At Staples, the deadline depends on the product. Ordinary office supplies can go back at any time; technology, business machines, small appliances and furniture generally have 14 days from receipt. Bring the receipt or packing slip and the complete item in sellable condition with its original packaging. Online and phone orders have a free authorized online return route.
How to start a return
In a store
- Check the product category, condition and return eligibility date.
- Bring complete original packaging, UPC, parts and receipt/packing slip to a Staples retail store.
- For an accepted no-receipt in-store return, bring government-issued ID and expect store credit.
Online or by mail
- Open Order Details and select the eligible item for the authorized free return process.
- Follow the order’s return or pickup instructions; disassemble eligible furniture safely.
- Keep the shipment or pickup record and check the original payment for the refund.
What is Staples’ return policy and how long do you have?
Staples' return deadline depends on what you bought. Ordinary office supplies can go back at any time. Technology, business machines, small appliances and furniture generally have 14 days from receipt. Unopened boxed software currently sold by Staples has 30 days.
That makes a mixed basket surprisingly easy to misread. Paper, a printer and a desk may be on one receipt, but they do not share one deadline. The item also needs to be in sellable condition, with its original packaging, UPC, manuals and included parts.
For online purchases, look for the Return Eligibility Expiry Date under the item in Order Details. That is the last eligible day Staples displays for the product. It is particularly useful for technology and furniture, where two weeks can pass quickly while you are setting up a home office. The table below gives the category rules in one place.
| Product | Ordinary deadline | Condition or exception |
|---|---|---|
| Office supplies | Any time | Sellable; complete original packaging |
| Technology / small appliances | 14 days from receipt | Check item’s expiry date |
| Furniture | 14 days from receipt | Disassembled; custom restrictions |
| Unopened currently sold boxed software | 30 days | Opened/downloadable excluded |
| Ink and toner | Any time | Unopened and unexpired |
| Staples Brands quality issue | 1 year | Receipt or original packaging |
Can you return to Staples without a receipt?
For a store purchase without a receipt, Staples can offer store credit at the lowest selling price in the previous 30 days. You need a valid government-issued ID, and acceptance is at the store's discretion.
The potential price reduction is the reason to search for the receipt first. If you paid full price and the product later went on sale, the no-receipt credit can be lower than your original payment. Your account's store-receipt section may help; online orders also have their own purchase records.
For example, a product bought for $30 could produce $20 in no-receipt credit if $20 was its lowest selling price in that period. That is an illustration, not a quote for your item. The store determines the actual value and eligibility. The credit option does not remove a category deadline or make excluded merchandise returnable.
Can Staples find your store receipt online?
Staples' Help Center provides View your store receipts alongside online order history. It is worth looking there before resigning yourself to a no-receipt return. A matching purchase record can establish both the item and what you paid.
If you bought several similar cartridges, compare the product description and purchase date. The brand alone may not identify the correct item. A card statement can help narrow the date, but it does not provide the item-by-item detail of a receipt.
The online tools are useful places to look, rather than a guarantee that every older transaction can be retrieved. If the record is missing, support can explain what it needs to investigate. For an accepted no-receipt store return, the fallback is store credit under the lowest-price and ID rules. Recovering the actual receipt is therefore especially helpful when your aim is an original-payment refund.
How do you return an item to a Staples store?
Bring the item and receipt or packing slip to a Staples retail store. Online and catalog orders can go to any Staples retail store. Store purchases are handled at retail locations.
Include the original packaging, UPC, manuals and all the parts. With a device, that might mean the charger or other supplied accessories; with furniture, the preparation rules are more involved. An item can be within its deadline and still need those pieces before it meets the return requirements.
The payment method also affects what happens at the counter. For a debit refund back to the account, Staples specifies that the card and PIN must be present. If you are using the no-receipt route for an in-store purchase, bring government-issued ID instead of expecting an ordinary card refund. Ask about any promotional adjustment while the receipt is in front of you, and take the completed return record with you.
How do free online Staples returns work?
Online and phone purchases qualify for Staples' free online return process. Open Purchase History and choose Returns on the order. Guest purchasers can find it using the order number and delivery ZIP code.
The form asks for the contact details, pickup address, number of boxes, item quantity and reason. After submission, the confirmation supplies the applicable instructions and any label. This is the authorized process for getting the purchase back, so it is preferable to buying independent postage and hoping to recover the cost later.
Have the complete item ready when arranging collection or shipment. A supplier-delivered product or furniture order can need a different setup from a small parcel of office supplies. Store purchases belong at a Staples retail store, even though the website offers mailed returns for other orders. The confirmation connects your chosen route to the specific purchase.
What is Staples’ return policy for laptops and printers?
