | 90 days | Standard Renewed condition. |
| Amazon Renewed Premium | 365 days | Premium-condition Renewed items get a full year. |
| Wedding registry purchases | 180 days | Applies when bought by someone other than the registry owner. |
| Baby registry purchases | 365 days | Applies when bought by someone other than the registry owner. |
| Digital content and gift cards | Usually none | Redeemable products and most digital items cannot be returned. |
| Groceries and perishables | Usually none | Not returnable. Contact customer service if something arrives damaged or wrong. |
| Final Sale, customized, pharmacy, and pet medication items | Usually none | Not returnable and not refundable, except when the item arrives damaged, defective, or different from what was ordered. |
| Third-party marketplace items | Set by the seller | The return goes to the seller, who must give you a US return address, a prepaid label, or a refund without a return. |
How to return it
- 1Open Your Orders and pick the item.
- 2Choose a reason and a refund method.
- 3Pick a drop-off point or print a label.
- 4Hand it over before the return-by date in your confirmation email, and keep the receipt or QR code until the refund lands.
What catches people out
- Items sold by third-party sellers go back to the seller, not Amazon, and the seller handles the refund.
- The clock normally starts at delivery, not at the moment you paid.
- Missing the return-by date is expensive: 20 percent of the price for the first 30 days late, and no refund at all after that.
- Tags, hygiene seals, manuals, and original packaging all need to be there, or up to half the refund can be withheld.
- Opened video games, software, and collectible cards get no refund.
- Bundle purchases must be returned in full; no partial refunds.
- Returning one item from a multi-item discount reduces the refund on what you keep.
- Amazon can ask for photo ID and can refuse returns from accounts it considers to be abusing the service.