By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I bought an OLED TV yesterday from one of your Prime Day deal stories at TV Answer Man. Thanks for the tip. Question for you: Do I need to keep the box it comes in? My friend at work says it’s a good idea but he’s not very good at explaining why. Why on earth would I keep the box? — Mark, San Diego. 

Mark, congratulations on your purchase and I’m glad we could help. As for your friend, he was right. You should keep the box and let me explain why.

When you buy a new TV — whether it’s online or from a retail store — it’s wise to keep the box around for a while. I know you might want to tear it down and get it out of the house because who needs more clutter, right? But trust me, keep the box.

And here’s why. Your TV will come with a free warranty period, or you might buy an extended warranty. If something happens to the set during the warranty period, you will need the box to ship the set back to the manufacturer for repairs in case there isn’t an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.

In addition, if there is a problem with the set when you first get it, most e-commerce sites will allow you to return it for a refund within a certain time period, usually within 30 days. Again, you will need the box to ship the TV back to get your refund.

See today’s top deals on TVs at Amazon.com.

I know keeping a big box around the house can be a pain in the butt. I used to work at a company where our office manager had a policy of keeping a computer or TV box around for 30 days. Her view was that if anything was to go wrong with a new product, it would likely happen in the first 30 days. So best to have the box around during that time just in case.

That’s probably a good rule of thumb. But keep in mind that your TV could have a problem later on and you’ll need some way to ship it back to the manufacturer. (Again, if there’s not an authorized dealer in your neighborhood where you could bring the set in.) If you don’t have the original box, you’ll have to get creative and buy a new box to ship it back. And if we’re talking about a 75-inch set, that could get complicated.

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman