IKEA has been the world’s largest furniture maker since 2008. The liberal IKEA return policy is no doubt a big part of their popularity among shoppers. But as with any return policy, there are always some nuisances that aren’t answered on the company’s website and typically require a phone call to the store. To alleviate that phone call, and make your life a little easier, here’s everything you need to know about their policy, much of which you won’t find anywhere else.

IKEA Gives You a Year to Make a Return

365 return days to be exact.

Yes, you have exactly 1-year from your original purchase date to bring items back to IKEA.

They call it their “No-Nonsense” policy and it’s pretty darn generous.

See Also: 6 IKEA Hacks That’ll Save You Money (You’ll Feel Like a Genius)

PRO TIP: RETURING OPENED PRODUCTS

IKEA gives you 180 days to return stuff that you’ve opened.

This includes products that you have started to assemble. For a long time this was also 365 days, but has recently been reduced to a still generous 180 days.

Be Sure to Hold On To Your Receipt

As of October 22, 2020 you need your receipt to make a return.

If you don’t have your receipt, IKEA can try to use one of the following methods to find your purchase: Credit or debit card, gift card number, or an order number (if applicable).

If they’re unable to find any trace of your purchase, ask that they issue you a merchandise credit for the lowest selling price within the past 365 calendar days.

They often will if you’re polite.

Any Exceptions to the 365-Day Return Policy?

Yes, there are a few big exception.

– Mattresses: If you purchase a mattress from IKEA, and don’t like it, you can’t simply return it for a refund.

You’ll have to exchange it for another mattress and you can only do this once within a 90-day window.

– Gift Cards: You cannot return gift cards to IKEA. You’ll have to sell them through a site like Raise.com if you want to get some money for them.

 – Plants: These cannot be returned.

– Cut Fabric: Measure twice, cut once as cut fabric cannot be returned.

– Custom Countertops: These also cannot be returned.

– As-is Products: These usually are sold at a big discount and hence cannot be returned and are considered Final Sale.

See Also: Sam’s Club Return Policy: Here’s Exactly How It Works

Returning Furniture That’s Already Assembled

So if you finally get your stuff home (and spend an entire weekend assembling it) you CAN still return it to IKEA if you change your mind or it has a defect.

If you can return the item to IKEA yourself, they DO NOT require you to take it apart.

After you return it, they’ll put it in the “assembled” discount section for bargain shoppers to grab.

They state that items must be in unused and salable condition.

But the term “unused” is very subjective in this case. Technically, when you put a bookcase together and throw a book on it, it is used.

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve had trouble returning items to IKEA because of this.

From talking to several IKEA employees, they’re fairly generous in what they term as “used” and “salable” and will take back most items without a hassle.

PRO TIP: CAN’T GET THE ITEM BACK TO THE STORE YOURSELF?

IKEA has a Pick-It-Up option for you if you can’t get it back to the store yourself.

But keep in mind that if you want IKEA to come to your house and pick-it-up, you must disassembled the item first.

Also, an employee explained to me that there is a fee for this as well. She told me that the return pickup fee will be the same as the delivery fee.

If it was in-store purchase, then the pick-up fee will be calculated based on the distance you are from an IKEA store, and the size of the item.

Original Box Not Needed

If you threw away the original packaging or box you can still make the return.

I actually hit up IKEA live chat to verify this and was told, “you can return it in any box properly.”

Might be a good idea to keep the box if you haven’t assembled it yet as it’ll make returning it easier.

You Can Also Return Washed Bedding

From the comments, it seems you can return washed items as someone returned washed cushions without a problem.

I’m guessing if the washed item lost color, or seems defective, they would be much more likely to take it back.

PRO TIP: POLICY CAN CHANGE BY COUNTRY

Just to be clear, I live in the U.S. and this article is related to the return policy in the United States.

Be aware that other countries with an IKEA store definitely can have a different policy.

For example, Canada IKEA only gives you 90 days to return something that you opened, and many IKEA locations in Europe only allow 90 days to return stuff, opened or not.

So if you’re shopping at an IKEA not in the U.S. be sure to do some independent research so you know exactly what return policy you’re dealing with.

You Can Return Clearance and Bargain Corner Items

You can return these items, just not items marked as being sold “As-Is”.

This means you have nothing to lose when buying something on clearance that’s already been assembled and marked down.

Take it home, try it out, and if you don’t like it, just return it to the IKEA warehouse for a full refund.

You Have Zero Options After 365 Days

Unfortunately, you don’t have any return options after 365 days.

You’ll have to sell your IKEA items via Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or a yard sale.

See Also: Home Depot Return Policy: Orange Apron Tips You Gotta Know

Returning Online Purchases Is Fairly Easy

When buying items from the IKEA website, your return options are slightly different.

Specifically, you only have 14 days after your purchase to return items via the mail, or home pickup for large items.

After 14 days, you’ll have to return online purchases to the IKEA warehouse.

Be sure to keep your online receipt or packing slip to make the return go smoothly.

Note: Items bought in-store CANNOT be returned via the mail or online. They must be brought back to your local IKEA.

How to Return a Gift to IKEA

If you have the gift receipt, no problem.

Simply return the item and receive store credit for the item’s purchase price.

I was told that if you ask for cash, instead of store credit, that may be okay.

Apparently there’s no policy in place either way and it’s left up to the discretion of the individual store.

If you don’t have the receipt, it becomes very difficult to return the item as they won’t even give you store credit.

I was told by an IKEA representative that the “purchase holder will need to contact IKEA or take the item back to the store as they have purchased the item.”

Ask the Reader: Have you used IKEA’s return policy in the past? Was it as awesome as it sounds or am I missing something?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Rarye.

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)