Rue La La return policy: how to send it back, what fees hit, and how to get your money back

You grab a deal fast on Rue La La. The clock ticks, the stock is low, and your cart feels like a win. Then the box shows up and the win can fade. The size is off. The color looks odd in your room. Or the item is fine, but you just do not want it.

Rue La La can be great for sharp prices, but the return rules are not the same as a full-price shop with rows of stock. Rue La La runs short sales with low stock, so the rules lean on one big idea: act fast, keep tags on, and ship it back the way they ask.

This guide walks you through the Rue La La return policy in plain words. It covers the 21-day time rule, what “new state” means, what “Final Sale” means, how the return label works, the two refund paths (credit or cash back), the return fee, and the extra rules for buyers in the UK and EU.

First: there are two main Rue La La return rule sets

Rue La La has one rule set for most U.S. orders. It also has a tight rule set for “international” orders. You need to know which one fits you, or you may plan the wrong return path.

If you buy in the U.S. and ship to a U.S. address, you will most often use the 21-day policy.

If you buy from outside the U.S. (or your order is set as an international order), the rules can be very strict. Some international orders are “Final Sale” by default. For UK and EU buyers there is a 14-day right tied to local law, with a set return ship fee.

So before you do any steps, look at your order page and your ship info. That tells you which lane you are in.

The main U.S. time rule: 21 days from the ship date

For most Rue La La U.S. orders, the key clock is 21 days from the date your order ships. Not from the day you buy. Not from the day you open the box. From the ship date.

This is the part that trips a lot of people. A sale item may ship a bit late, then you get it, then you wait a week to try it on. Your time can get thin fast.

A good habit is to treat the ship email like a start gun. When you get that ship note, mark the date. Then plan to try the item on as soon as it lands.

Think of the 21-day window like a soft loaf. Early on, it bends with you. Wait too long and it turns hard.

Returns must be okayed and done by mail with their label

Rue La La does not want you to send a box back at random. Returns must be set up in your Rue La La account so they are okayed first.

Once you start the return in your account, Rue La La gives you a return label. You use that label and ship by mail. This is not a “pick any ship firm you want” deal. The label ties your box to your order so the return can be tracked in their system.

If you lose the label, Rue La La lets you pull it up again in your return history and print it once more.

Rue La La also has a printer-free path in many cases. After you start the return, you may get a QR code by email so a drop site can print the label for you.

What “new state” means for a Rue La La return

Rue La La will take back an item only if it comes back in “new state.” That means no wear, no wash, and no change.

Try it on like you are in a shop. Clean skin. Clean floor. Short try. Then off it goes.

Rue La La also wants all tags on. If you cut the tag off by habit, you can end your return chance right there.

They also want the item in the first pack it came with. For many goods, that pack is not just a bag. It can be a box, a dust bag, a card, spare parts, a hanger, or a wrap that keeps the item safe.

If it came in the box, send it back in the box.

Keep the “full set” together

A lot of Rue La La buys come as a set without you even noting it at first. Shoes come with a shoe box. A bag may come with a dust bag. A watch may come with a case and a card. A coat may have a spare button pack.

Rue La La calls these parts “original packaging,” and it can cover hangers, wrap, boxes, cards, add-ons, and dust bags.

If you send back the item but keep the dust bag, the return can fail. If you send back shoes but the shoe box is gone, the return can fail.

So keep all of it in one spot until you are sure you will keep the item.

Final Sale means it will not show up in your return list

Rue La La uses “Final Sale” on some items. When an item is Final Sale, it is not set for a normal return.

The site does you one favor here: if the item is Final Sale, it will not show up as returnable when you start a return. So if you log in and you do not see the item in your return list, that can be why.

Still, do not lean on that as your only clue. The best move is to look at the item page at the time you buy. If it says Final Sale, treat it as a one-way buy.

If you get a Final Sale item and it has a real flaw or it came wrong, that is a new case. In that case, the right move is to reach Rue La La support and show clear proof, like photos of the flaw and the box.

Two refund paths: credit with free ship back, or cash back with a fee

Rue La La gives two main refund paths for U.S. returns that fit the rules.

The first path is “merch credit.” If you pick merch credit, Rue La La gives free return ship for that return. This can be a good pick if you shop Rue La La a lot and you know you will use the credit soon.

The next path is a refund back to the way you paid. If you pick this path, Rue La La takes a set return fee from your refund. The fee is $11.99, and it is kept from the refund total.

So you can think of it like this. Credit can save you the return ship cost. Cash back costs you the return fee.

