Let’s be honest, the J.Crew return policy is not very lenient. In fact, many shoppers might call it down-right stingy in terms of return days allowed and return shipping fees. But fortunately I’ve come up with a few clever hacks to make returns at J.Crew a little easier. Here’s everything you need to know about their policy to make returns a breeze.

How Many Return Days at J.Crew?

30 days.

Their policy was 60 days, but now you only have 30 days from the date of purchase to return an item to J.Crew.

After 30 days you’re out of luck.

Can I Return Worn Items?

According to the J.Crew website, items must NOT be worn or washed if you want to return them.

I hit up their live chat to see if there was wiggle room in this policy and sadly there seems to be NONE.

You can try-on items at home, but if you take off the tags and wear them to work, it will be hard to return them UNLESS there is something wrong with them.

This leads us to Pro Tip number one…

PRO TIP: ASK FOR AN INSPECTION

If there is indeed something wrong with them, most shoppers don’t know that you can send it back for “inspection”. If they’re deemed defective, J.Crew will issue you a gift card for the selling price. Visit your local store to start this process.

See Also: Banana Republic Return Policy: Here’s How It Works

What If I Lost My J.Crew Receipt?

While your return will go much smoother with your receipt in hand, but you’re NOT completely out-of-luck if you lose it.

Which leads us to Pro Tip number two…

PRO TIP: J.CREW CAN LOOK UP YOUR ORDER

If you have the store location, date of purchase, and the last 4 numbers of the credit card used, they can look-up your order. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, they CAN’T do this in-store, but they can via JCrew live chat or you can call them at (800) 562-0258 and they’ll get you your receipt. Takeaway: Make your life easier and hold on to those J.Crew receipts like they are solid gold.

Some Items Can’t Be Returned

Quite a few items cannot be returned to J.Crew. Here they are…

Monogrammed Items: Applies mainly to shirts, socks and linens. If you get your initials put on something, you’re stuck with it.

Personalized Products: If you get something personalized you can’t return it.

Lingerie: Better make sure you buy the right size the first time.

Vintage Stuff: Not sure what “vintage” items J.Crew actually sells.

Final Sale Items: While final sale items are usually a great deal be aware that you CANNOT return them.  Sell your Final Sale items on eBay and you’ll undoubtedly make a nice little profit on them.

Fine Jewelry: You can’t return jewelry to a brick and mortar J.Crew location.

You gotta call (800) 261-7422 to make arrangements for a return.

See Also: Kohl’s Return Policy: Tips To Make It Work For You

J.Crew Will Track Your Returns

If you return an item that was paid for with cash or check, they’ll ask you for a government issued ID.

This leads me to believe that they’re tracking your purchases to make sure you don’t abuse their policy.

Can I Return Items Bought at a J Crew Factory Store?

Yes, you can return them.

But…you can only return “Factory Store” items to an actual J.Crew Factory Store.

Also, they’ve cut the number of return days in half to 30 days.

What About Returning Online Purchases?

You have a couple options when returning online orders.

You can either take the item(s) back to your local J.Crew store for a return or exchange OR you can mail them back using their Prepaid service.

Be aware that you’ll be hit with a $7.50 return shipping fee if you opt for the 2nd option.

The good news is that you only pay this flat fee once, no matter how many items you might be returning.

The $7.50 fee will be deducted from your total return.

PRO TIP: RETURN MULTIPLE ITEMS IF POSSIBLE

If you’re stuck paying the $7.50 fee, be sure to get the most bang for your buck when returning multiple items. J.Crew lets you return multiple items, from multiple orders, in the same package. To make it happen, BE SURE to initiate a return for each order and include ALL return packing slips in the same package. 

Ask the Reader: What’s been your experience with the JCrew return policy? It seems pretty strict but maybe you have some other hacks that make it less so. Let us all know in the comments below, thanks.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)