Expanded peg; square hole

November 20, 2023 6:49 AM

Need to return a mattress to Amazon. No way will it fit back in the original box now that its expanded. If I ship it back in a different box, will they accept the return?
posted by pmaxwell to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

When I wanted to return a mattress I bought online the company said to keep it. They refunded me the payment, but it was just not worth the effort and expense for them to have me mail it back. You may want to check with the vendor to see if they even want it.
posted by waving at 6:51 AM on November 20 [4 favorites]

It probably depends on the brand, but yeah, you probably do not need to ship it back. It's five years old and specific to Tuft & Needle, but there's a discussion here:

"We never ask you to repackage the mattress or ship it back. Instead, orders through Amazon will work with their Special Handling Department for a return. If you order directly from our website and decide to return, we'll help arrange for either a charitable donation or recycling pickup. In any case, returns are always free and you get a complete, 100% refund once completed."

Further downthread someone says "T&N instructed people with a similar question to reach out to Amazon's Large Items team."
posted by pullayup at 6:55 AM on November 20 [2 favorites]

Yep, agreeing with everyone else. Now it's gonna turn into a different kind of problem, because places like thrift shops won't accept mattress donations (for cleanliness/bedbugs/etc. reasons). So you're gonna have to ask your friends and/or arrange for large item trash pickup, etc. Good luck.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:59 AM on November 20

If the seller does not not want it back, spare the landfill and try to give it away. When I upgraded my mattress, to my surprise several people wanted a decent but well-used and significantly stained mattress. (This was like 8 years ago, and I listed it on Craigslist, but today you might have better luck on a local Buy Nothing or similar group. You could also see if there's a refugee resettlement organization nearby.) If yours is in good enough condition to return, you should have no trouble finding it a good home.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:10 AM on November 20 [4 favorites]

nthing that they almost certainly will not want it sent back, but will either just straight-up refund you, or refund with the stipulation that it goes to a charity (possibly coordinating that with an affiliate).

I used to sell mattresses, and our local Habitat For Humanity charity shop would take mattresses and box springs, as long as they were clean and without visible sag or body impressions. They even came and picked them up from us. Aside from that, Craigslist or FB Marketplace "Free, haul it away" will almost certainly see it gone. If it is stained, consider that throwing in an inexpensive mattress cover may be cheaper/easier than trying to haul it to the dump.
posted by xedrik at 9:08 AM on November 20 [3 favorites]

You should check to see if Amazon has any return locations near you. In my region, Kohl's operates an Amazon return desk at the back of the store. If that's an option, you can just roll it up loosely with bungies or something and drive it over. Takes two minutes once you're in the store.
posted by Pudding Yeti at 9:28 AM on November 20 [1 favorite]

Sign in and start the return process. It will tell you what to do and what they’ll do.
posted by sageleaf at 9:40 AM on November 20 [1 favorite]

Also, for smaller amazon things, I go through the effort to call/make them call me. Frequently, they agree that sending it (the fully leaked indoor liquid plant feed) back is dumb. Always "call".
posted by atomicstone at 9:51 AM on November 20

Response by poster: They do want it back – they already supplied me a QR code for sening it back.
posted by pmaxwell at 10:39 AM on November 20 [1 favorite]

Seconding Putting Yeti about in-person returns being a possibility, depending on where you live. Where I am we can take things to Whole Foods.
posted by LadyOscar at 11:10 AM on November 20 [1 favorite]

Gah, sorry, "Pudding Yeti"...comes of posting before coffee
posted by LadyOscar at 12:21 PM on November 20

They don't care about the box you send it in, for most items all they check is that you sent something back.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 1:38 PM on November 20

If you happen to live near a Whole Foods, you can return items to the store without having to put in a box or other shipping package. Usually when you start a return, they will show the options for how to return it.
posted by metahawk at 4:52 PM on November 20

If you haven't tried this already, I suggest you call Amazon customer support and tell them that you tried to package the mattress for return, but couldn't due to the size and weight. There is a fairly good chance that they'll waive the requirement to return it.

The online system will always ask for you to return, but the humans often have discretion.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 5:51 PM on November 20 [3 favorites]

If you do end up needing to send it back, the best tool for getting the mattress in a vaguely shippable shape is "Ratchet Straps". You can use them to roll it up bit by bit and then secure with something cheaper like rope and keep the straps for some other time.
posted by past unusual at 5:59 PM on November 20 [2 favorites]