Free Printable Return Tracker + the Try-It-By Date
A return tracker is a list of what you bought, where it came from, and the last day each thing can go back. This one has one more date on it: a try-it-by date, a week before the last day, so the thing gets plugged in while it can still be returned. The free printable return tracker and tool below work out both dates for Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and IKEA.
The backup blender in my closet
I have a really bad habit of seeing something on a super sale at Costco or somewhere and grabbing it, whether I need it or not. I go through smoothie blenders like crazy, so I bought a backup blender when it was on sale. It’s planning for something to break, but I also have that thing where I can’t pass up a good deal.
It went in the closet, still in the box, as a backup. When it came time to use it, something went wrong. I definitely would have returned it, but I figured it was way past the time.
I thought it was too late. Costco’s own return policy page says otherwise, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t past the time at all. Costco’s 90-day limit covers TVs, computers, phones, cameras and big appliances like fridges and washers. A blender isn’t on the list.
I don’t keep track of returns at all. I have receipts and emails, but nothing pokes me and says, “Hey, the return window’s closing.”
What goes on a return tracker?
Each row holds what you bought, the store, the date you got it, how many days the store gives, a try-it-by date and the last return day. Filling it in takes five steps, one ticket each. Stop after any of them and you’re still ahead of where you were.
- The closet: round up anything still in its box.
- The receipts and emails: find the date for each one.
- The real window: look up how many days the store gives.
- The try-it-by date: a week before the last day.
- The poke: put both dates somewhere they’ll remind you.
This list is only for things you’d still send back. Once a return window closes, a warranty is usually what’s left, and the receipt and warranty log picks up from there.
Step 1: What’s still in the box?
Mine’s the closet. Yours might be the garage, the trunk, or the spot by the front door where packages land. Look for the sale grab, the backup, and the thing you’ll get to later.
Give each one a row. You don’t need the date yet.
Step 2: Where do I find the purchase date?
Search your email for “order” or “delivered,” or go through the receipt pile. For online orders, the delivery date is the one to write down, because Amazon, Target and Best Buy all count from the day you get it.
Two stores do this part for you. Amazon’s order history shows a return-by date for each item, and Walmart’s purchase history shows the latest date each thing can go back.
Can’t find a date? Leave it blank and move on. A blank date is still better than a guess.
Step 3: How long is the return window, really?
This is the step I skipped with the blender. Before you decide something’s too late to return, look up the store’s actual rule on its own site. Here’s what each store’s policy page says, as of October 2026.
| Store | Most things | Counts from | Shorter or longer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 30 days | Delivery | Apple brand 15 days. Mattresses 90. |
| Costco | No time limit named | n/a | 90 days for TVs, computers, tablets, phones, cameras and major appliances |
| Walmart | 90 days | Purchase or receipt | Electronics bought in a store 30. Phones 14. Marketplace sellers 30. |
| Target | 90 days, unopened | When you get it | Electronics 30. Apple, Beats and phones 14. Circle Card adds 30. |
| Best Buy | 15 days | When you get it | My Best Buy Plus or Total 60. Devices you activate 14. |
| IKEA | 365 days, unopened | Not stated | 180 days once it’s opened |
Two holiday notes. Walmart’s page says most items bought from October 1 through December 31 can go back until January 31. Amazon gives things bought November 1 through December 31 until January 31 to go back, and Apple brand items until January 15.
Shopping for gifts right now? The holiday gift planner keeps the order-by dates, and this list keeps the send-it-back dates after.
Step 4: When should I try something I might return?
A week before the last day. Take it out of the box, plug it in, run it once. If it’s broken, there’s still a week to get it back to the store.
For me, giving it a try means plugging it in and using it a few times. Keep it to a quick test, though. Amazon’s policy asks for items in “original or unused condition” and lists a fee of up to 50% of the price for obvious signs of use. Target’s 90 days is for unopened items. IKEA takes opened things back for 180 days.
Step 5: How do I get reminded before the return window closes?
Put both dates somewhere that pokes you on its own. A receipt in a drawer never will. A phone calendar alert, an alarm, or a sticky note on the box all work.
The tool below makes the calendar file for you. One reminder goes off the morning of the try-it date, and one goes off the morning before the last return day.
Amazon has its own reason to care about this. Its policy lists a late fee of 20% of the item price if you drop off a return after the return-by date it gave you.
Get your dates with the Try It By tool
Add what’s in the closet, pick the store, and the tool fills in each store’s window from the table above. You get a try-it-by date and a last return day for every item, soonest first, plus a calendar file and a print button.
Nothing you type leaves your browser. The tool has no account, no login, and no server to send anything to. Close the tab and it's gone, so save the reminders or print before you go.
The printable return tracker
One page, free, no email required. It has the five steps with a check box each and twelve rows for what you bought. Each row has the store, the date, the days, the try-it-by date, the last day, a "tried" box, and what happened. The six store windows are printed at the bottom.
Two rules so nothing gets stuck in the closet
New box in the door, one row, same day. The date's sitting in the order email right now. In two months it won't be this easy to find.
Think it's too late? Check anyway. Look at the store's policy page or your order page before you give up.
If it really is too late, the box still doesn't have to live in the closet. I wrote up how to start reselling your closet over on Seeding Serendipity, and stuff that's never been opened counts.
Finish all five steps and you've earned five tickets and Boomerang Bob, the prize on this one. Nothing expires and there's no streak to lose, so a tracker you start today and finish next week still pays the same five.
Not financial or legal advice. Return policies change, and your receipt or your order page is the final word.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you have to return something to Costco?
Costco's return policy page names no time limit for most items, under its satisfaction guarantee. TVs, projectors, computers, tablets, smart wearables, cameras, drones, camcorders, MP3 players, phones and major appliances like fridges and washers get 90 days from when you receive them.
How do I keep track of return deadlines?
Write down what you bought, the store, the date you got it, and how many days the store gives. Add the days to the date for the last return day, then set a calendar reminder a week before it so you try the item in time.
How long is Amazon's return window?
Most items sold on Amazon can be returned within 30 days of delivery. Apple brand products in new condition get 15 days, and Your Orders shows each item's exact return-by date.
Does Walmart extend returns for the holidays?
Yes. Walmart's return policy page says most items bought in a store or online from October 1 through December 31 can be returned until January 31. Marketplace sellers decide for themselves.
Is the printable return tracker free?
Yes, and there's no email required to get it. It's one page, and the Try It By tool on this post is free too.
A book I made
Sell It or Shed It
A declutter workbook for making money from what you don't use. One closet or drawer at a time: dump what's in it, mark each thing sell or shed, list five, and set a thirty-day check date.
Clear your first zone →I run an affiliate program on the tools I build. Approved affiliates earn 20% on what their referrals pay, for up to a year. US only for now. See the program →
