Restocking Fees 2026: Which Stores Charge Them (and How to Avoid Them)

Restocking fees are the silent tax of the return economy: a 5%, 15%, or even 20% bite the retailer takes out of your refund, often after the box has already been shipped back. In 2026, the landscape splits cleanly into three groups — retailers who charge nothing (Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's), retailers who charge a flat or percentage fee on specific categories (Best Buy on activatable devices, JCPenney on electronics, GameStop on PCs and TVs), and marketplaces where the fee is set by the third-party seller (Amazon, Walmart, eBay). This guide pulls the actual 2026 fee from each retailer's published policy, names the eight states where the fee is statutorily prohibited on cell phones, and walks through the five tactics that force a waiver.

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Restocking Fee?
2. The 2026 Restocking Fee Master Chart
3. Electronics Stores: Best Buy, GameStop, Apple, Samsung
4. Marketplaces: Amazon, Walmart, eBay
5. Home & Furniture: Wayfair, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, IKEA
6. Department Stores: JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Kohl's
7. Fast Fashion: Zara, H&M, Shein, Temu
8. The Eight States Where a Cell-Phone Restocking Fee Is Illegal
9. Five Tactics to Get the Fee Waived
10. When the Fee Must Be Refunded by Law
11. FAQ

What Is a Restocking Fee?

A restocking fee is a charge a retailer deducts from your refund to cover the cost of inspecting, repackaging, and re-shelving a returned item. It is not a return-shipping fee (which pays a carrier) and it is not a non-refundable deposit (which is taken before the sale). It is a percentage or flat-dollar amount the retailer keeps out of money you already paid.

Most U.S. retailers do not charge a general restocking fee in 2026. The mass merchants that anchor the American return economy — Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart's first-party inventory, Home Depot, Lowe's, Macy's, Nordstrom, Kohl's, IKEA, Sephora, Ulta, REI, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross — process standard returns at zero deduction. The fees that do exist are concentrated in three categories:

• Activatable consumer electronics (cell phones, drones, cameras with cellular service, smart watches with cellular).
• High-value, hard-to-resell inventory (PCs and laptops at GameStop, electronics at JCPenney, mattresses and special-order furniture at premium home retailers).
• Third-party marketplace listings where the seller — not the platform — sets the policy.

The fee exists because returned items in those categories are genuinely expensive to process: the carrier has to be deactivated, the unit re-flashed, the box repackaged, and the inventory routed to an "open-box" or "renewed" channel that sells at a markdown. The carrier-activation fee at Best Buy, for instance, is a flat $45 because that's roughly what it costs to deactivate the SIM, wipe the device, and re-list it as open-box — not a punitive markup, but a recovery of soft costs the retailer doesn't want to absorb when the customer returns the device for non-defective reasons.

The single rule that matters: A restocking fee is a contractual term, not a federal law. That means it has to be disclosed at the point of sale, it cannot be charged on a defective item, and in eight states it is statutorily prohibited on cell phones regardless of what the retailer's policy says. We'll walk through each of those overrides below.

The 2026 Restocking Fee Master Chart

The chart above shows the maximum fee each retailer can extract on a hypothetical $500 return in 2026. JCPenney leads the field because its 15% restocking fee on electronics stacks with an $85 in-home pickup fee, producing a $160 deduction on a $500 TV. Amazon and Walmart third-party sellers can charge up to 20% on non-defective returns ($100 on $500), but only on items sold and shipped by a marketplace seller — the platform's first-party inventory carries no fee.

The chart's bigger lesson: the retailer's standard return — bought online, returned in-store, with the original packaging — almost never triggers a restocking fee in 2026. Fees attach to edge cases: the box was opened, the item was a marketplace listing, the category requires special deactivation, or the customer wants the retailer to come pick it up. Avoiding the edge cases is what unlocks the waiver.

Electronics Stores: Best Buy, GameStop, Apple, Samsung

Best Buy: $45 on activatable devices

Best Buy's restocking-fee policy is the most-searched in U.S. retail, and the answer is narrower than people expect. The flat $45 fee applies only to activatable devices — cell phones, drones with cameras, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, and a small set of smart-home devices that require carrier provisioning. It does not apply to laptops, TVs, headphones, gaming consoles, or any non-activatable electronic. If you bought a $1,200 OLED TV at Best Buy and want to return it within the 15-day window (60 days for Plus and Total members), the refund is exactly $1,200.

The fee is also waived if the device is unopened. The seal on the box is the line. If the shrink-wrap is intact and the carrier hasn't been provisioned, the unit goes back into the original-box inventory channel and the fee disappears.

