Costco and Nordstrom are the stores with the best return policy in the US right now: neither publishes a time limit on most purchases. Behind them come IKEA (365 days on unopened products), L.L.Bean (one year with proof of purchase), REI (one year for co-op members), and Target (one year on its owned brands). Those headline numbers shrink fast on electronics, and two famous guarantees shoppers still quote no longer exist, so the details matter more than the ranking.
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What Makes a Return Policy “Good”?
A return policy is a retailer’s published set of rules covering whether it takes merchandise back, how long you get, and whether you receive cash, store credit, or an exchange. The day count is only one of five variables, and stingy chains often fail on the other four.
- Window length. A month is the common default, two months is above average, a quarter is generous, and a full year or no stated limit is exceptional.
- Category carve-outs. TVs, laptops, and phones run a shorter clock almost everywhere, so the headline figure rarely covers the gadget you actually want to send back.
- Receipt rules. The strongest chains look up your purchase by payment card or order details, so a lost slip is not fatal. Weaker ones push you to store credit or refuse outright.
- Restocking fees. This is a percentage withheld from your refund on specific categories. Most shopper-friendly chains charge none; Best Buy is the mainstream exception.
- Condition and shipping. “Unworn, tags attached, original packaging” language kills more refunds than the calendar does, and online orders may leave you paying for the label.
One more test: does the money go back to the original form of payment or only onto store credit? A long window ending in a gift card is worth less than a short one ending in cash.
Stores With the Best Return Policy, Compared
Each window below comes from the company’s own policy page in October 2026. The tech column is where most refunds are won or lost.
| Retailer | Standard window | Electronics | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costco | No day count for most items | 90 days (TVs, computers, cameras) | Membership fee refundable at any time |
| Nordstrom | No time limit, case-by-case basis | Same approach | Rack purchases follow Rack’s own terms |
| IKEA | 365 days unopened, 180 opened | Same | Receipt needed for opened items |
| L.L.Bean | 1 year with proof of purchase | Same | Defects considered after a year |
| REI | 1 year for co-op members, 90 days for others | Check the item page | Membership drives the longer window |
| Target | 90 days, 1 year on Target Owned Brands | 30 days | Circle Card adds a month |
| Walmart | 90 days | 30 days, most phones 14 | Holiday buys returnable to January 31 |
| Zappos | 60 days, new condition | N/A | No-cost returns anywhere in the US |
| Amazon | 30 days from delivery for most items | Apple products 15 | Third-party sellers may handle the return |
| Best Buy | 15 days, 60 for paid members | 14 on activatable devices | 15% fee on listed categories |
Kohl’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Trader Joe’s, and Bath & Body Works are left off the table on purpose. Their policy pages could not be loaded for a check on October 14, 2026, so confirm their terms on the receipt or the retailer’s site first.
Which Store Gives You the Longest Time to Return Something?
Costco and Nordstrom do, because neither sets a deadline on most merchandise. The warehouse club’s satisfaction guarantee promises a refund on every product, subject to listed exceptions, and the terms sit on its customer service pages. The department store’s FAQ says plainly that there are no time limits for returns or exchanges, then adds that it handles returns on a case-by-case basis and may occasionally refuse one.
“No time limit” is not “no judgment.” A worn decade-old jacket is a different conversation from a sweater that did not fit. That leniency is still worth weighing alongside what is actually worth buying there.
The next tier runs a full year. IKEA takes unopened products back for a year and opened ones for 180 days, unusually long for furniture. L.L.Bean allows one year, then considers items defective in materials or craftsmanship after that. Target gives a year on Target Owned Brand items with a receipt.
Reputations outlive the rules that earned them. L.L.Bean replaced its unlimited guarantee with the one-year window in February 2018; only items bought before February 9, 2018 keep the old open-ended terms. Zappos is the other common memory error. Its current policy is 60 days in new condition with tags and original packaging, and items that come back worn or incomplete can be refused or hit with a restocking fee of up to 50%.
Electronics: Where Generous Windows Shrink
Costco limits TVs, computers, and cameras to three months from the date the member received them. Target and Walmart both drop to a month for consumer tech, and Walmart gives most wireless phones only 14 days. Amazon allows most items a month from delivery, but Apple products only 15.
Best Buy is the strictest big name for anyone without a paid membership. Standard customers get 15 days from the day they receive the product; paid Plus and Total members get 60. Activatable devices such as phones and cellular tablets get 14 days for everyone, with a 45 USD restocking fee on those devices other than prepaid phones. A 15% fee applies to drones, cameras, projectors, and special orders, though the chain waives it on unopened products and in states including Ohio, Colorado, and South Carolina.
If you are torn between two retailers on a big-ticket item, compare the tech window, not the headline. A three-month warehouse club window beats a window of just over two weeks on the same TV, even at an identical price. Shopping for electronics in the holiday season changes the math again: Walmart’s extended holiday window, for one, excludes wireless phones.
Return Policy Mistakes to Skip
The costliest mistake is trusting a headline number that never applied to your item.
