(NEXSTAR) — If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Oh no! These live Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches I ordered from Amazon aren’t what I meant to buy,” it’s good to know return policies before you hit Buy Now.
So how do you know if you can return an item to Amazon? The company explains you’ll know if an item is returnable if you see a message saying so when you select Return or Replace Item in the Your Orders section. You won’t see a message if it’s not returnable.
But for products you purchased directly from Amazon, here are a few no-gos listed on Amazon’s Return Policy page:
- Gift cards
- Pharmacy items, including prescriptions
- Fresh flowers
- Pet food
- Groceries
- Some electronics (you’ll have to refer to the specific item’s page)
- Wine
- Products without UPC codes
- Hazardous materials
- Live plants
- Live insects
It’s worth noting that Amazon may offer refunds for some of these and damaged or defective items can often be replaced, Amazon says. Items sold by third-party sellers won’t be accepted back by Amazon. Instead, the company says you’ll have to reach out to the seller for their policy on returns.
And if you’re wondering if you read the last item on the list correctly, yes, Amazon does sell live insects, including caterpillars, butterflies, roaches, ladybugs, worms and ants.
Let’s say your item is returnable – have you ever wondered what happens to your Amazon returns? Aside from being inspected for resale via Amazon, many products eventually find homes with people who have no idea what they might be getting.
It turns out, a bounty of mystery items are routinely up for grabs from Amazon through auctioning of returned items by the pallet. The thrill of the reveal has even inspired a sub-genre of unboxing YouTube content.