Although Home Depot stocks a huge variety of tools, supplies, and materials for your DIY and renovation projects, sometimes you may not get what you’re after on the first attempt.
So if you’re looking to return an item purchased at Home Depot, you may wonder, does Home Depot charge a restocking fee? Here is what I’ve found out about this!
Home Depot Restocking Fee
Home Depot charges a 15% restocking fee for custom products such as building materials, flooring, and lumber. Typically, Home Depot will only charge the restocking fee for Home Depot’s Pro Desk purchases. Additionally, the restocking fee does not apply to faulty items or tools.
If you want to learn more about why Home Depot charges a restocking fee, whether you have to pay a restocking fee for defective items, and much more, keep reading!
Why Does Home Depot Charge Restocking Fees?
Home Depot charges a 15% restocking fee for special order items in order to compensate for procurement and delivery expenses associated with these products.
Since special order items are custom items from external suppliers, they cannot simply be returned to the Home Depot store and reshelved for other customers to buy.
In most cases, Home Depot has to return these products to the original supplier so that it will have a restocking fee imposed as part of this process.
Because of this, it charges a restocking fee for these items from customers who return or cancel their special orders.
How Do You Pay The Home Depot Restocking Fee?
Once Home Depot has received your returned special order item, and the refund has been approved, the restocking fee is deducted from the refund value.
After this deduction, the refund amount is returned via the method of purchase you originally used for payment.
Keep in mind that the special order item must be returned to the Home Depot store where it was initially purchased from.
Does Home Depot Charge Restocking Fees For Defective Items?
In most cases, customers won’t have to pay a restocking fee when returning a defective special order item and will receive a full refund instead.
The return policy may differ across items because Home Depot orders special order items from various external suppliers such as Owens Corning, Simpson Strong-Tie, and GAF.
As a result, customers are recommended to consult the Home Depot Pro Desk of the store they originally ordered from when seeking to return a defective special order item.
Which Items At Home Depot Incur A Restocking Fee?
Home Depot’s special order items, including custom-size and custom-quantity lumber, building materials, and flooring, sometimes incur a 15% restocking fee.
Note that whether the special order item is subject to the restocking fee will depend on the item type and the original supplier’s return policy.
Which Items At Home Depot Do Not Incur A Restocking Fee?
All products excluding special order items purchased from the Home Depot Pro Desk are exempt from the restocking fee when returned or canceled.
However, keep in mind that some special order items may also be exempt from the restocking fee.
This will ultimately depend on the product, and your local Home Depot store will make any decision on an item-by-item basis.
Now that you know more about Home Depot, you can also read our related posts on Home Depot’s return policy without receipt, when Home Depot restocks, and Home Depot’s return hours.
Conclusion
Home Depot may charge a restocking fee of 15%, but only on special order items. This is because special order items are custom items that Home Depot is unable to re-shelve and sell in its stores.
Instead, Home Depot usually has to return these items to the original supplier and pay a restocking fee in this process. The restocking fee then charged from the customer covers this expense.