For the full breakdown of category windows, member-tier extensions, and the documentation Best Buy will accept in lieu of a receipt, see our Best Buy return policy 2026 complete guide.

GameStop: 5% on PCs, laptops, TVs, monitors

GameStop's restocking fee is the cleanest in retail: 5% on PCs, PC components, laptops, TVs, and monitors, returnable within 7 days of purchase. The fee applies to both opened and unopened units in those categories, in store or by mail. It does not apply to consoles, controllers, headsets, or video games — those carry GameStop's standard 30-day no-fee window for unopened items, and a stricter exchange-only policy for opened software. We covered every nuance, including how Steam Deck returns differ from console returns, in our GameStop return policy 2026 guide.

Apple: $0 in-store, but watch carrier fees

Apple does not charge a restocking fee on returns made through an Apple Store or apple.com within the 14-day standard window. The exception is carrier-activated cellular devices — iPhones bought from a carrier through Apple's site can be subject to the carrier's own restocking or activation-fee policy, which Apple does not control. The cleanest path is to buy unlocked, return within 14 days, and the refund is full.

Samsung Direct: 15% on some opened electronics

Samsung's direct-from-manufacturer storefront (samsung.com) is the strictest of the major electronics direct-sales channels. The 2026 policy carries a 15-day window and explicitly reserves the right to charge a 15% restocking fee on certain opened categories. In practice, the fee tends to apply to opened large appliances and Galaxy phones bought direct, not accessories. Buying the same phone through a carrier or through Best Buy usually produces a more forgiving return path.

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Marketplaces: Amazon, Walmart, eBay

The fastest way to lose 20% of a refund in 2026 is to assume an Amazon or Walmart marketplace listing follows the platform's first-party policy. It doesn't. The third-party seller sets the return policy on items they fulfill, and Amazon's seller terms allow up to a 20% restocking fee on non-defective returns and up to a 50% deduction on items returned in used or damaged condition.

The visual cue on Amazon is the "Ships from and sold by" line on the product page:

• "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" → no restocking fee, returns processed under Amazon's standard 30-day policy. Our Amazon return policy 2026 complete guide walks through this in full.
• "Ships from [Seller], sold by [Seller]" → seller's policy applies, which can include a 14-day window, a restocking fee, and customer-paid return shipping.
• "Ships from Amazon, sold by [Seller] (FBA)" → Amazon handles the return, but the seller can still authorize a restocking fee on non-defective returns.

Walmart's marketplace works the same way — Marketplace listings are operated by third-party sellers who set their own return policies, including potential restocking fees up to 20%. Our Walmart return policy 2026 complete guide covers the differences between Walmart-fulfilled and seller-fulfilled returns.

eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers buyers when an item arrives damaged, not as described, or never arrives — those returns are full-refund and not subject to restocking fees. But for buyer's-remorse returns ("Doesn't fit," "Changed my mind") on listings where the seller has opted into a returns policy, the seller can deduct up to 50% for items returned in used or damaged condition.

Home & Furniture: Wayfair, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, IKEA

Premium home and furniture retailers carry the highest dollar restocking fees in retail because the merchandise is large, expensive, and difficult to re-warehouse. The good news: most of the fees are avoidable with planning.

Wayfair charges a restocking fee primarily when the original packaging is missing or damaged. If you keep the box, the inserts, and the packing materials for the duration of your return window (30 days for most categories), Wayfair's standard return processes at no fee. Discard the packaging and the fee — plus potential return-shipping charges — kicks in. Our Wayfair return policy 2026 guide details which categories are most likely to trigger the fee.

West Elm explicitly carries a 15% restocking fee on some furniture categories, particularly oversized items and special orders. Standard small-home items follow the 30-day no-fee window. The fee is disclosed on the product page before checkout — if you bought a sofa and the listing flagged "15% restocking fee on returns," that disclosure is the contractual basis.

Pottery Barn's restocking fees apply primarily to special-order and made-to-order items. Off-the-floor inventory follows the 30-day standard return path with no fee.

Crate & Barrel charges no restocking fee on standard returns. The exception is special-order furniture, which carries its own 7-day notify window — if you don't notify Crate & Barrel within 7 days of delivery that you intend to return a special-order piece, the return may be denied entirely (which is functionally a 100% restocking fee). Our Crate & Barrel return policy 2026 guide walks through how to invoke the 7-day notice.