Laptops, computers, printers, tablets, digital cameras and other technology or business machines generally have 14 days from receipt. The familiar open-ended office-supply rule does not apply to them.
Use the first few days to check whether the device suits the job. With a printer, that could mean confirming compatibility and setup; with a laptop, it could mean finding out whether its performance meets your needs. Preserve the box, UPC, manuals and accessories while deciding.
Before returning a device holding personal information, back up what you need and follow the manufacturer's account-removal or reset directions where appropriate. Those are sensible preparation steps, rather than a Staples data-recovery service. If the issue appears after the return window, the manufacturer's warranty or a purchased protection plan may be the relevant conversation. Tell support what failed so it can help identify the route for that product.
Do small appliances also have only 14 days?
Staples also gives small appliances 14 days from receipt. The listed examples include coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, air conditioners and fans. This shorter window reaches beyond computers and office machines.
A coffee maker bought with paper and pens is a good example: the supplies can have an open-ended return deadline while the appliance does not. Find the appliance's own expiry date in the order instead of relying on the basket as a whole.
Check its size, suitability and condition while the return window is still useful. Keep the packaging, manuals and supplied parts during that decision. If something arrived damaged or fails, explain the fault to Staples with the purchase details. That is a more useful starting point than asking for a general late-return exception, and it lets support distinguish a routine return from a product-service problem.
Can you return an assembled Staples chair or desk?
Ordinary furniture returns generally have 14 days from receipt, and the item must be disassembled and safe for shipping. Custom-ordered or custom-assembled furniture is only returnable if defective upon arrival.
The distinction is important if you have already built the desk or chair. A standard flat-pack item you assembled yourself is not automatically the same purchase as custom-assembled furniture. Look at the order description before deciding which rule applies.
For an eligible standard return, the instructions and complete hardware help you prepare it properly. For an arrival defect, describe the problem to support before dismantling a heavy piece or arranging transport. A photograph may help explain what you are seeing, but the retailer can specify what it needs. The useful outcome is a clear plan for the particular order: eligibility, required preparation and the store or online process that will handle it.
Can you return ink and toner to Staples?
Unopened, unexpired ink and toner can be returned at any time. The deadline is generous, but the condition requirements are specific: the cartridge must remain sealed and within its expiration period.
This helps when you discover you bought the wrong model before opening it. Check the exact printer and cartridge numbers, since similar packaging can hide important compatibility differences. Keeping the retail box and UPC intact makes the purchase easier to identify.
Once a cartridge has been installed, it no longer fits the ordinary unopened-return rule. A faulty cartridge is a product-quality question to raise with Staples or the manufacturer using the purchase details. Used-cartridge recycling is another service entirely. It may have its own rewards, but it is not a return for the purchase price. Separating those situations prevents a trip expecting a refund for something that belongs in the recycling or defect-review process.
Can opened software or a digital download be refunded?
Opened boxed software and downloadable software are nonreturnable and nonrefundable. Unopened boxed software that Staples currently sells has a 30-day window for a full refund.
Before opening the package, confirm the operating system, license and version. Finding a mismatch while the seal is intact leaves an ordinary return option where the other conditions are met. Discovering it after activation does not give you the same route.
The current Help Center is the source to use here. Older summaries can describe different software rules, which makes this category particularly easy to misunderstand. If the order was incorrect or activation fails, tell support exactly what happened and provide the relevant error details. That lets it review the actual problem. It is different from a standard change-of-mind request for an opened package, and the policy does not promise that every activation issue produces a refund.
How do AppleCare+ cancellations work at Staples?
AppleCare+ bought at Staples can be canceled there within 30 days for a full refund. After that, Staples directs you to Apple for a prorated refund. A plan bought elsewhere cannot be canceled through Staples.
The plan and the device are separate purchases for this purpose. Returning a laptop does not tell you, on its own, what has happened to its AppleCare+ coverage. If you are returning both, ask for the plan cancellation to be addressed as well.
It also helps to identify who sold the plan. You might have bought the computer at Staples and added AppleCare+ directly from Apple later. In that case, the plan's seller determines where you take the cancellation request. For a later cancellation, Apple handles the applicable prorated calculation. Staples' published route explains whom to contact; it does not establish a fixed refund amount for every later request.
Are gift cards, party supplies and balloons returnable?
Gift cards, prepaid cards and phone cards cannot be returned or refunded. Staples also says prepaid cards cannot be redeemed for cash. A card activation or service problem belongs under the card's own terms rather than the ordinary merchandise-return process.
Party supplies have a more mixed policy. Non-seasonal and non-holiday supplies can be returned at any time, but inflated balloons and balloon tanks are excluded. Halloween costumes must be unopened and returned before October 31 in the year purchased.
