Follow Clark Howard on

Hi, (not you?) | Member Center | Sign Out

Listen weekdays from 1-3pm ET
(No audio? Try our help)
Recent shows | More media

Listen Live: Mon-Fri 1-3pm ET

Purchasing & Returning

Helpful Guides and Links:
General Discussion forum

• When you're buying online, it's best to buy from a retailer that allows you to return merchandise to an actual store.

• Many stores now are limiting or refusing to accept a return if you don't have a receipt.

• In most states, retailers are permitted to adopt any return or exchange policy, as long as they announce the policy to customers. That includes refusing any refund or exchange.

• Find out the store's policy on returns and exchanges before you shop there. Be aware, too, that return policies are different from refund policies. The policy may be printed on your receipt or posted near the cash registers.

• You have to make your own decision about whether to patronize a store with a rigid refund or exchange policy. If you are willing to take your chances in return for a better price, then go in with your eyes open.

• If you're buying a gift or shopping by catalog, make sure the item can be returned for a full refund.

118 items

Results 1 - 10 of 118next >

Clark's rules for controlling spending in stores

If you need to stop your spending in stores, I've got ways for you to do it. I saw a disturbing stat recently that one in five Americans is living his or her life upside down by owing more than what they have. Even after what we've been through the ...

video

Seasonal purchases can save you big

Looking for another way to spend less when you're shopping? Using the calendar to schedule seasonal purchases can really help you save cash.

video

Dollar store vs. drug store savings

Too often, you trade away savings for convenience when you shop at any of the big drugstore chains. But it doesn't have to be that way. This money-saving alternative is popping up all over the place.

Best buys in the month of May

What are the best buys right now? Yahoo! Finance reports some May deals are obvious ones, while others you may not have thought about. Mattresses This is the best time to buy a mattress because people are not buying indoor stuff this time of year. DealNews.com concurs that the deals ...

ClarkHoward.com and the Clark Howard Show offer more ways to protect your wallet.

Turn unwanted gift cards into cash

Not sure what to do with gift cards you got that you don't plan on using? There are several websites that will allow you to convert them into cash -- albeit not exactly at face value. For the first three Christmases of the Great Recession, the idea of re-gifting was ...

ClarkHoward.com and the Clark Howard Show offer more money-saving advice for consumers.

Supreme Court ready to hear price-fixing case

The Supreme Court is again getting ready for another go-around on the issue of price-fixing. At the heart of the issue this time are grey market goods. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, "grey market" refers to goods sold without a manufacturer's authorization at different prices in different ...

Vacant commercial space finds new uses

What are we as a country going to do with all the vacant commercial space in America that nobody wants anymore? Capitalism has a solution in mind, and it's a real tribute to the spirit of reinvention that's made our nation so great. Recently I was buying shoes for my ...

How do you decide where to shop in the era of showrooming?

How do you get the most value out of your dollar? Do you rely solely on price at retail, or does a positive in-store customer experience matter to you as well? Showrooming is the name for what people do when they go to a retailer, find something they like and ...

New generation of vending machines coming

Vending machines aren't just for snacks and soda anymore. The next generation of self-serve kiosks will fix you a truly gourmet coffee for a buck or buy your used electronics on the spot! The Coinstar people have been working on variety of new ventures that will change vending machines as ...

ClarkHoward.com and The Clark Howard Show offer more money-saving advice for your furniture and appliance buys.

Credit card is the best way to purchase furniture and appliances

It keeps happening again and again and again. Customers put deposits down at furniture stores or appliance retailers and wind up getting burned when the stores go out of business before delivering their purchase. I have key guidance to help you avoid this scenario. One of the side-effects of the ...