Let’s face it, most of us who buy things online or in retail stores are bound to return a percentage of those items that we purchased. So here are some smart things to think about that will save you a lot of time and hassle in your return.

READ and ASK about the return policy BEFORE purchasing the item.

1.       Is it 7 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, or 365 days to return?

         o   Depending on the type and size of the store you’re purchasing from it varies on how long you have to return your items before they won’t honor it. On average most places give their customers between 30-90 days for return in resellable condition.

2.       Is it money back guarantee?

         o   Will the store give you your money back or only in the form which you purchased? Some stores will only give you store credit regardless of the form in which you purchased and others will only give you store credit after a certain amount of days.  This is important to understand especially if you rarely shop at this store and you’re not 100% sure you’ll be satisfied with the item.

3.       Is the item on clearance or on sale?

         o   While it might seem like the two means the same thing…it DOESN’T! Trust me I learned this the hard way. Items on clearance means that it’s a final sale while most of the time items that are deemed on sale still follow the same store return policies. Be sure to ask on this one because it can get tricky.

4.       What about online shopping?

         o   Online return policies tend to be slightly different from store policies.  If you shop online at a major retail stores such as Macy’s or Victoria Secret, be sure to read the online policies. Some will allow you to take it to your local store while others require you to ship it back. Also take note if you need to pay for return shipping, if they will reimburse you for the initial cost of shipping, and if you are require to have a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number.

         o   Sometimes it benefits from online shopping and sometimes it takes a little more precaution to shop online. Some places like Shoebuy.com and Zappos.com offer free shipping and return shipping 365 days, and 110% price guarantee. While shopping online, you should look up policies such as does the company use tracking when shipping, is the package insured, and what happens if the package is lost in transit? Will you get reimbursed?

         o   How safe is your information? When placing your information through the internet, look to make sure that there is a padlock icon either towards the bottom of the page or at the top by the website address. Also look at the address, if it starts with “https” then you know you’re on a secure site. Other things to look for are icons that appear on the website, such as “Hacker Safe” that tell you that the site is taking precautions for your security.

5.       Do I really need to Keep My Receipt?

         o   I always say better safe than sorry. Most places require you to keep your receipt if you plan on returning or exchanging an item. Places that issue a gift receipt will also take that, however they will only give you store credit. Some places that have more up to date technology will be able to keep a record of your purchase and use that for your return if you do not have a receipt. Most of the time this works if you purchased  the item using a credit or a debit card. They will simply take that and slide it and your receipt will pop up on their records. If in doubt though…do the best you can to save your receipt!

Reading the fine print can save you a lot of headache later on. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.