Our Top 10 tips for Reboxing Day

If you're planning to spend much of the next week returning gifts, you're not alone. Twenty-one percent of respondents to a recent poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center said that they returned at least one holiday gift last year; 9 percent returned three or more. To help you navigate the complex maze of issues related to gift returns, we've created this guide to what we're officially declaring Reboxing Day — the day you start reboxing those unwanted gifts and hauling them back to the store. Follow these tips, and you may just be on your way to a week of happy returns.

•  Keep those gift receipts. They're vital for many of the other tips listed below (and while you're at it, make a mental note to include gift receipts with the goodies you hand out next year).

•  Don't be surprised if you're turned away if you don't have a receipt. Many stores have gotten stricter about accepting returns without a valid receipt. In addition, new tracking software is enabling many large retailers to keep tabs on individuals' return behavior. If you've returned goods too often within a specified time period or habitually seek to return merchandise without a receipt, you could be denied. (If you think there's an error, clear your name by contacting the Return Exchange, a company that monitors returns for retailers, at returnactivityreport@thereturnexchange.com.)

•  Don't expect a cash refund. Stores are not obligated to give you your money back, even with a proper receipt. Your refund can come in the form of store credit or gift card.

•  Use that receipt to make sure you get the full price. If you're lucky enough to be able to make a return without a receipt, you'll probably get the lowest price the item sold for, which may include markdowns.

• Try to recoup shipping charges. Some generous e-tailers are willing to provide prepaid mailers to return a sweater or pair of shoes that doesn't fit, but they don't generally broadcast the news. Be sure to read the fine print on the returns page, or ask when you call for a return authorization number.

•  If you don't want it, don't open it. Restocking fees of about 15 percent or more are common, particularly for consumer electronics products and computers.  If you break the seal or tamper with the packaging, the product is considered open. Similarly, software, CDs, DVDs, and the like may be returned for exchange, not a refund, once the packaging's been opened. Even stores that allow open gifts to be returned may require the original packaging, so be sure not to toss that box until you're sure you want to keep the gift.

• Find out if you can return an online purchase to the site's brick-and-mortar counterpart. Many times, those jeans you got in the wrong size from Eddie Bauer.com can be brought back to any Eddie Bauer store, sparing you from having to repack the box, haul it to the post office, and pay for return shipping. However, not all Web sites allow in-store returns, so be sure to check in advance.

• Offer a reasonable explanation for the return. Some stores can be finicky and require a reason for your return. Use good judgment and say it doesn't fit quite right or you're not crazy about the color. Don't be difficult and blurt out something like "spite," an excuse that didn't fly in an episode of "Seinfeld,"when Jerry tried to return an expensive jacket to a ritzy boutique.

• Don't rush it. Many retailers and e-tailers extend the period for holiday returns well beyond the normal time frame. Purchases made in early November can often be brought back through the end of January (of course, policies vary from merchant to merchant, so be sure to read all fine print on receipts and web sites). With that in mind, consider waiting a week or so after the holidays before heading back to the store. Lines will be shorter and everyone will (hopefully) be in a better mood. If you're intent on returning a gift as soon as possible, do so early in the day, ideally soon after the store opens. Crowds are lighter, lines are shorter, and employees haven't been beaten down. The next best time is during dinner hours, when manyshoppers are at the food court. 

•  If you can't return it, regift it. Go ahead; you'll be joining a growing trend. Fifteen percent of Americans we surveyed said they gave their unwanted gifts to someone else, up from 13 percent last year. If you go the regifting route, be discreet and don't embarrass yourself. There's no need to brag about it. Better yet, donate the unneeded gift to charity.