Barnes & Noble Return Policy: 30-⁠Day Window, NOOK & Gift Returns

Barnes & Noble keeps its return policy simple: you get 30 days for most items, but the paperwork you need and the way you get your money back depend on where you bought the item and how you paid. Here is the policy in plain English, based on the Barnes & Noble Help Center ¹.

How long do you have to return something?

Timing matters: if a return is shipped or brought to a store after these windows, Barnes & Noble says it can't issue a refund or send the item back to you ¹.

Returning an item bought in a store

Bring the item and your store sales receipt to any Barnes & Noble store within 30 days of purchase ¹. It doesn't have to be the same store, so something bought in New York can go back to a store in New Jersey while it is still inside the window ¹. Store purchases must go back to a store, though ¹.

To qualify for a full refund of the purchase price plus tax, the item should be new and unread or unopened ¹. Barnes & Noble won't accept a return or exchange after 30 days, without a receipt, or for a product it doesn't carry ¹.

Returning a bn.com order

All returned items must be in their original condition, and sealed products must be unopened ¹. You have two options.

In a store. Bring the item plus your packing slip, Order Confirmation email or Billing Summary email to any Barnes & Noble store, along with your original form of payment ¹.

By mail. Ship the item to the Returns Department ¹:

1. Put the packing slip in the box. If you don't have one, print the Shipping Confirmation email and include that instead ¹.
2. Write your order number on the outside of the box ¹.
3. Send it to Barnes & Noble, Returns Department, 1 Barnes and Noble Way, Monroe Township, NJ 08831 ¹.

Without a packing slip or shipping confirmation printout, the return can't be processed and you won't get a refund ¹. The packing slip is not a prepaid label: you pay for return shipping, and shipping charges are non-refundable ¹.

How you get your money back

• bn.com orders: the purchase price plus tax goes back to your original form of payment ¹. Refunds are processed within 24 hours of the request, but your card issuer may take several business days to post them ¹.
• Store purchases: refunds generally go to your original form of tender; if that isn't available, you get an electronic gift card ¹.
• Store credit cases: bn.com orders paid with ShopPay or PayPal and returned in a store get a Barnes & Noble Gift Card or in-store credit, and textbook returns also get store credit ¹.
• Shipping fees are not refunded ¹.

Buy X, Get Y Free deals are exchange-only unless you return every item from the offer, in which case they can be refunded within 30 days ¹. Free items can only be exchanged for something of equal or lesser value ¹.

Returning a NOOK

An undamaged NOOK bought on bn.com can be returned within 14 days of receipt, either in a store or by mail after you contact Barnes & Noble for a return authorization ¹. Don't skip that step: a NOOK sent without a return authorization number to the wrong address gets no refund and isn't sent back ¹.

A NOOK bought in a store must be returned to a store (any Barnes & Noble location works) ¹. NOOKs bought from other retailers go back to that seller under its own policy ¹. Defective NOOKs can be exchanged in a store or through Customer Service under the warranty ¹.

What Barnes & Noble won't take back

• Opened shrink-wrapped or sealed products, unless defective (then exchange for the same product only) ¹
• Magazines, newspapers and used books ¹
• Digital content, including eBooks, audiobooks and digital magazines and newspapers ¹
• Access Codes and gift cards ¹
• Bulk orders of 50 or more copies ¹

Subscriptions are handled differently: you can cancel at any time and may get a full or partial refund for the unused portion ¹.

Returning a gift

With a gift receipt from a store, you get store credit as an electronic gift card for the purchase price within 60 days of purchase ¹. A gift bought on bn.com is refunded as a Barnes & Noble Gift Card within 60 days of purchase ¹.

2026 holiday returns

Barnes & Noble has extended its window again this year. Purchases made between November 1 and December 31, 2026 can be refunded or exchanged through January 31, 2027, including sealed or unsealed NOOK devices ¹. For NOOKs bought in that period, NOOK Protect warranties can be added up to 60 days after the original purchase date ¹.

Quick tips

• Keep the store receipt: without it, a store purchase can't be returned ¹.
• For bn.com mail returns, put the packing slip or printed shipping confirmation in the box and the order number on the outside ¹.
• Leave books unread and sealed items sealed if you think you might return them ¹.
• See all Barnes & Noble guides on the Barnes & Noble store page, or compare other retailers in return policies.