The return policy at Costco is so darn good that it deserves its own article. While I’ve talked about some of the better return policies in the past, Costco’s return policy is arguably the best of them all. Here is exactly how it works and everything you need to know to take full advantage.

Update: I originally wrote this article back in 2016 but I do my absolute best to keep it updated. The 200+ comments are great as they help me keep it updated with all the newest information. I hope you still find this resource helpful.

What Exactly is the Costco Return Policy?

Costco calls it their “Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee” and with very few product exceptions, they’ll refund you the purchase price if not completely satisfied.

Pretty much everything in the warehouse is returnable with no time limit.

No questions asked.

This guarantee also includes your Costco membership. You have 364 days from the date you sign-up to try out the membership and see if it works for you.

If not completely satisfied, you can get a full refund on your membership cost.

See Also: How to Essentially Get a $60 Costco Membership for Free

Can Product Packaging Be Opened or Missing?

Yes.

You do NOT need the original packaging or product manual in order to return the product to Costco.

But, you do need all of the parts and accessories that came with the product.

This is a wonderful feature, especially when you’ve had a product for a while and no longer have any of the original packaging.

Permanent COVID-19 Changes

Costco was limiting the return of items that people tend to hoard, but in recent months their return policy has returned to normal.

But with that said, unfortunately for the Costco food court lovers out there, they’ve limited the food court menu and have permanently eliminated a few things including the combination pizza, chicken Caesar salad, and the turkey and cheese wrap.

Can You Return Food to Costco?

Yes.

You can return produce, food (opened or unopened), and anything else you’d put in your mouth, to your local Costco.

No questions asked. Makes for a great reason to try new products and see if your family likes them.

Just be aware that Costco is tracking all of your returns and if they think you’re abusing the return policy they might flag your account.

Update: A comment came in saying that a lady was refused her return of unopened buns that she bought the day before.

So it seems your mileage may vary when it comes to returning food.

Keep in mind that most food items will be discarded by Costco, even though they’ll get reimbursed.

If you’re buying bakery items you can always freeze them for later use if you overbuy.

Bottom line, don’t abuse their return policy as it’ll eventually go away, and hurt all members, if more and more folks abuse it.

90-Day Return Policy on Electronics

Due to some abuse from shoppers in recent years, Costco has shortened their return window on electronics from unlimited days to 90 days.

You now have 90 days from date of purchase to return televisions, tuner-free displays, projectors, computers, tablets, cameras, camcorders, MP3 players and cell phones.

The 90-day policy is still fairly liberal and simply keeps Costco members from bringing back 5 year-old HDTV’s that now have a yellow picture. (For example)

Tip on Buying Apple Products: If you can avoid it, DO NOT buy your next iPhone or iPad from an Apple Store or you’ll be stuck with their measly 14-day return window.

Instead, buy it from the kiosk within Costco and you’ll get the 90-day “electronics” return policy and the return process will be simple if you need to bring it back.

All that Costco asks you to do before you return your Apple device is to Unlock it and perform a Factory Reset.

What’s the Policy on Major Appliances?

90 days.

Unlike Lowe’s and Home Depot, who have both recently shortened their return policy on appliances to a measly 48 hours, Costco still offers a very generous 90 days.

This includes refrigerators over 10 cubic feet, washers, dryers, freezers, ranges, dishwashers, and even hot water heaters.

Do You Need Your Costco Receipt?

No.

You don’t need your receipt to return anything to Costco.

Simply take your Costco membership card (or number), and the item you want to return, to the customer service desk.

They’ll be able to look up all of your past purchases and quickly find evidence of your purchase and issue your refund.

See Also: 12 Things You Should NEVER Buy at Costco

Can You Get Cash When Returning Items Bought with a Debit Card?

Thanks to reader Olivia for this information: If you buy items with your ATM card you might be stuck with a Costco cash card when returning something.

This is especially true if the item is a gift and the person returning it has the original receipt but not the ATM card.

Great information if you regularly buy gifts with your ATM card as you might want to use a credit card or cash to make returns easier.

What Items Can’t Be Returned to Costco?

Here are the handful of items that you can’t return to Costco for a full refund.

Alcohol – Bottoms up on any wine, beer, or liquor as you can’t return them to most states in the U.S. and thus all sales are final. Opened or unopened, it doesn’t matter.

