How to return a package to Amazon: A reverse gift guide for your holiday hangover

According to early projections, Amazon drove at least 40% of online holiday sales this year. That’s great news for the Seattle e-commerce behemoth, but now that Christmas morning is over, it also means a lot of people ended up with gifts from Amazon that they really didn’t want.

Are you one of them? If so, you’re in luck. Amazon, ever the customer-centric company, makes it pretty easy to return a gift in five steps, even if you didn’t buy it. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to the “return a gift” page and sign in with your Amazon account.
2. Enter your 17-digit order ID to locate the order. If you don’t have the number handy, you’ll have to contact Amazon for more information.
3. Select the specific item from the order that you want to return.
4. Select your shipping method. Once you do this, you’ll get a shipping label. Or if you prefer to return the gift to an Amazon locker, you’ll be prompted to pick the locker location.
5. Once your return is authorized, put the authorization inside your package, put the label outside of it, and ship it back. Once Amazon receives your package, it will process your return as an Amazon.com gift card and credit whichever account you used to return the gift. (Note: If you’re the gift-giver, a refund will be processed to the original payment method.)

You can find the full instructions for Amazon gift returns here.

Now for some important caveats. It’s possible that the person who gave you the gift didn’t mark it as a gift when they bought it on Amazon. If that’s the case, you’ll be prompted to contact Amazon’s customer service department during the return process and may need to provide additional information. (Or you could just come clean: Confess that you didn’t really like the gift, and ask your gift-giver to return it for you.)

Also, it’s worth noting that Amazon doesn’t just automatically accept all returns, no questions asked. If you wait too long, or if the item is damaged, you may have a problem. Basically, it’s a good idea to read Amazon’s refund policies before you get started.

Good luck, and happy holiday hangover!