Everybody hopes they will get what they wished for during the holidays, but experts say it's important to know what to do if you don't.

Return policies vary from store to store. Stores like L.L. Bean and Bloomingdales offer a full refund for up to a year, according to a survey done this year. Nordstrom and JC Penney have no time limits on returns.

Electronics have much stricter return policies. Best Buy gives customers 15 days to return items and Apple allows 14 days.

Luana Lewis, of the Better Business Bureau, says there are also many things to consider while shopping online.

"If you're shopping online and the item has to be shipped back to a foreign country in order to return it--it's going to cost you so much more than the actual item in many cases," Lewis says.

Other things to keep in mind are the need for receipts, whether you can get cash back or only store credit and if stores pay for shipping when returning online purchases.