There is also a note for Alaska and Hawaii. Air ship rates can come into play there, so the cost side can look a bit more strict.

How to start a return step by step

You start in your Rue La La account. You go to the returns area, pick the order, then pick the item you want to send back.

At this point, the site may “gray out” some items. That can mean the item is not fit for return, or it can mean Rue La La does not want those items sent in the same box.

After you pick the item, you pick a return cause and then you pick the refund path (credit or cash back).

Then you get the label. You pack the box with only the items on that return slip. Put the slip in the box. Tape the box well. Put the label on the box.

Then you drop it off in the way the label says. Many returns can be dropped at FedEx sites, FedEx drop boxes, and some shop sites that take FedEx packs. Some returns can also be dropped with USPS, based on the label and the rules shown for your case.

Keep a drop slip if you get one. A drop slip is like a claim stub. If a box goes lost, it is your proof that you sent it.

Do not plan on an exchange

Rue La La does not do swaps the way a full stock shop does. The reason is simple. Stock is low and sales end fast.

If you need a new size, the main plan is to buy the new size if it is still up, then send back the first one if it fits the return rules and is not Final Sale.

This can feel risky, but it is the real way to do it on a flash-sale site. If you wait for a swap, the size can be gone.

What if the item is wrong, hit, or has a flaw?

A “do not want it” return is one thing. A wrong item or a flaw is a new thing.

If you got the wrong item, if the box came hit, or if the item has a flaw, take clear photos right away. Take a photo of the ship box, the ship label, and the flaw on the item. Keep all pack bits.

Then reach Rue La La support. In these cases, do not just ship it back with no note. A flaw case can need a review, and a fast note with photos can save time.

How long a refund can take

A return has two time parts. First is ship time back to Rue La La. Next is the time in their dock and sort line.

Once they get the box, they still need to check the item state and match it to the return file. If the item is clean, has tags, and has the full set of pack bits, the flow is smooth. If not, it can slow down, or the return can be turned down.

After Rue La La okays the return, the bank can still take time to show the refund on your card. That delay is on the bank side, not the shop side.

International orders: the strict rule, plus a UK/EU carve-out

If you buy as an international buyer, Rue La La says all items are Final Sale in that lane. That means you should not plan on a normal “send it back” return.

There is one key carve-out for UK and EU buyers. UK and EU law can give a 14-day right to send an item back after you get it. Rue La La notes this and sets a return ship fee for “I do not like it” type returns. The fee shown is $49.99, and it is kept from the refund. In that 14-day lane, the refund can cover the item price and also ship, duty, and tax for the item you sent back, minus that fee.

There are also more than one firm that can run cross-border orders. If your order was placed by a cross-border firm, your return steps can be tied to that firm’s flow. In that case, use the return steps shown on your order page for that lane.

Easy rules that keep your return path open

Open the box on day one. Try the item on at once.

Keep tags on. Do not cut them off “just to see.”

Keep the full pack set. Dust bag, shoe box, card, wrap, spare bits, all of it.

Do not wear it out. Do not wash it. Do not change it.

Start the return in your account fast, and ship it back with the label they give you.

Keep your drop slip and any track code.

High-cost Amazon picks over $2,000 that can help if you buy online a lot

You do not need big gear to send back one tee. Still, if you buy online a lot, and you keep lots of order mail and drop slips, a few high-cost buys can make life less of a mess.

A strong laptop that is over $2,000 on Amazon, like a MacBook Pro class model, can help you keep order mail, return files, and drop proof in one neat spot. When a shop asks for proof, you can pull it up fast.

A work-grade all-in-one print and scan unit that is over $2,000 on Amazon, like an HP LaserJet Enterprise class unit, can help if you print labels and scan drop slips. It turns loose paper into clean files.

A pro cam kit that is over $2,000 on Amazon can help for “box came hit” cases. A sharp photo of a flaw can save days of back and forth.

These are not must-buys. The best free move is still fast care: try it on fast, keep tags on, and keep the box neat.

Last word

Rue La La returns can feel easy if you play by the core rules. For most U.S. orders, you have 21 days from the ship date to send back a return-fit item in new state, with tags on and the full pack set. You can pick merch credit with free return ship, or cash back with an $11.99 return fee held from the refund. Final Sale items do not fit normal returns. For international orders, the rules can be far more strict, with UK and EU buyers having a 14-day lane tied to local law and a set return ship fee.

Do your checks fast, keep all pack bits, and treat the tag like a lock on a door. Keep it on until you are sure you want to stay inside.