Five Below Return Policy: 90 Days From Purchase, Unopened or Defective Only
Five Below’s return policy gives you 90 days from the date of purchase to return unopened or defective merchandise. Bring your original receipt or online order confirmation, and you can return the item to any Five Below store.
The condition test is the strictest part of the policy. Five Below will gladly exchange or return unopened or defective merchandise. An opened item that works fine does not qualify. That is the rule that surprises most shoppers.
Refunds go back to your original form of payment, and usually take 2 to 10 business days to show up in your account. Exchanges are simpler still: swap an unopened or defective product for the same item, or a different item of equal value.
This guide explains the 90-day window, the unopened-or-defective rule, the mail-return route, and the items that are final sale.
Return Period
90 days (from the date of purchase)
Item Condition
Unopened or defective only
Refund Timing
2-10 business days to show up in your account
No Receipt
Original receipt or online order confirmation is required — without one, your return may not be accepted
Return Windows at a Glance
| Category | Return window | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Unopened or defective merchandise | 90 days from the date of purchase | Original receipt or online order confirmation required; refund to the original payment method |
| Exchanges (unopened or defective) | At any time after the purchase date, with the original receipt | Exchange for the same item or a different item of equal value |
| Damaged or defective items | 90 days from purchase; report promptly | Submit a request through Customer Relations with your order details |
| Gift cards | No return | Gift cards are non-returnable |
| Inflated balloons and custom balloon arrangements | No return | All balloon sales are final, with no refunds, returns, exchanges or cancellations |
| Bulk purchases | No return, unless wrong or faulty | Bulk orders are final sale unless you received the wrong or faulty items |
| Holiday and seasonal items | May be shorter than 90 days | Seasonal items may run only until the end of the relevant season; no specific deadline was verified on 5 November 2026 |
How to Return an Item to Five Below
- Check the date and the condition. You have 90 days from the date of purchase. The item must be unopened or defective. If you opened it and it works, it does not qualify for a standard return.
- Find your receipt. Bring the original sales receipt, or the online order confirmation for a web order. Five Below’s own wording makes the receipt the key to the return.
- Take it to any Five Below store. Your store or online purchase can be returned to any Five Below location. Use the Store Locator on fivebelow.com to find the store near you.
- Choose a refund or an exchange. With your receipt, Five Below will refund you in the original form of payment, or exchange the item for the same product or a different item of equal value.
- Or return an online order by mail. If there is no store near you, you can return an eligible online purchase by mail. Contact Customer Relations first for instructions, and pay for the shipping yourself. Five Below does not provide a return label.
How Long Do You Have to Return Items to Five Below?
You have 90 days from the date of purchase to return unopened or defective merchandise. That window covers both store purchases and online purchases, and it is counted from the purchase date.
Exchanges sit slightly apart from refunds in Five Below’s own wording. Unopened or defective products may be exchanged for the same or a different item of equal value at any time after the purchase date, as long as you have the original receipt. The 90-day window is the published limit for refunds, so do not treat the exchange wording as an open-ended promise. Bring the item back inside 90 days, with your receipt, and you are on safe ground.
Holiday and seasonal items may have a shorter window. Five Below’s support summaries note that seasonal items can run only until the end of the relevant season. No specific seasonal deadline was verified on Five Below’s own pages on 5 November 2026, so check the terms for the seasonal item when you buy it.
What Condition Must the Item Be In?
Five Below’s rule is short and strict: the item must be unopened or defective. That is the whole condition test in the retailer’s own words.
An unopened toy, an unopened beauty product, or an unopened tech accessory qualifies. A defective item qualifies even if it was opened, because the defect is the reason for the return. An opened item that is not defective does not qualify.
Keep the original packaging wherever possible. Returns in original condition and packaging, with all tags and labels attached, are the ones that go through without a problem. Signs of use or missing parts can lead to a return being denied.
Five Below’s own category pages repeat the same wording for different departments. The graphic-tee page, for example, states that Five Below will gladly exchange or return unopened or defective merchandise with its original receipt or online order confirmation to any store location. The rule is the same across the store.
How Do Online Returns and Mail Returns Work?
An online purchase gives you two routes, and the store route is the better one.
In store is the fastest option. Take the item to any Five Below store with your online order confirmation. You can get a refund to your original payment method, or an exchange for an item of equal value. Exchanges are only possible in store.
