How to return Christmas gifts? 4 simple tips to return gifts

Every year around the holiday season, everyone gets really excited about the gifts they are about to receive or give. But sometimes everything doesn’t go as we planned and gifts are not what we expected. As we all know, the following days after Christmas are always busy with returns, refunds, or exchanging gifts. A piece of clothing that doesn’t quite fit you. A video game you already have or a perfume that is too smelly or even worse the gift got broken in the delivery process. There could be so many reasons you want to return a gift. You are not alone in this; we’ll give you all the tips you need to know about how to return Christmas gifts.

1. You need the receipts

When you receive gifts, you don’t have access to the receipts most of the time. You have two options, you can simply ask the person who got you the present to take a photo of the receipt on their phone and send it to you or ask this person to exchange the gift for you. Returning an item is always easier when you have the receipt because it shows the seller that you bought it from their store. They can check your purchased date to see if it meets the company's returning policy. Some stores may offer you cash or store credit for your return. So if there is a receipt, do NOT throw it away; you'll definitely going to need it.

2. Avoid opening gifts if you plan to return them

It depends on the type of gift you have; after unwrapping it, you may want to keep them in its original package. If the item is a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit,  try not to wear it in the first place, or if you wore it, keep its tag on. Stores are more likely to accept an item with an unopened box.

3. Check store return or exchange policy

As soon as you realize you want to return an item, check out the company’s return policy, often written on the back of the receipt, or you can google it online. Some retailers will only give you a specific time window to return an item. It’s usually within 30 days, but each store has a different return policy, so just go to the store as soon as possible. 

4. Non-returnable items

Some gifts are not returnable due to hygienic reasons, like some cosmetic products. If you ever received a gift that you’re sure is a non-returnable item, always consider regifting it to someone else or donating it to someone in need.

Conclusion

In the end, if you ever received unwanted gifts for Christmas and you’re sure about returning them, with all that we said before, now you know that receipts are essential in order to return these gifts. Since storing and organizing the receipts is always too much work, you can use the HouseHood application. You can upload the photo of the receipt that has been sent to you on HouseHood then you can return the gift.

HouseHood is a free application to scan your receipts, categorize your assets, claim a warranty or customize your categories. Just download it from the App Store or Google Play Store. With a few simple steps, you can scan your receipts, and after that, you are all ready to return your item to the shop.