I recently needed some pet medication for our husky and didn’t want to call my vet every time I needed a refill, so I checked out Chewy.com. It was a very easy process to get the Rx approved and my first Chewy order arrived quickly. But it made me wonder what the return policy was at Chewy, especially as it related to medications. After some digging, I discovered a pretty great policy but it has some caveats that pet owners need to be aware of, especially as it pertains to prescription drugs for dogs and cats. Here’s exactly how the Chewy return policy works.

How Many Return Days Does Chewy Give Me?

365 days.

Chewy gives shoppers a whooping 365 days to return an item if they are not satisfied with it.

This easily puts their return policy on par with the likes of Costco and significantly better than both Petco and PetSmart who offer 30 and 60 days respectively.

How Do I Initiate a Return?

Since Chewy is an online only business, you have to reach out to them with a message in order to initiate your return, CLICK HERE to make it happen.

You’ll need to either chat, email or call Chewy directly in order to process your return. 

Be sure to include your order number in the message in order to expedite your return.

When using the Chewy app, or their website, ALL returns will have to be processed by an agent.

Who Pays the Return Shipping Fees?

Chewy pays the return shipping costs.

For ALL returns that you request, Chewy takes care of the return shipping fee and can even schedule the pick-up FREE of charge.

They will provide a prepaid FedEx shipping label for you and you can either drop it off at FedEx or schedule a pickup from your home.

Can I Return Pet Food That My Pet Won’t Eat?

Yes.

You have one full year to return dog or cat food that your furry friend has turned it’s nose up at.

I verified this with a Chewy representative and was told that you can ALSO return a bag of pet food if it’s half empty or almost gone.

Also, if you’re returning wet food and some cans are missing, they will STILL take it back.

Is Anything NOT Returnable to Chewy?

Yes.

The one item that you may have trouble returning to Chewy is prescription drugs…more on that directly below.

Everything else can be returned.

So…Can I Return Prescription Drugs?

Yes and no.

Chewy has a general rule that prescription medications are NOT returnable.

BUT….I’ve talked to several loyal Chewy users who say that you should call the pharmacy team directly at 1-877-977-3879 and ask for a return or exchange on pet medications if needed.

In many cases, Chewy will take back prescription drugs, especially if you’re simply swapping out your pet meds for a different drug if the original medicine isn’t working.

Also, if Chewy messes up your prescription, or sends the wrong drug, they will definitely allow you to return it at no cost to you.

Can I Get an Exchange Instead of a Return?

Yes.

When contacting Chewy, tell them you’d like to exchange the item rather than get a refund and the rep will make it happen for you.

Can I Return a Used Dog Toy?

Yes.

This one blew me away.

I actually had a Chewy rep tell me you can indeed return a used dog toy if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason.

See Also: 9 Highly Clever Ways to Save Money at Walmart

How Do I Return Something That Was a Gift?

If the gift was delivered directly to you, you’ll need to reach out to the person that bought you the gift so they can process the refund and order the item you want instead.

Similarly, if the product was given to you as a gift, and ordered under someone else’s account, you won’t be able to make the return yourself, you’ll need their help to make a return or exchange happen.

Will Chewy Let Me Keep Some Items I Try to Returns?

Yes.

Often times when you try to make a return to Chewy they’ll tell you to keep the item or donate it to an animal shelter.

This seems to happen the most often on bulky/heavy items as it’ll cost Chewy more in return shipping costs than the item is worth.

See Also: Here’s Why Amazon Lets You Keep Some Items You Try to Return

Can I Return Pet Food After My Pet Dies?

Yes.

This is where the Chewy return policy gets kinda AWESOME and reminds me of the great customer service at Zappos.

From this Reddit thread, it seems Chewy will refund you the cost of pet food after you lose an animal and instead of having you return the food, they ask if you can donate it to a local animal shelter.

Pretty cool stuff, hats off to Chewy on this one.

What Does Chewy Do With the Items People Return?

If the item you return to Chewy is unopened they’ll simply place it back for sale on their website.

If the product is used or opened they’ll either send it back to the manufacturer, donate it, or destroy it.

They currently do NOT sell refurbished products or “opened box” specials.

Can Their Policy Be Abused and Get Me Banned?

Perhaps.

While their return policy seems very lenient, it’s safe to assume that there will be repercussions if you return too many items over a given period of time.

This is especially true if the reason for your orders is to try and score free products by Chewy telling you to keep them when you try to return them.

Don’t abuse their return policy as it will only hurt shoppers down the road as Chewy will be forced to make policy changes.

How Do the Prices at Chewy Compare to Amazon?

On average, Chewy is a little more expensive than Amazon.

After doing about two dozen price comparisons, I was surprised that Chewy actually beat the Amazon price on several items, namely dog beds and cat toys.

Ask the Reader: What’s been your experience with the return policy at Chewy? Let me know in the comments if I’m missing any tidbits of information.

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)