How to Use the Dillard's Return Policy — and Avoid the $9.95 Return Shipping Fee

Before you buy anything at a Dillard’s department store, there are a few things you need to understand about Dillard’s return policy. For starters, it’s a little restrictive. While you have 30 days to return something, there are a handful of things you can’t return — even if you’re within the 30-day window. I’ll explain all the ins and outs, as well as teach you how to avoid Dillard’s $9.95 return shipping fee (hint: only order from them online if you can return in store!).

I’ll cover everything you need to know about the Dillard’s return policy — including whether or not you’ll need a receipt, what to do if you lost your receipt, what’s never refundable, and so much more. Once you’re equipped with all of this, you’ll be able to shop confidently at Dillard’s, knowing you’ll always get your money back.

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Before You Start a Dillard’s Return:

You have 30 days to return something to Dillard’s for a full refund.

Whether you bought an item in store at Dillard’s or online from Dillards.com, the Dillard’s return policy says that you’ll have a full 30 days to return it. For online orders, it’s important to know that the clock starts ticking on the day your order gets delivered.

If you try to return something to Dillard’s after the 30-day window passes, you won’t get a refund.

 

Shipping your return back to Dillard’s will cost you $9.95, so opt for in-store returns if you can.

If you happen to live near a Dillard’s store, by all means, make your returns there! Making a return at the store is free of charge, but if you have to ship an item back to Dillard’s, you’ll have to pay an $9.95 return shipping fee.

For mailed Dillard’s returns, I recommend you wait to send everything all at once so you don’t get hit with multiple shipping costs. For example, if you order a couple of things from Dillard’s and they send out the order in chunks (this has happened to me before), wait until everything arrives and then decide what you want to return.

 

 

You’ll need a receipt for all Dillard’s returns.

As with most stores, you must have your receipt if you want to return something and get your money back, per the Dillard’s return policy. If you lost your receipt, you can contact Dillard’s customer service and they might be able to locate your purchase. If you bought something online, Dillard’s will have your order number already, so no need to worry if you lose your receipt.

 

Keep all tags attached if you want a full refund at Dillard’s.

Just like most retailers, the tags must stay attached to your items to get a full refund. If you notice that something you ordered doesn’t have a tag or the tag is damaged, reach out to Dillard’s customer service ASAP for help.

Something I like to do is make sure each item I buy or order has the tags on them the second I get them. If I’m in a store, I like to check for tags when picking anything up. And if I buy something online, I like to check for tags the day I get my order.

 

There are four main things you can never return.

As I mentioned earlier, Dillard’s return policy is a little … particular. There are four main things you never can return to Dillard’s no matter what, according to the fine print.

1. Clearance items marked down 65% or more. (Take this into consideration when you’re shopping their sale section.)
2. Sale items that had an additional discount applied. (For example, you couldn’t return a shirt that was marked down 30% plus an additional 15% for a limited time. Dillard’s says nope, sorry.)
3. Any personalized merchandise.
4. Anything that’s damaged or defective. Be sure to check your items before buying them if you’re in the store, and inspect your online orders as soon as possible.

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How to Return Dillard’s Items:

Return items in store (the best option).

If you have a Dillard’s close to you, I would suggest returning all items there. The staff is nice, and it’s way easier than shipping your items back. Just make sure you’re within the 30-day time frame of when you got your items, and make sure the tags are still attached.

Ship the items back to Dillard’s (the other option).

If you don’t have a Dillard’s nearby or you just want to make your return by mail, you can choose to ship the items back. Just know that they’ll charge you $9.95 for the return shipping label — Dillard’s isn’t one of the stores with free return shipping.

How to return an item by mail to Dillard’s:

1. Visit the Returns page on Dillards.com.
2. Choose “Print a Return Label” (for online purchases) OR “In-Store Purchase Return Label” (for in-store purchases).
3. Enter your order number and billing phone number or fill out the information from your in-store receipt.
4. Print out the return label and attach it to a box with your return items inside.
5. Drop off your return at your local post office.
6. Once Dillard’s gets your return, they will refund you within seven to 10 days.

TIP: As a rule of thumb, I always like to get proof of postage. This will come in handy in case anything happens to your package on its way back to the Dillard’s warehouse.

 

Exceptions to Dillard’s Return Policy:

You can’t return clearance items.

OK, I know I said this earlier, but I just want to be super clear about the things you can’t return to Dillard’s. If something was marked down by 65% or more, you can’t return it. End of story.

 

You can’t return sale items that you bought with an additional discount.

I said it once and I’ll say it again: if you bought an item that was on sale and you used an additional discount on it, you can’t return it, no matter what. If you’re buying something on sale, be sure you really want it.

 

 

You can’t return personalized merchandise.

If you bought something and got it personalized, you can’t return it. This makes sense because Dillard’s can’t resell your personalized item since it was made just for you.

 

You can’t return anything that’s damaged or defective.

If you buy something at Dillard’s that’s defective, you can’t return it. It doesn’t matter if you bought a shirt in store just to take it home and realize it has a hole — they won’t refund you. Be really careful about this when you’re shopping for things on sale, as there might be a reason why they’re on sale.

 

What to Know About Dillard’s Refunds:

Expect your refund within seven to 10 days.

If you return something in store, expect to see the refund on your card within seven to 10 days. If you shipped something back to Dillard’s, this process might take a bit longer. But once Dillard’s receives your returned items at their warehouse, you’ll get a refund back to the card you paid with within seven to 10 days.

 

Read Up on More Return Policies

If combing through return policy fine print makes your eyes glaze over, don’t miss our comprehensive guide to return & exchange policies. We dug through the heavy text and laid out all the important return policy details for your favorite stores.