Best Buy restocking fee: which items, how much, how to avoid it
The full list of Best Buy products with a restocking fee, the eight fee-free states, and the return windows by membership, from Best Buy's policy.
This guide follows the version of Best Buy’s return policy dated February 23, 2026.
Which items have a restocking fee?
Best Buy charges a restocking fee at two rates on certain products returned opened. The table groups the products the policy names; the fee for each group comes straight from the policy.
| Product group | Products named in the policy | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Activatable devices | Cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots, cellular wearables (prepaid phones excluded) | $45 |
| Cameras, lenses, and drones | Digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders (including action cameras), drones | 15% of the purchase price |
| Projectors | Projectors, projector screens | 15% of the purchase price |
| Scooters, wheelchairs, and golf launch monitors | Premium scooters, super scooters, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, golf launch monitors | 15% of the purchase price |
| Recovery and wellness | Leg and body recovery systems, premium cold tubs, premium saunas | 15% of the purchase price |
| Special orders | Special-order products | 15% of the purchase price |
On a $1,200 camera, a 15% fee is $180. Best Buy also says the fee is taxed in some states.
The fee applies only to the products the policy names. Laptops, TVs, headphones, and other products not in the table carry no restocking fee under the policy, unless they were special orders. An iPhone bought at Best Buy counts as an activatable device, so it carries a $45 fee if opened, with a 14-day window (30 days for Verizon devices). If you bought it from Apple instead, Apple’s US pages list no restocking fee; see returning an opened iPhone or AirPods to Apple.
Your return is...
- Unopened No fee
- Bought in AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, or SC No fee
- An opened phone, cellular tablet, hotspot, or cellular wearable $45 (prepaid phones excluded)
- An opened camera, drone, projector, or other listed product 15% of the purchase price
- Anything not in the table No fee
When is there no restocking fee?
Best Buy’s policy removes the fee in three cases:
- The product is unopened.
- You bought it in Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, or South Carolina (AL, CO, HI, IA, MS, OH, OK, SC).
- A law where you bought it prohibits the fee.
Decide before you open the box if you aren’t sure you’ll keep a digital camera, drone, or phone (not prepaid). Unless you bought it in one of those eight states or where a law prohibits the fee, opening it makes the fee apply.
Best Buy’s page does not say which state counts for an online order. It also doesn’t say whether a Marketplace seller can charge the fee. Marketplace products have “the same Standard return policy as products sold from Best Buy” unless noted otherwise, and “all other return restrictions apply.” But the fee list itself covers items “sold by Best Buy.”
Does the fee apply to defective items or exchanges?
The policy doesn’t say. For a product that arrived damaged, is defective, or isn’t what you ordered, it says to return it within your return window. Best Buy will then arrange a replacement. To send it back by mail instead, call 1-888-237-8289. You can also exchange an item for the same item if you bought it from Best Buy.
What else can shrink your refund?
- Missing parts: return everything that came in the box. Without it, Best Buy can refuse the return or take a nonrefundable deduction for what’s missing.
- Bundles: if you got a discount or a free item for buying several items together, returning only some of them loses that benefit.
How long do you have to return it?
Most products get 15 days, or 60 for My Best Buy Plus and Total members; activatable devices get 14 (Verizon: 30). The return window starts on the day you receive the product. It applies to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished, and pre-owned items.
| Product | Standard | My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total members (not Marketplace items) |
|---|---|---|
| Most products | 15 days | 60 days |
| Activatable devices | 14 days (Verizon: 30) | 14 days (Verizon: 30) |
Verizon devices that can be activated have a 30-day return window for all customers. The longer member windows do not apply to Marketplace purchases (products shipped from or sold by a third-party seller).
A few products have their own windows for all customers, members included: Halloween and Christmas decorations 15 days, pet training devices and hearing aids 60 days, and litter boxes 90 days. Hearing amplifiers follow the standard 15 days.
Best Buy had not posted 2026 holiday return dates as of October 19, 2026. Last year’s dates and other stores’ status are in holiday return deadlines by store.
Which items can’t be returned at all?
Some products have no restocking fee because Best Buy does not take them back.
Nonreturnable once purchased: custom and personalized orders, items marked Final Sale, non-subscription digital content (Microsoft Office excepted), codes and prepaid cards including third-party gift cards, vehicle replacement key fobs, memberships, trading cards, products with a battery capacity of 300 watt-hours or more, golf carts, utility terrain vehicles, electric bikes, electric mopeds, and plumbing items.
Nonreturnable once opened: products that touch bodily fluids, SIM kits, LEGO products, completed services, delivered home standby generators and whole-home backup systems, physical software, movies, music, video games, books, video game guides, and sheet music from Marketplace sellers, and consumables such as batteries, ink, filters, and cleaning products.
Exchange only once opened: the same kinds of physical software, movies, music, video games, books, video game guides, and sheet music bought from Best Buy itself can only be exchanged for an identical item.
How do I return an item to Best Buy?
- Check the product group in the table above and whether you are inside the return window for your membership level.
- For a phone, tablet, or other connected device, remove all data and unlink it from every cloud account and device. If it has a carrier contract, canceling the service and any carrier charges are up to you. In a store, tell the associate you want to cancel.
- Keep all original contents and packaging. Best Buy may refuse items that are damaged, dented, scratched, or missing major contents.
- Bring the receipt or packing slip and the card you paid with to any Best Buy store, or use the prepaid return label from your order page for items that can be shipped.
With a few exceptions, Best Buy refunds a return the same way you paid.
Major appliances, TVs over 50 inches, kegerators, and SodaStream makers cannot be shipped back. For major appliances and other items delivered by truck, Best Buy asks you to call 1-888-237-8289 instead of contacting the store.
Sources
- Best Buy Return & Exchange Policy (checked )
- Cover photo: LatLongLens, CC0 1.0
