Almost everything on SHEIN is eligible for a refund. But, its return process can make getting your money back a hassle—unless, like us, you learn how to beat the system.
Despite SHEIN’s apparently strict returns policy, we were able to return clothing without tags, used items that weren’t in their original condition, and we even received a refund without returning one item.
SHEIN’s Refunds: A Breakdown
Overall score: 4.5/5 (unless you follow official SHEIN return guidelines then it’s a 3/5 max)
Getting a quick and hassle-free refund from SHEIN is all about making your returns process as simple as possible.
SHEIN’s Refund Policy
To get a refund from SHEIN, you need to make your return within 35 days from the date of purchase.
SHEIN’s official policy states that refunds can take between 24 hours and 12 to 15 business days, depending on the refund method. The original shipping fee, if applicable, is non-refundable.
We received our refunds to our credit card within two business days of us mailing them back.
SHEIN says it conducts quality checks on all returned items, to make sure they meet return requirements: in original, unused, unaltered and unwashed, condition with all tags attached and in original packaging.
It says refunds are only issued on items that pass this quality check, but our experience contradicts this.
SHEIN’s Refund Process
SHEIN’s says it processes refunds within 7 business days of receiving a return.
When a return reaches SHEIN’s warehouse, it’s checked to ensure it meets return requirements. If it’s good to go, you’ll receive a refund. If not, it could be sent back to you with a $7.99 return shipping fee.
Officially, it also states if a return is rejected, it may return it to the customer and apply a shipping fee of $7.99.
However, despite this, we received a refund for:
- A robot vacuum we returned, even though we’d used it and hadn’t reported any faults.
- Clothing without a tag, one came off but we threw it in the bag with the piece we returned and still got our money back.
One of the items we ordered from SHEIN arrived broken and we contacted its customer service about it and then had to provide photo proof of the damage to get a refund.
It was broken glass so we felt we had to let them know so we could get a refund and because returning it could pose a hazard to anyone handling it in transit.
But, given our experience with the robot vacuum and the clothes tag, in future we’d probably just take photos of the broken or faulty item, then return it and skip SHEIN customer service to minimize hassle.
You can read more about our SHEIN hauls here, and on our experience of its returns here.
What SHEIN Won’t Refund
SHEIN’s policy specifies that the following items cannot be returned or exchanged:
- Bodysuits
- Lingerie
- Underwear
- Jewelry
- Accessories
- Cosmetics
- Pet products
- Customized products
- Free gifts
There are also specific return terms and conditions for certain items such as human hair wigs; shoes, bags and luggage and electronics, which we go into more detail about here.
SHEIN’s Refund Methods
There are three options for how to receive a refund from SHEIN:
- Credit in SHEIN Wallet
- Paid back to the original payment method used
The quickest way to get a refund is by selecting the SHEIN Wallet, which can be processed within 24 hours.
You can find/view SHEIN Wallet ‘My Assets’ in your account; the available balance can only be utilized for future purchases.
SHEIN’s Refund Speed
Officially, SHEIN processes refunds in 7 business days, but ours were much faster.
Our SHEIN returns were processed and refunded to our credit card within two business days of us mailing them back.
We received two same-day refunds, one for a damaged item and for another we didn’t need to return (a pack of 10 candles worth $4.37 (AU$7.95).
SHEIN’s refund speed depends on method and bank, as follows:
| Refund Method | Time for SHEIN to Initiate Refunds | Time for Refund to Show on Your Account |
| SHEIN Gift Card | Within 24 hours | / |
| SHEIN Wallet | Within 24 hours | / |
| PayPal | Within 24 hours | 1-5 business days |
| Credit/Debit Card | Within 24 hours | 1-15 business days |
The 3 Things We Did to Get Super-Fast SHEIN Refunds
To recap, we made getting refunds on our three SHEIN hauls quick and easy by:
- Sticking to the same, uncomplicated return reason
- Keeping contact with customer service to a minimum
- Not paying much attention to SHEIN’s official rules.
More to Know
SHEIN Refund Without Return
SHEIN’s website doesn’t provide official information about refunds without a return.
Although there were past reports of SHEIN providing refunds without returns, from the 23 items we ordered, we received a refund without return for one, a pack of 10 candles valued at $4.37 (AU$7.95).
The reason for this policy shift couldn’t be confirmed with SHEIN’s customer service, but we think it’s likely due to the item’s low cost and would cost SHEIN more to process as a return than it’s worth.