See Also: Costco Liquor: 4 Things You Gotta Know Before You Buy

Cigarettes – Light ’em up, or throw them away, as you can’t return them to any Costco location.

Diamonds – Any diamonds 1 carat or larger must be returned with all original paperwork and has to be verified via the Costco fulfillment center before you get your refund.

A Costco Graduate Gemologist will inspect the diamond and issue a jewelry credit memo that allows you to purchase a different diamond or get your money back. Could take up to 5 business days.

Limited Lifetime Products – Think car tires and batteries. These are sold with a product-specific limited warranty.

Sanitizing Wipes – During COVID you could NOT return Lysol wipes, but I think this has changed and you can now return them again. Leave a comment if you know.

Special Order Kiosk – While you can’t return special orders, you can get a warranty repair or replacement due to failure to meet product specs.

Custom Installed Programs – The same as above.

Pretty limited list when you consider the thousands of products Costco stocks on a daily basis.

Can You Return Items Bought Online to Costco?

Yes.

Just bring in the item and your Costco.com receipt to your local store and they’ll process your refund.

Also, Costco now has a handy Online Return Form to make your Costco.com purchases even easier to return.

What About Returning Furniture That I Bought Online?

I started a live chat session with Costco and asked about their furniture return policy.

I used a couch as my example and was told the following, “Our returns for couches are quite easy. We do everything for you! The same way the couch gets delivered, would be the same way it would get picked up. Our carrier would call you once a return is requested and they would set up an appointment that works best for you.”

I then asked, “Even like 2 years later when the couch starts sagging?”

I was then told, “Yes, if for any reason you become unsatisfied with this item, you can return it!”

Pretty amazing. Why would you buy furniture anywhere else?

Can I Return a Casket I Bought From Costco?

First of all, YES, Costco sells caskets and people in-the-know say they’re a good value.

Secondly, you can ONLY return a casket to Costco if there is damage during delivery.

So always try to be home, and examine the casket closely, before signing-off on the delivery.

Otherwise, you can call Costco to get a return authorization on your coffin, the number to call is 1 (800) 955-2292.

You CANNOT show up at the Costco returns desk with your casket on an orange flatbed shopping cart and try to return it, they WILL NOT take it back.

How About Returning Gifts to Costco?

Yes, you can return items to Costco that were given to you as a gift.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a member or not, you can walk in and return stuff.

But keep in mind that if you DON’T have the receipt you’ll need the membership number of the person who purchased the gift for you.

See Also: 5 Brilliant Money-Savings Hacks for Buying Costco Meats

Can Someone Else Make a Return For You?

If they are not listed on your membership then NO they will not be able to make the return on your behalf.

You’ll have to find the time to make the return yourself.

Can You Make a Return Beyond the Manufacturer’s Warranty?

From some recent comments I have received, it seems Costco will not take back an item if it has gone beyond the manufacturer’s warranty.

The example in the comments section was HP printer ink that had “expired”.

In this case, Costco would not take it back.

Can You Return Something If Your Membership has Expired?

No.

Costco will ONLY let you return items if you have an active (and paid) membership.

Can You Return a Mattress to Costco?

Yes, but if you try and return a mattress that you’ve had over a year you’re going to end up dealing with the store manager.

The manager will take a look at your buying history to decide if you spend enough at Costco to make the return worthwhile.

It’s been suggested that you return it to a Costco out of your hometown as you might make some enemies returning a nasty old mattress.

Can You Return Car Tires?

Yes.

Costco gives you 30 days to test out your new tires.

If you don’t like them for any reason, they will let you return or exchange them for a new set.

If there’s a problem with the tire, and you want a new set after 30 days, they will prorate them based on a tread depth measurement.

See Also: Here’s How Costco Tire Prices Stack Up to the Competition

Strangest Items Ever Returned to Costco…

I loved this article from Mashed.com that breaks down some of the strangest returns that Costco employees have seen over the years.

Some of my favorites include an empty bottle of wine that gave the lady a headache, a bag of cat food without the bag, a package of opened underwear, a used chicken coop, and a broken 15-year old pressure washer.

Also, a woman was able to return a dead Christmas tree in January and get a full refund. Crazy.

Moral of the story? Be smart and don’t abuse Costco’s liberal return policy as it’ll end up costing us all.

Ask the Reader: How often do you use their return policy? Any smart Costco tips I may have neglected to mention?

