An HMV purchase may be a sealed vinyl record, a digital-code product or merchandise bought as a present. Whether the item was unsealed and where it was bought can make a substantial difference to the shop’s ordinary returns procedure.
First, establish where the item was bought
HMV’s in-store help, updated in April 2026, says most eligible unwanted items or gifts can be returned to an HMV or FOPP branch within 30 days of purchase when unopened, unused and accompanied by a valid receipt. It lists exclusions including gift cards, downloadable-content products, digital/game credit and mystery boxes. HMV.com orders and HMV DELIVERS orders have their own instructions rather than sharing one universal shop-returns route. The official HMV UK policy and help page contains the current wording for this purchase route.
Check the confirmation to identify which HMV service supplied the item. Keep record sleeves, seals and any accompanying accessories intact. If you placed an online order, locate its online returns help instead of taking the in-store refund paragraph as permission to bring that parcel to any counter.
Consider this situation
A vinyl record given as a gift but still sealed may follow the ordinary gift-return conditions; a scratched record discovered after opening is a product-quality enquiry. Tell the support team which situation occurred rather than applying the wrong policy.
For a game bought from Smyths Toys rather than HMV, our Smyths Toys returns guide covers that separate retailer’s procedure.
If it is faulty or the process stalls
If a download code was included, do not assume that simply replacing the plastic wrapper makes the item eligible for an ordinary change-of-mind return. Consult the applicable exclusions on HMV’s help pages.
For the related account or support instructions, use HMV official customer information.