Amazon Sets 2026 Holiday Return Window, Says It Will Apply Every Year
Amazon's extended holiday return policy will once again begin November 1st for 2026, with eligible purchases returnable through the end of January. This year, the company is also telling sellers they can expect the same policy going forward.
Items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2026 will be returnable through January 31, 2027, except for Apple brand products, which can be returned through January 15th. The policy automatically applies to both seller-fulfilled and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) orders, with existing return eligibility and refund conditions remaining the same.
Amazon says the extended window is intended to "strengthen customer traffic during the year-end shopping season" and, in a change from previous annual announcements, says "This policy will apply every year."
That should take at least some of the guessing out of holiday planning for sellers, who have spent the last several years waiting to see exactly when Amazon would start the extended return window.
In 2022, the policy was announced on September 30 with an effective date of October 7, leaving very little time for sellers to prepare and potentially allowing purchases to be returned almost four months later. After significant pushback, Amazon moved the extended returns timeframe to November 1st in 2023, exempting items sold during the company's Fall Prime sale event, and stuck with the same timeline again in 2024 and 2025.
Liz Morton
That makes this the fourth year in a row Amazon has used November 1st as the start of the holiday return period, but the first time the company has explicitly told sellers the policy will apply every year rather than leaving them waiting for a new announcement each fall.
Amazon isn't the only marketplace extending returns well beyond the normal 30-day window for the holidays. Walmart announced in August that most items purchased between October 1 and December 31, 2026 can be returned through January 31, 2027, giving Walmart Marketplace sellers an extra month of extended return exposure compared to Amazon.
Some categories are excluded from Walmart's extended policy, including wireless phones, protection plans, major appliances, Dyson products, food and beverages and select seasonal and luxury goods, but for most eligible purchases the October 1st start means an item bought at the beginning of the window could potentially be returned nearly four months later.
Let us know in the comments below how extended holiday returns impact your buying and selling during the holiday season!