By Kyle James

With many consumers turning to online shopping, and the ease of getting stuff delivered without leaving home, it turns my attention to the biggest online retailer of them all, Amazon. Specifically, how do we consistently find the best deals and sales on the Amazon website. After all, the best deals are rarely (if ever) posted on Amazon’s homepage but rather hidden within the site in different sections. So I’m here to show you seven ways to maximize your savings on Amazon and save a boat load of money in the process. Let’s get to it.

Look at ALL Colors When Shopping for Shoes and Clothing

When shopping for shoes and apparel on Amazon, and if you’re not picky about color, try this cool hack.

When you’re on the product page, select your size, then look at the price differences between colors.

In the screenshot above you’ll notice an almost $20 price difference between colors on a pair of Puma sneakers.

And it’s not like the cheaper pair is some hideous color that nobody would ever wear.

While I’ve found this hack works best on shoes and apparel, it’s a great way to save money on pretty much any product sold on Amazon that comes in different colors.

Think things like Bluetooth speakers, YETI products, headphones, baseball & golf hats, and cell phone cases.

PRO TIP: USE THE AMAZON APP

This Amazon hack works best when using their smartphone app. Otherwise you’ll have to select every color individually to see what the corresponding price is. In other words, it will take forever, so be sure to use the app and get a quick view of all the different colors and prices.

Always Check for “Warehouse Deals”

Ever wonder what Amazon does with all the stuff that gets returned to them?

Answer: They sell it in the “Amazon Warehouse” at a greatly reduced price.

If you’re not familiar with Amazon Warehouse Deals, they’re items that they classify as pre-owned, used or open box specials and the savings are BIG.

All items come with the same Amazon guarantee and go through a multi-point inspection process before being offered for sale.

Savings on these items are in the 40-60% off range.

Top product categories include computers, kitchen, home improvement, vacuums, cameras, video games, and unlocked cellphones.

Check Out “Amazon Renewed”

Similar to the warehouse deals noted above, Amazon Renewed is a section of the website that specializes in refurbished open-box products.

The biggest difference is that the “Renewed” section focuses mainly on electronics, smartphones, and computers that are sold at a big discount.

Savings range from 20% off all the way up to 50% off.

Items still come with the Amazon Renewed guarantee and are fully inspected before being listed for sell.

I personally had no idea the “renewed” section of the website existed before I researched this article so I’m guessing many of you have never heard of it either.

If you’re in the market for a new computer, smartphone, camera, or tablet it’s a great spot to start your shopping.

See Also: Tips to Avoid the Infamous Amazon Bait and Switch Pricing Scam 

Check Out 3rd Party Sellers

Did you know that when you do a search on Amazon the products that come up first in the results ARE NOT necessarily the best deals?

As a matter of fact, 3rd party sellers often beat the Amazon Prime price.

Sure you might not get free 2-day shipping, but in most cases you’ll still get free 3-5 day shipping.

To find out what price 3rd party sellers are offering just click on “Available from these sellers” on the product page. (see screenshot above)

This will bring up a list of sellers and any shipping charges so you can check for a better deal.

At the very least this is a good habit to to get into, especially on large purchases, as it guarantees you’ll always find the lowest price.

See Also: 7 Clever Ways to Score Free Products from Amazon

Don’t Overlook Amazon Coupons

Fact: It’s almost impossible to find where Amazon hides their coupons. I actually had to do a Google search for “Amazon coupons” to find where they hide them.

Once I got to their coupon page, I was really impressed with the number of offers and how they broke them down by shopping category.

You just find the coupon you want to use and click “Clip Coupon”.

This saves it to your account, then when you add the item to your virtual cart the savings is automatically deducted from your order total.

They break their coupons down into the following popular shopping categories:

– Health & Personal Care

– Grocery & Gourmet

– Beauty

– Automotive

– Electronics

– Home & Kitchen

– Lawn & Garden

– Office Supplies

– Pet Supplies

– Toys & Baby

– Clothing & Shoes

Start using an Amazon coupon on the majority of your purchases and you can easily save hundreds of dollars per year if you shop frequently.

See Also: Find an Amazon Return Store Near You and Save HUGE

Use an Amazon Price Tracker

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could track the price of items you want to buy on Amazon and only buy when it’s at a historically low price?

Well…you can and it’s actually really easy.

You can either use my favorite site CamelCamelCamel.com and track the price of items on Amazon, or you can use the Amazon Assistant browser extension.

