Best Buy Return Policy

Last verified May 10, 2026 Read the official policy → Read the Best Buy overview →

The Bottom Line

Most Best Buy customers have 15 days from delivery to return or exchange an item. My Best Buy Plus and Total members get 60 days on most products — but not on phones or tablets, which are 14 days for everyone. Returns are free in-store or via prepaid shipping label. Restocking fees apply to phones ($45) and certain high-value items (15% of purchase price). Some items — trading cards, prepaid cards, and anything that interacts with bodily fluids — can't come back at all.

How did you get this item?

Key Facts

Return window
My Best Buy Plus and Total members (most items) 60 days
Verizon activatable devices (all members) 30 days
Standard members (most items) 15 days
Phones, cellular tablets, hotspots, cellular wearables (all members) 14 days
Condition required
Like-new. Damaged, dented, scratched, unsanitary, or missing major contents may be denied. Apparel must be unworn and unwashed with original tags attached.
Proof of purchase
Order is in your Best Buy account.
Ineligible items
Custom orders, Final Sale items, non-subscription digital content, prepaid cards and gift cards, trading cards See full list →
Refund method
Original payment method.
Refund timeline
Issued once return is received and inspected.
Return shipping
Free via prepaid label from your Best Buy account. Major appliances and TVs over 50 inches cannot ship — call 1-888-237-8289 for pickup.
Restocking fee
Activatable devices: $45. Drones, cameras, projectors, and select high-value categories: 15% of purchase price. Waived if item is unopened or purchased in AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, or SC.

How To

  1. Log in to your Best Buy account and locate the order.
  2. Print the prepaid return shipping label.
  3. Pack the item with its original contents and packaging. Attach the label.
  4. Drop the package at an authorized carrier location and ship it within your return window.
  5. Best Buy issues the refund to your original payment method once the return is received and inspected.

Watch Out For

  • Phones carry a $45 restocking fee even if you've barely used them. Any activatable device (cell phone, cellular tablet, mobile hotspot, cellular wearable) returned within the 14-day window is subject to a $45 restocking fee — unless the item is unopened, or the purchase happened in an exempt state (AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, SC).
  • Trading cards and Pokémon cards can't be returned, period. Best Buy lists trading cards explicitly in its non-returnable items. This applies regardless of condition, membership tier, or whether the item is opened.
  • Some items can't come back once opened. Products that interact with bodily fluids, SIM kits, LEGO products, and certain Marketplace entertainment products (physical software, movies, music, video games, books) are non-returnable once opened. Check before opening.
  • If you bought from a Marketplace Seller on BestBuy.com, it may not be returnable in-store. Size and product limitations may prevent a store from accepting a Marketplace return in-store, and stores in Puerto Rico and Pacific Sales locations don't accept them at all. When in doubt, use the prepaid label method.
Read the full breakdown

Return windows by membership tier

The standard window is 15 days from the date you receive the item. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members get 60 days on most products — the longer window is one of the main membership differentiators.

The exception is activatable devices: phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, and cellular wearables are 14 days for everyone regardless of membership tier. Verizon-branded activatable devices are an exception to the exception: 30 days for all customers.

The clock starts on delivery, not purchase.

Restocking fees

Most items have no restocking fee. Two categories do:

$45 flat fee: Any activatable device returned (excluding prepaid phones). This applies whether you’ve used the device once or fifty times, as long as it was opened.

15% of purchase price: Drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders (including action cameras), golf launch monitors, premium scooters, super scooters, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, leg and body recovery systems, projectors, projector screens, premium cold tubs, premium saunas, and special-order products.

The fee is waived entirely if the item is returned unopened. It’s also not charged on purchases made in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, or South Carolina (where it’s prohibited by state law). The restocking fee may be taxed in some other states.

Items that can’t be returned

Best Buy draws two lines: items that are non-returnable once purchased, and items that are non-returnable once opened.

Non-returnable once purchased (even if never opened):

  • Custom orders and personalized orders
  • Items marked Final Sale
  • Non-subscription digital content, including digital gaming (but not Microsoft Office)
  • Codes and prepaid cards, including third-party gift cards and prepaid phone cards
  • Vehicle replacement key fobs
  • Memberships
  • Trading cards, including Pokémon cards
  • Products with 300+ watt-hour battery capacity
  • Golf carts, utility terrain vehicles, electric bikes, electric mopeds
  • Plumbing items

Non-returnable once opened:

  • Products that interact with bodily fluids
  • SIM kits
  • LEGO products
  • Completed services
  • Delivered home standby generators and whole home backup systems
  • Marketplace entertainment products: physical copies of software, movies, music, video games, books, video game guides, and sheet music
  • Consumables: batteries, cleaning agents, oils, fuel, filters, cleaners, health supplements, health test kits, ink, 3D printer filament

Hazardous materials

US Department of Transportation regulations prevent Best Buy from accepting returns of fully regulated hazardous materials, including flammable liquids, flammable gases, and lithium batteries with a capacity of 300 watt-hours or more. If a product has a rechargeable battery, that battery must be included for a return to qualify.

Returning major appliances and heavy items

Major appliances and items delivered by delivery truck can’t go back through standard prepaid shipping. Call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289) to arrange return or pickup. If you want to refuse a delivery, inspect it before accepting — once you’ve accepted and signed, you need to call rather than just refusing at the door.

Some heavy items (such as furniture from Burrow, Lovesac, Plunge, or Sun Home) may need to go back directly to the manufacturer rather than to Best Buy. The product listing or your order confirmation will indicate this.

Returning Marketplace Seller items

Items sold by a third-party Marketplace Seller on BestBuy.com follow the same return windows and restocking rules as Best Buy-sold items. You can return many Marketplace items in-store (Best Buy processes the refund and ships the item back to the seller), with a few limitations:

  • Size and product limitations may prevent a store from taking the item.
  • Stores in Puerto Rico and all Pacific Sales locations don’t accept Marketplace returns in-store.
  • The Marketplace Seller’s return policy applies if it’s stricter in any specific way not addressed here.

For Marketplace items delivered by truck, contact the seller through your account to schedule a pickup.

Like-new condition requirement

All returned items need to come back in like-new condition. Damaged, dented, scratched, unsanitary, or missing-contents returns may be refused. For apparel: unworn, unwashed, with original tags still attached.

This matters most if you’ve opened and used an item extensively. Best Buy’s policy doesn’t define a specific threshold; condition is assessed at the time of return.

What changed
  • Initial summary published.