Best Buy return policy — the real window, and how to use it
Every line below is quoted from Best Buy's own published return policy and linked to the source. If they're refusing a return you're entitled to, Owed's agent can push it for you.
Returns & refunds
15 daysstated window
Best Buy's return window is short and tiered, and it starts the day you receive the product rather than the day you order. Most products get 15 days for standard customers and 60 days for My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members — but those extended member timeframes do not apply to Marketplace purchases. Activatable devices (cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, cellular wearables) get 14 days for everyone, except Verizon-activatable devices, which get 30 days for all customers. The same windows apply to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products. Returns ship free with a prepaid return label, or go back to any Best Buy store. Watch the restocking fees: $45 on activatable devices excluding prepaid phones, and 15% of the purchase price on drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders, golf launch monitors, premium and mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, recovery systems, projectors and screens, premium cold tubs and saunas, and special-order products — waived if the product is unopened, and not charged at all in AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK and SC. A few categories run longer: litter boxes get 90 days and pet training devices and hearing aids get 60 days, for everyone. This version is effective February 23, 2026.
In their own words
“If you want to return or exchange your purchase, please know that the time period begins the day you receive your product and applies to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products.”
Return and exchange periods
“My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total extended return timeframes do not apply to any Marketplace purchases.”
Return and exchange periods — Marketplace
“Activatable devices are devices capable of being activated and include cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, and cellular wearables. Verizon devices capable of being activated have a 30-day return period for all customers.”
Return and exchange periods — activatable devices
“There is no restocking fee if the product is unopened, or if the purchase occurs in: AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, SC and where prohibited by law.”
Restocking fees
“Items need to be returned in a like-new condition. Items that are damaged, unsanitary, dented, scratched or missing major contents may be denied a return. Apparel must not be worn or laundered, and its original tags must be attached for us to accept a return.”
Like-new condition
“You will get free shipping on your return of items purchased from Best Buy by using our prepaid label.”
Use our prepaid return label
“Reimbursements on returns lacking proof of purchase may require an email address, will be in the form of store credit, may be denied or limited, and state sales taxes and fees will not be reimbursed.”
Returns lacking proof of purchase
What they exclude
- Custom, personalized and Final Sale items; non-subscription digital content, codes and prepaid cards; vehicle replacement key fobs; memberships; trading cards; products of 300 or greater watt hours; golf carts, UTVs, electric bikes and mopeds; plumbing items
- Nonreturnable once opened: products that interact with bodily fluids, SIM kits, LEGO products, completed services, delivered home standby generators and whole home backup, and consumables including batteries, cleaning agents, oils, fuel, filters, health supplements, health test kits, ink and 3D printer filament
- Fully regulated hazardous materials, including flammable liquids and gases and lithium batteries of 300 watt-hours or more, cannot be returned through Best Buy channels
- Items that are damaged, unsanitary, dented, scratched or missing major contents may be denied; apparel must be unworn, unlaundered and tagged
- Restocking fee of $45 on activatable devices, or 15% of purchase price on listed categories, unless unopened or purchased in AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK or SC
- Returns lacking proof of purchase may require an email address, will be store credit, may be denied or limited, and state sales taxes and fees are not reimbursed
- Opened physical entertainment media from Best Buy can only be exchanged for an identical item, and is non-returnable from Marketplace Sellers
How to file
Return any in-store or online Best Buy purchase to any Best Buy store, or print a prepaid return label from your Best Buy account and drop it at an authorized location within the window. Bring the packing slip or receipt and the card you paid with to speed processing. Major appliances, TVs over 50 inches, kegerators and Soda Stream makers cannot go back by shipping; call 1-888-BEST BUY for those and for anything delivered by truck. Returns without proof of purchase come back as store credit at best, may be denied or limited, and sales tax is not reimbursed.
Best Buy's claim page →Source: Best Buy's published policy · verified 2026-08-03
If they say no
A first refusal is not the end — most claims that get paid are the ones that got answered a second time. The ladder that works:
- Reply in the same thread quoting the exact policy line above, with your order number and the date. Ask for a supervisor or a formal complaint reference.
- Escalate to an executive contact if support stalls — a specific, documented request outperforms an angry one.
- Use your payment rail: a card chargeback for "not as described" or "item not received" (typically within 60 days of the statement under the US Fair Credit Billing Act, and up to 120 days under card-network rules — confirm the exact window with your issuer), or a PayPal dispute.
- For lost or damaged shipments, file a claim with the carrier directly.
- Escalate externally: the selling platform's guarantee, BBB, your state attorney general, or the FTC. Small claims is the last resort.
Owed reads your receipts, tracks every warranty clock, drafts the claim citing the terms above, and follows up until you're paid. Free to start.
Policies change. We re-verify these terms regularly and show the date each was checked, but always confirm current terms on Best Buy's own site before relying on them. Owed is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice.