In plain English, it means that if you return a laptop, you’re going to have to pay a potentially big fee, up to several hundred dollars. A 15% restocking fee is common, which means that on a $1,500 laptop, you’ll have to pay $255 just to return it, plus shipping, of course.
Don’t expect to find information about restocking fees prominently displayed on retailers website, because as a rule, they hide this information. Look for the page that explains the return policy and read it closely.
Restocking fees are more common at computer and electric commerce sites, and less common at clothing and other online retail sites. And the policies vary widely. Some sites charges no restocking fees, others charge restocking fees on selected items (such as computers), and some charge restocking fees for anything you return. Restocking fees are not charged when you return a defective item, only when you return an item for other reasons.
To find out if a site charges a fee for returning goods, perform a site-wide search for “restocking fee. But don’t use the website’s search tool, these normally only search the online catalog. Instead, search the site with any search engine like Google, using the following syntax:
site:www.sitename.com restocking fee
So, for example, if you want to search CDW web site for its restocking policies, you would type:
site:www.cdw.com restocking fee
Still can’t get the scoop? Email the vendor and ask.
Restocking Fees at popular websites:
Which popular web stores charge restocking fees, and what are their rules? Here’s the skinny of some popular commerce sites:
Amazon
No restocking fee if you buy directly from Amazon, but Amazon Marketplace, Merchant, Auction, and zShop Sellers may individually charge restocking fees.
Best Buy
The company charges 15% restocking fee for any opened notebook PC, camcorder, digital camera, or radar detector.
Buy.com
No restocking fees, unless you purchased through buy.com’s Refer Direct feature (it’s noted on each item), in which case each separate manufacturer determines the return policy.
CDW
The company charges a 15% restocking fee on every item.
Circuit City
The company charges 15% restocking fee on digital cameras, camcorders, radar detectors, desktop PCs, notebook PCs, monitors, and printers, if returned opened or in a non-factory sealed box.
Staples
No restocking fees.