IKEA's 365-day return window is the most generous in furniture retail, and it carries no restocking fee — even for opened items, which fall under the 180-day "opened" window. The condition is that the item must be in resalable condition; IKEA reserves the right to refuse returns on items that have been damaged or used beyond a normal trial.

Department Stores: JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Kohl's

Department stores are mostly fee-free in 2026, with one significant exception: JCPenney charges 15% plus an $85 pickup fee on electronics returns. The pickup fee is the killer — it applies when JCPenney has to retrieve the item from your home, which is the default for most electronics that were delivered. To avoid the $85, return the item in person at a JCPenney store; to avoid the 15%, the only path is to keep the box sealed and return within the 30-day window.

Macy's, Nordstrom, and Kohl's process standard returns at zero restocking fee. Macy's furniture and mattress returns can incur delivery or pickup fees (which function similarly to a restocking fee), but those are the only deductions on a standard refund.

Fast Fashion: Zara, H&M, Shein, Temu

Fast-fashion returns split between mail-back fees (which behave like restocking fees but are technically logistics charges) and genuinely zero-fee in-store returns.

Zara deducts $3.95 from the refund on mail-back returns. Drop the item at a Zara store and the fee disappears. The deduction is the single most-searched "Zara restocking fee" question of 2026 because the fee is processed silently — most customers don't realize it until they see the partial refund hit their card.

H&M charges a $5.99 mail-back fee for non-members; H&M Member returns are free. In-store returns are always free for everyone.

Shein and Temu processed millions of returns under the de minimis exemption before the August 2025 Section 321 reform; the reform changed import-duty handling but did not introduce a restocking fee on either platform. Both still process first-return refunds at no cost in 2026, though both have begun aggressively enforcing condition standards (tags attached, original packaging) and may deny returns rather than charging a restocking fee.

The Eight States Where a Cell-Phone Restocking Fee Is Illegal

Best Buy's published policy explicitly waives the $45 activatable-device fee in eight states, because each one has either a statute, an attorney-general guidance letter, or a consumer-protection rule that prohibits the practice on cell phones:

• Alabama
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Mississippi
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina

If you're returning a cell phone in any of those states, Best Buy will not charge the fee even if the seal is broken. Other electronics retailers are not bound by the same disclaimers — but if a smaller retailer charges you a restocking fee on a cell phone in one of these states, the state attorney-general's consumer-protection bureau is the right place to dispute it.

A separate group of states — California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia — require disclosure of the return policy at the point of sale. They don't prohibit restocking fees, but if the retailer didn't post the fee at checkout, the customer can refuse it after the fact. California's disclosure rule is codified at Civil Code § 1723; New York's is General Business Law § 218-a. Both create a clear paper trail you can cite when you dispute a fee that wasn't disclosed.

Five Tactics to Get the Fee Waived

Each of the five tactics below maps to a specific clause in a major retailer's published policy or to a state law. None of them require an argument with a manager — they're built into the policy.

1. Return unopened. The single highest-leverage tactic. Best Buy's $45 activatable fee, Wayfair's packaging-damage fee, and West Elm's 15% furniture fee all evaporate if the box is sealed. Don't open the package until you're sure you're keeping the item.

2. Return in-store, not by mail. Zara's $3.95 mail fee disappears at the counter. JCPenney's $85 pickup fee vanishes if you carry the item in. H&M's $5.99 fee is waived in-store. Most premium home retailers (Pottery Barn, West Elm) prefer in-store returns and will sometimes waive partial fees on the spot.

3. Document the defect. Federal Magnuson-Moss warranty law and most state UCC § 2-608 (revocation of acceptance) rules forbid restocking fees on items returned because they are defective. Photograph the defect, keep the original packaging, and note the defect on the return form. The fee cannot legally be charged.

4. Filter out third-party sellers. On Amazon and Walmart, the "Ships from and sold by [platform]" filter eliminates restocking-fee exposure entirely. The first-party inventory at both retailers carries no fee. Our deep dive on how to get a refund from Amazon without returning covers when Amazon will issue a "keep it" refund — the cleanest possible outcome.

5. Cite the disclosure law in your state. If a fee wasn't displayed at checkout in California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, or Virginia, you can refuse it. The retailer is required to post the policy; failure to do so is a defense to the fee.

When the Fee Must Be Refunded by Law

Restocking fees can be challenged after the fact in three specific scenarios:

1. The item was defective. UCC § 2-608 ("revocation of acceptance") allows a buyer to revoke acceptance of goods that have a defect substantially impairing their value. The remedy is a full refund — the seller cannot deduct a restocking fee from a revoked-acceptance refund. Document the defect and submit the return with a written statement that you are revoking acceptance under UCC § 2-608. Most retailers will process the refund without the fee at that point; if they don't, the credit-card chargeback path is the next step.

2. The fee wasn't disclosed at checkout. In the eight disclosure states listed above, the retailer's failure to post the policy is a defense to the fee. The standard remedy is a request to the retailer's customer-service team citing the state statute; if denied, the state attorney-general's consumer-protection division accepts complaints.

3. The retailer's policy changed after purchase. If you bought an item under one return policy and the retailer changed the policy before you returned it, the original terms generally control. Save a screenshot of the policy at the time of purchase. Wayfair and West Elm have both quietly adjusted their restocking-fee terms in the past 18 months; customers who can document the original disclosure usually win the dispute.

The second-line remedy for any restocking-fee dispute is the credit-card chargeback under the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666). If the retailer refuses to refund the fee, file a billing-error dispute within 60 days of the statement showing the partial refund. Our complete walkthrough is in How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge in 2026.

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FAQ

What is a typical restocking fee in 2026? The most common figure is 15%, which is the legacy industry standard for furniture and electronics. In practice, most U.S. retailers charge nothing in 2026 on standard returns — the fees that do exist are concentrated at JCPenney (15% + $85 on electronics), West Elm (15% on some furniture), and third-party marketplace sellers on Amazon and Walmart (up to 20%).

Does Best Buy still charge a restocking fee in 2026? Yes — a flat $45 on activatable devices (cell phones, drones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots), waived if the device is unopened or if the return happens in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, or South Carolina. No restocking fee applies to laptops, TVs, headphones, or non-activatable electronics.

Can I refuse a restocking fee? You can refuse a restocking fee that wasn't disclosed at the point of sale (in the eight disclosure states), or that's being applied to a defective item under UCC § 2-608. You generally cannot refuse a fee that was disclosed at checkout on a non-defective item — that's a contractual term you accepted.

Do Costco and Sam's Club charge restocking fees? No. Both retailers process all returns at zero restocking fee in 2026. Costco enforces a 90-day window on electronics; Sam's Club enforces a 14-day window on cell phones. Outside those category-specific windows, both honor unlimited returns at full refund.

Do Target and Walmart charge restocking fees? Target charges no restocking fee on any returnable item. Walmart's first-party inventory (sold and shipped by Walmart) carries no fee, but Walmart Marketplace sellers can charge up to 20%. Always check the "Sold by" line on the product page before purchasing.

What about Amazon? Amazon-fulfilled items ("Ships from and sold by Amazon.com") carry no restocking fee under the standard 30-day return window. Third-party sellers on the marketplace can charge up to 20% on non-defective returns and up to 50% on used or damaged returns. The fee is set by the seller and disclosed in the product listing.

Are restocking fees legal? Yes, with two narrow exceptions: cell-phone restocking fees are statutorily prohibited in eight states (AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, SC), and any restocking fee that wasn't disclosed at the point of sale is voidable in California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia under those states' return-policy disclosure statutes.

How do I avoid restocking fees on furniture? Three rules: (1) keep the original packaging until you're sure you're keeping the item, (2) don't buy oversized or special-order pieces from West Elm or Pottery Barn unless you're committed, (3) prefer Crate & Barrel, IKEA, or Home Depot for furniture, all of which carry zero restocking fee on standard returns.

Track Every Return Window — Free

Restocking fees are most dangerous when you forget a return entirely. The Best Buy 15-day window, the Apple 14-day window, the Crate & Barrel 7-day notify period — each one is short, each one is silent, and each one converts your full refund into either a partial refund or no refund at all. Purchy reads your email receipts, identifies the retailer's exact policy, and alerts you before each window closes — so the only fee you ever pay is one you actively chose to pay.

Join the Purchy waitlist →

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Related Articles

• Return Policy Comparison Chart: Every Major Retailer (2026) — the master cheat sheet for windows and receipt rules
• Best Buy Return Policy 2026 Complete Guide — full breakdown of category windows and the $45 fee
• Amazon Return Policy 2026 Complete Guide — first-party vs. third-party rules
• How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge in 2026 — the chargeback path when the retailer won't waive the fee
• Wayfair Return Policy 2026 — the packaging rule that triggers Wayfair's fee

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Last updated: April 29, 2026 · Verified against each retailer's published 2026 policy on April 29, 2026 · Purchy Team