"I Had No Idea" — This Amazon Bag Hack Makes Returns Way Easier

If you shop on Amazon often, you probably get many of your packages delivered in white plastic bags emblazoned with Amazon’s signature arrow logo.

You could recycle the Amazon bags (if plastic film recycling is available in your area) — but if you ever return items, you may want to hold onto these bags. Because apparently, certain Amazon mailers are designed to be reused for returns.

A hack circulating on TikTok shows that if you flip Amazon bags inside out, you can use them for returns.

“Amazon bags are meant to be turned inside out to use for returns. It even has a peel and seal strip already inside,” states the narration in a TikTok video posted by Debbie Sandler, aka A Life Better Organized.

As seen in the video, Sandler takes an empty white Amazon poly mailer, and simply flips it inside out. This simple move turns the bag into a plain gray mailer, with a peel and seal strip to reseal your package.

“I’ve been doing this all wrong. Tell me I’m not the only one,” Sandler captioned the TikTok.

She apparently isn’t the only one who didn’t know about the clever hack for Amazon bags. “Had no idea. Thanks for sharing,” said one commenter.

“I’m finding out more and more that I know nothing,” wrote another.

While many people seemed excited to learn about the hack of turning Amazon bags inside out for returns, others questioned whether it was really that good of an idea.

During transit, those Amazon bags can get pretty dirty, so it may not be wise to put your returns in them, several commenters pointed out.

“The outside of that bag is always FILTHY! I’m not going to put my return in it and hope it doesn’t transfer the dirt,” said one person. “We have dirt roads, so the bags are always filthy by the time I get [them],” added another.

Several commenters on the Amazon hack video on TikTok said the peel and seal strip can actually be used without having to turn the bag inside out. “Pretty sure you don’t need to flip inside out. I use and seal all the time without flipping,” said a commenter. “You don’t flip it inside out, you just put the new label on top of the old one,” added another.

But, according to some people, why go through the hassle of even turning the bag inside out and mailing in your return, when you can just drop your Amazon returns to Kohl’s or Whole Foods without any outer packaging?

That said, not everyone has a Kohl's, Whole Foods, or any other store that accepts Amazon returns in their area — so for some people, reusing the poly bag and taking their Amazon returns to the post office may be their best option.