By mail is the fallback. If there is no Five Below store near you, you can return an eligible online purchase by mail. Contact Customer Relations first, and follow the instructions they give you. Five Below does not provide return labels and does not refund shipping costs. You pay for the return shipping yourself.
Mail returns are refunds only in practice, because an exchange needs you to pick a new item in a store. If you want a different item, return the online order in a store instead of mailing it.
What Can’t Be Returned to Five Below?
Five Below publishes a clear set of exceptions:
- Gift cards. Gift cards are non-returnable. They cannot be returned or exchanged for cash.
- Inflated balloons and custom balloon arrangements. All balloon sales are final. Five Below’s own support article states that no refunds, returns, exchanges or cancellations will be provided for inflated balloons, custom balloon arrangements or special-order balloon products.
- Bulk purchases. Bulk purchases are not returnable unless you received the wrong or faulty items. An order counts as bulk when the units are not in stock at a Five Below store and have to be ordered and delivered to the store.
- Opened, non-defective items. Items must be unopened or defective. An opened item that works as it should does not qualify.
- Clearance and final-sale items. Clearance merchandise and items marked Final Sale are typically not eligible for return. Check the terms at the time of purchase.
- Perishable goods. Items that are perishable or have a limited shelf life may not be eligible for return.
If you received a damaged or defective item, submit a request through Customer Relations with your email, the subject of the request and your phone number. Damaged and defective items are the exception to the final-sale rules, so report them promptly.
How Are Refunds Issued and How Long Do They Take?
With your receipt or online order confirmation, your refund goes back to the original form of payment you used at checkout. That is Five Below’s own wording, and it applies to both store and online purchases.
| Return route | How the refund timing works |
|---|---|
| In store, with receipt | Refund to your original payment method during your visit |
| By mail (online orders) | Refund to your original payment method once Five Below receives and processes the return; you pay the return shipping |
| Refund posting time | The refunded amount may take 2 to 10 business days to show up in your account, depending on your bank |
Five Below does not refund shipping costs, and you have to pay for return labels yourself on mail returns. There is no restocking fee published in Five Below’s support policy. The cost to the shopper on a mail return is the postage.
If your refund has not appeared after 10 business days, contact Customer Relations. Have your receipt or order confirmation ready, along with the date you returned the item and the store or tracking details.
Can You Return to Five Below Without a Receipt?
Five Below’s published policy requires the original receipt or online order confirmation for returns. Without one, your return may not be accepted.
That is a firmer line than many retailers take. Stores like Home Depot can look up a card purchase in their system. Five Below’s own wording does not describe a card lookup or a no-receipt store-credit route. It describes a receipt-based return.
Some stores may offer store credit at the current selling price with valid ID, and some reports describe stricter enforcement in 2026, with exchanges possible for identical items at a manager’s discretion. None of that is in Five Below’s published policy wording, so do not count on it. Keep the receipt, or keep the order confirmation email for an online order.
For online orders, the order confirmation email is your receipt. Save it until you are sure you will keep the item. For store purchases, keep the paper receipt for 90 days.
Five Below Contact Options
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Customer Relations (phone) | (844) 452-3569 |
| Contact Us page | Contact Five Below through the Contact Us page on fivebelow.com for return instructions and damaged-item requests |
| In store | Any Five Below store — use the Store Locator on fivebelow.com by city, state or ZIP code |
| Damaged or defective items | Submit a request through Customer Relations with your email, subject and phone number |
| Mail returns | Contact Customer Relations first for instructions; Five Below does not provide a return label |
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
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- Target Return Policy
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- Costco Return Policy
- CVS Return Policy
- Big Lots Return Policy
- Burlington Return Policy
- Aldi Return Policy
Conclusion
Five Below’s return policy is generous on time and strict on condition. Ninety days is a long window for a value retailer, and any store will take the return. But the item must be unopened or defective, and you must have the receipt or order confirmation.
Keep the receipt for 90 days. Keep the item unopened until you are sure you want it. And if anything arrives damaged or defective, report it to Customer Relations promptly, because defective items are the one category where an opened box is not a problem.
Disclaimer: Policy Return is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Five Below. Return policies can change at any time; always confirm the current policy on Five Below’s official website before making a return.
Checked against Five Below’s published policy on 5 November 2026. Policies change; the retailer’s official page is the final word.