That cutoff matters if you are buying alternatives for Halloween. A costume bought early does not carry a general return option after the holiday, and opening it affects eligibility. Identify the exact item before relying on the general party-supply rule. Balloons, costumes and year-round decorations may sit near one another in the store while following different return terms.
Does Staples have a one-year guarantee on its own brands?
Staples Brands products with unsatisfactory quality have a one-year exchange or refund guarantee, with a receipt or original packaging. This is useful additional protection when the issue is the quality of a qualifying own-brand product.
First establish the brand. A national-brand printer sold by Staples is not a Staples Brands product simply because you bought it there. The packaging or receipt helps identify whether the guarantee applies.
Then describe the quality problem. That is the reason the one-year provision exists; it is not a general one-year change-of-mind window for everything on the website. For example, a concern about the quality of a Staples Brands item is a different request from returning an unrelated branded device you no longer need. If the branding is unclear, give support the product name and purchase details. The policy's receipt-or-packaging requirement also means the paper receipt is not the only listed way to document this particular benefit.
How do coupons, free gifts and rewards affect your refund?
A Staples refund reflects what you paid after coupon discounts. The discount can be allocated across several products, so returning one item may produce less than its sticker price. Redeemed coupons cannot be reused.
Promotional extras matter as well. If you keep a free product that came with the purchase, its value is deducted from the refund. Promotional gift cards are nonreturnable, and their value is also deducted.
For a simple illustration, a $40 item bought for $30 after a coupon does not normally create a $40 refund. A multibuy order can require a more detailed allocation. The full receipt is the best place to understand it because it shows the promotion alongside the merchandise. Rewards adjustments are another entry to review separately. If the refund looks low, ask which discount or retained promotional benefit accounts for the difference.
Which payment method receives the Staples refund?
The original payment method generally determines the refund, with specific rules for store purchases. Credit-card purchases go to the original card. Receipted in-store cash, check or debit purchases can be refunded in cash; debit can go back to the account when the card and PIN are present.
For a cash, check or debit purchase without the card exceeding $500 before tax, Staples specifies a corporate check. That means a larger return may not result in immediate cash at the register.
Online and phone orders paid with multiple methods follow a stated priority: Staples Credit Card, major credit card, prepaid credit card, check, then Staples Gift Card. If you used mixed payment, the refund can therefore need more explanation than “it goes back to the card.” The return receipt should identify the outcome. Store credit from an accepted no-receipt return is another distinct result.
How long does a Staples refund take?
For warehouse returns, major and prepaid credit-card refunds take three to five business days after Staples receives the item. Emailed gift cards have a three-business-day period; mailed checks have seven to ten business days.
The policy also lists three business days for Easy Rewards points and three business days for emailed refund coupons. Those reimbursements appear in different places, which is why checking only a bank account may miss part of the outcome.
Transit comes before these processing periods. A parcel handed to the carrier on Friday has not necessarily reached the warehouse, and weekends are not business days. For a delayed refund, use tracking to establish receipt, then ask Staples when it processed the return and which reimbursement method it used. If a credit has already been issued, that confirmation gives you the details needed to follow up with the payment provider.
Can you return items shipped by a Staples trusted supplier?
Items shipped by a Staples trusted supplier can be mailed back or taken to the nearest Staples store under the current policy. A different business name on the parcel does not automatically mean you must negotiate a return outside Staples.
Start with the order details and the return option offered for that product. They connect the supplier shipment to your Staples purchase. The receipt or packing slip and complete packaging help keep that connection clear through the return.
The usual category and condition rules still apply. A supplier-shipped desk does not gain an open-ended deadline, and custom furniture has its own restriction. For a large item, support can clarify collection or preparation if the order flow does not explain it. Keep any supplier-specific instructions with the Staples confirmation so you have one coherent record, rather than two sets of directions referring to different stages of the purchase.
How can you get help with a Staples return?
Staples return support is available at 800-333-3330 and [email protected]. The published phone hours are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Eastern, and Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern.
Give the representative the detail that helps resolve your particular issue. For eligibility, that is the product and receipt date. For an online form problem, it is the order number and displayed expiry date. For a refund, it is the tracking and return confirmation.
A specific question works better than a general request to “fix the return.” You might ask, “This supplier-shipped chair arrived yesterday; how should I prepare it for collection?” or “The warehouse received my parcel last week; which refund method was used?” Those examples keep the conversation focused on the next action. The support team can address the actual order without you needing to recite the whole return policy.
Need help with a return?
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Citations
Sources reviewed October 14, 2026. If Staples updates its rules, its current policy applies. See how we verify.