Works like this: You set your desired price then get notified when the price reaches your goal.

Similarly, when you download the browser extension you can check if the current price is a good deal or not by using historical price data.

Let’s face it, Amazon changes the price ALL THE TIME so by using a price tracker you can outsmart the retail giant every time you shop.

Don’t Forget About “Subscribe & Save”

If you’re like my family, and order household items on Amazon that you’ll need again & again you gotta be using Subscribe & Save.

Think things like dishwasher detergent, dog food, vitamins, household cleaners, toilet paper, shampoo, trash bags, deodorant, and garbage bags.

You setup a delivery schedule based on usage and Amazon sends products automatically.

The best part? You’ll save anywhere from 10-15% on the products you have on your subscription plan.

I’d give it a try as the extra savings makes the price comparable to Walmart and Costco on most items….and you never have to leave home.

The clincher is that you’re under no obligation and can cancel the subscription at any time without penalty.

Ask the Reader: How do you find the lowest price on Amazon or do you tend to pay full retail price?

By Kyle James

The return policy at Dollar General is REALLY confusing. Their website says one thing and their employees say something else. So after some digging, and a bunch of phone calls, I figured out what the real scoop is at DG. Hopefully this article will make your next Dollar General return a piece of cake. Here’s what you need to know…

How Many Return Days Does Dollar General Allow?

90 Days.

Dollar General gives shoppers 90 days to return items if they are not happy with it for any reason.

I called several Dollar General stores to verify this as I was VERY confused since the DG website says 30 days for “online returns” and I couldn’t find their “in-store policy” ANYWHERE.

Really confusing but I got to the bottom of it.

Several of the employees I talked to even said they take stuff back all the time that is over 90 days as long they can resell it. Good to know.

Do I Need My Receipt?

Yes, in order to get a full refund to your original form of payment you’ll want to hold on to that receipt.

See Also: The 22 Absolute Best Buys at Dollar General (Some Will Shock You)

What If I Lost My Receipt?

All hope is NOT lost.

You can still do an exchange for an item of equal or lesser value OR get store credit.

But you cannot get cash back without a receipt.

Any Exceptions to the 90 Days?

I called Dollar General to find out as I couldn’t find any information online.

Here are the return policy exceptions that I know about so far…

– Seasonal Merchandise – This stuff can only be exchanged for identical items. Think things like Christmas decor, Halloween stuff, and Easter goodies.

– Opened Electronics – Things like opened CDs, DVDs, and software can also only be exchanged for identical items.

Can I Return Items That Go On Clearance?

If you buy something that later goes on clearance, you’re entitled to a FULL refund if you return it.

If you have your receipt, and are within 90 days of purchase, you should be given the price that you paid.

A commenter said that was not the case for them, but store manager Kim left a comment saying that was COMPLETELY wrong.

She went on to say that if this happens to you, you should call Dollar General and speak with a district manager and they’ll correct it for you and get you your money.

Can I Return Opened Products?

While they recommend items come back in the original box “whenever possible” it doesn’t seem to be a deal breaker.

But items MUST be returned in good working condition along with all paperwork, accessories, and parts to get a full refund.

What About Returning Items Bought Online?

First of all, items bought on the Dollar General website CANNOT be returned in-store.

Likewise, items bought in-store CANNOT be returned online.

When making an online return locate your original packing slip as you’ll need it.

Specifically, the return form is located at the bottom of your packing slip and needs to be filled out and must accompany your return.

You’re on the hook for any return shipping charges unless the reason for the return is the fault of Dollar General.

If it is Dollar General’s fault, call them at 1-(877) 463-1553 and work it out with them directly.

Also, be aware that it could take up to 30 days of them receiving the product before you see a refund on your credit or debit card.

See Also: The Dollar Tree Return Policy: It’s Exchanges Only

What About Returning Alcohol?

YES, you can return unopened alcoholic beverages to Dollar General, but ONLY to the location where they were purchased.

You must also have your receipt in-hand and you cannot do an exchange, only a refund.

What About Returning Cigarettes?

Dollar General does NOT accept returns on ANY tobacco products including cigarettes and chewing tobacco.

What Happens If I Try To Return Something Past 90 Days?

Your best bet is to make a “no-receipt” return and get store credit or an even exchange for your item.

Ask the Reader: What’s been your experience with the return policy at Dollar General?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to JJBers.