An Amazon or eBay order that never arrives may give you two separate ways to seek help: the marketplace’s buyer-protection process and, if you paid by credit card, a billing-error dispute. Neither route guarantees a refund simply because tracking is late.

This guidance is for U.S. buyers. Marketplace rules vary by platform and sometimes by country, so use the terms shown in your order account rather than copying a deadline from a forum or another country’s website.

First, confirm the order is actually overdue

Before opening a claim, save the basic facts:

If tracking says “delivered,” check the address, delivery photo or scan, household members, building staff, and likely carrier drop-off locations. Report the problem truthfully. An order marked delivered may require a different review from one that was never shipped.

Contact the seller through the marketplace’s messaging system and state the facts clearly. Ask for either a confirmed delivery update or a refund through the platform. Keep the conversation on the platform when possible because it creates a time-stamped record.

Don’t let an open-ended promise to “wait a few more days” cause you to miss a marketplace or credit-card deadline.

Amazon orders: check the A-to-z process in your account

For an Amazon Marketplace purchase, start from the order page and contact the seller. If the seller doesn’t resolve the missing-order problem, look for the option to request Amazon’s review under the A-to-z Guarantee.

Amazon’s rules can differ by marketplace. For example, the official Amazon A-to-z Guarantee page for the UK marketplace lists conditions that can include:

Those details are not a universal U.S. deadline. Open the current A-to-z instructions attached to your U.S. order and follow those terms. Submit the tracking record, seller messages, delivery date, and a short explanation of what happened.

An A-to-z review is a platform-policy decision. It isn’t the same process as a credit-card billing dispute, and a seller’s message alone isn’t an Amazon decision.

eBay orders: report the item as not received

eBay directs buyers to check the expected delivery date, shipping address, and tracking before reporting an item that hasn’t arrived. Use the order in your purchase history and select the item-not-received option after the delivery date has passed.

According to eBay’s official help page for items that haven’t arrived, most sellers respond within three business days. If the seller hasn’t responded or hasn’t provided a resolution after three business days, you can ask eBay to step in.

The eBay Money Back Guarantee policy also says that a buyer or seller may appeal eBay’s decision within 30 calendar days of that decision. That appeal period is different from the time allowed to report the missing item, so save the case decision and note both dates.

eBay says refunds are typically available within three to five business days after the refund process begins. The exact timing can depend on the payment method and the case outcome.

Credit-card disputes have a separate 60-day deadline

If the order was charged to a U.S. credit card and the goods never arrived, the FTC describes a legal billing-error process. The key deadline is not necessarily 60 days after you placed the order. Your written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the billing error was sent to you.

Use the issuer’s billing-dispute instructions and send a written letter. A phone call may help start an investigation, but the FTC recommends following up in writing to receive the full protection of the law. The FTC’s guidance on disputing credit-card charges explains the process.

Include:

Keep a copy of the letter and your supporting documents. Send the dispute early enough for it to arrive within the 60-day period.

The FTC says the issuer must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless the issue has already been resolved. The issuer must resolve it within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after receiving the dispute. During the investigation, you generally don’t have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges, but you should pay the rest of your statement on time.

Some card issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Treat that as a possible issuer decision, not as a reason to wait. If the deadline is approaching, contact the issuer and send the letter promptly.

What the marketplace process does not control

Keep these routes separate:

If the platform refunds you after you’ve opened a credit-card dispute, notify the card issuer and provide the refund details. Keep records so the same loss isn’t reimbursed twice.

If you paid with a debit card, prepaid card, or payment app

The FTC procedure described above is specifically a credit-card billing-error process. Don’t assume its 60-day deadline or investigation rules apply in the same way to a debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, or payment app.

Contact the provider as soon as you identify the problem and ask which process applies to merchandise that wasn’t received. Provide the order record, tracking history, seller messages, and marketplace case number. Provider deadlines and protections can vary, so check the account agreement and follow the provider’s written instructions.

A short message you can send the seller

Hello, I’m contacting you about order [number]. The estimated delivery date was [date], but the order has not arrived. Tracking currently shows [status]. Please confirm the shipment status or process a refund through the marketplace. I’ve attached the order and tracking details.

Keep the message factual. Avoid claiming fraud or unauthorized use unless that is what actually happened.

Questions buyers often ask

Does a late package automatically qualify for a refund?

No. The marketplace or card issuer may review the delivery date, tracking, seller communications, payment details, and applicable eligibility rules. A claim is not an automatic refund.

Does the credit-card 60-day period start on the purchase date?

Usually, the FTC’s billing-error deadline is measured from the date the first statement containing the error was sent, not simply the date you placed the order. Check the statement date and send the written dispute promptly.

What if tracking says the package was delivered?

First verify the address and delivery details, then report the missing delivery through the marketplace. Include the tracking record and explain that you did not receive the goods. The result depends on the platform’s policy and the evidence reviewed.

Should I wait for Amazon or eBay before contacting my card issuer?

Not if waiting could put you past the credit-card deadline. Open the marketplace case promptly, but track the statement date separately. A marketplace conversation doesn’t automatically stop the card-dispute clock.

If the delivery date has passed, save the order and tracking screens today, contact the seller through the platform, and check whether your credit-card statement is still within the 60-day written-dispute period.