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Some stores are charging for holiday gift returns: See the list

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Published  December 26, 2025 4:03pm PST
Consumer
FOX Local
Navigating gift returns this holiday season

Navigating gift returns this holiday season

Etiquette expert Thomas P. Farley, better known as Mister Manners, joins LiveNOW from FOX to talk about ways to navigate gift returns. Farley also touches on ways to regift during the holiday season.

The Brief

    • More stores are charging customers to return items by mail as the cost of shipping rises and more people take advantage of generous online returns. 
    • The fees range from $4 to $45 depending on what you’re returning.

If you need to return holiday gifts this year, be ready to pay a price for avoiding return lines in some stores. 

According to the National Retail Federation, 72% of all merchants surveyed have started charging for at least one return by mail option over the past year. That’s up from 66% in 2024, as more stores wise up to the cost of shipping and to people who take advantage of free online returns, experts say. 

Retailers don’t charge for returning most items in stores. 

Shoppers carry Macy's bags outside of Macy's flagship store on Black Friday in New York, US, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Stores charging to return gifts

By the numbers:

Total returns for the retail industry are expected to reach $849.9 billion in 2025. An estimated 19.3% of all online sales will be returned, and 82% of shoppers say free online returns are a big concern. The retail federation’s annual report found 9% of all returns are fraudulent, with nearly half of shoppers saying it’s OK to "bend the rules" when returning items.

RELATED: Holiday giving guide: How to support your communities with donations this Christmas

Dig deeper:

Here’s which stores are charging to return gifts by mail this year:

READ MORE: American Airlines ends advantage miles program for basic economy fares

  • Macy’s: $9.99 if you’re not a "Stars" rewards member
  • T.J. Maxx: $11.99
  • Marshalls: $11.99
  • JCPenney: $8, or 15% of purchase price for returning electronics
  • J. Crew: $7.50
  • American Eagle Outfitters: $5
  • Urban Outfitters: $5
  • Abercrombie & Fitch: $7
  • UNIQLO: $7
  • Zara: $4.95
  • H&M: $3.99
  • Best Buy: $45 to return activatable devices like smartphones, and 15% of the purchase price for returning drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders, golf launch monitors, scooters, electric wheelchairs, leg and body recovery systems, projectors/screens, cold tubs, saunas and special-order products

The Source: This report includes information from the National Retail Federation’s 2025 Retail Returns Landscape report and various store websites.

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