- Assuming the big number covers everything. Target’s standard window shrinks to a month on TVs and laptops, and Costco’s open-ended guarantee stops at three months for computers.
- Trusting a guarantee you remember. L.L.Bean’s lifetime promise ended in 2018, and Zappos now runs two months, not the full year many shoppers still quote.
- Missing the final sale label. Clearance, opened software and games, swimwear, and personalized goods are frequently final sale. Hunting cheap video games or clearance apparel? Read the product page, not just the price.
- Ignoring the seller line. When a third-party seller on Amazon ships its own inventory, the return goes back to that seller rather than Amazon. The marketplace name is not a promise about who handles your refund.
- Starting the clock late. Online windows often count from delivery, while store purchases count from the receipt date. Mark the deadline the day the box arrives.
Returning In-Store vs. Online
At the counter
A service desk is still the fastest route to a refund. Walmart can look up a store purchase by the debit or credit card you used, and online orders by phone number or email. L.L.Bean takes returns at its retail stores at no extra cost, except at Clearance Centers. Trader Joe’s is known among shoppers for refunding food people did not like, but it does not publish detailed terms online, so ask at the register. Worth knowing before you decide what to buy at the grocery store.
By mail
Zappos remains the easiest mail-back for shoes and clothing: free returns anywhere in the US, a 60-day window, and a choice of store credit or the original form of payment. Amazon lets eligible items go back at many drop-off locations at no charge and shows each item’s eligibility on the product page. REI applies its member guarantee to online orders, spelled out on its returns help page. L.L.Bean charges 6.50 USD per package for mail returns unless you paid with its Mastercard, so a store drop-off saves money.
Why Retailers Are Tightening Return Rules
Return fraud is the pressure behind stricter enforcement. Appriss Retail’s 2024 report with Deloitte estimated that fraudulent returns and claims cost US retailers 103 billion USD in 2024, with 15.14% of all returns deemed fraudulent, out of 685 billion USD in total returned merchandise. In the National Retail Federation 2024 returns report, 93% of retailers called retail fraud and other exploitive behavior a significant issue for their business.
For honest shoppers, the effect shows up at the desk more than in the written window: ID requests on receipt-free returns, caps on how often you can return, and refusals for items that look used. Consumer outlets such as NerdWallet and AARP update their roundups because these rules move. Keep receipts even where they are optional.
Best Picks by Shopping Category
- Best overall: Costco. No day count on most items, a longer tech window than most rivals, and a membership fee it will refund if you are dissatisfied.
- Best for clothing: Nordstrom. No stated time limit at the full-price store. For mail orders, Zappos is more predictable: two months, with the label covered.
- Best for outdoor gear: REI. Co-op members get a full year under the satisfaction guarantee, against a quarter of that for non-members, so membership matters most on expensive gear.
- Best for furniture: IKEA. A year on unopened products and 180 days on opened ones.
- Best mass retailer: Target. A quarter-year on most items, a year on its owned brands, and an extra month when you pay with a Target Circle Card.
Pick the merchant as carefully as you pick the product. When two prices are close, the stores with the best return policy are worth a few extra dollars, because a painless refund separates a small mistake from an expensive one. Start by checking the category exception on the seller’s page, then save the confirmation and note the deadline. If the merchant will not budge, check your card issuer: some cards add purchase protection on top of the store terms, the same math that decides whether an extended warranty is worth it.
Common Questions About Store Return Policies
Does Walmart or Target have the better return policy?
Target, for most shoppers. Both give 90 days on most items and 30 days on electronics, but Target adds a full year on Target Owned Brand items with a receipt and an extra 30 days for Target Circle Card purchases. Walmart’s edge is the holiday window: most items bought from October 1 through December 31 can go back until January 31.
Can you get a refund without a receipt?
Often, yes. Walmart can look up store purchases by the card you paid with and online orders by phone number or email. L.L.Bean usually has a record if you gave your details at checkout. With no record at all, expect store credit at best, and some chains cap how many receipt-free returns you can make.
Does Nordstrom Rack follow the same rules as the main store?
No. The no-time-limit policy covers full-price store and website purchases, and its FAQ sends Rack shoppers to the Rack website for Rack purchases. Rack stores can accept eligible full-price items, but fine jewelry and designer pieces are not eligible there.
How long do you get to send holiday gifts back?
Longer than usual at many chains. Walmart, for example, accepts most items bought between October 1 and December 31 until January 31, though wireless phones, protection plans, and major appliances are excluded. Dates differ by retailer each year. Always ask for a gift receipt: without one the recipient typically gets store credit or a gift card instead of money back to the buyer’s card.
Can you take back used or opened items?
At a few chains, yes. IKEA gives a full refund on opened products for 180 days with proof of purchase, and Nordstrom reviews each return case by case. Zappos and Target, by contrast, expect new or unopened condition, and opened software, games, and personal care goods are excluded almost everywhere.
Editorial review: wheretobuyguides.com team. Return windows on this page were checked against each retailer’s own policy page on October 14, 2026. Windows and category exceptions change without notice, so verify on the seller’s page before a major purchase.