An order that never arrives may qualify as a credit-card billing error, but the next step depends on how you paid. For a U.S. credit-card purchase, merchandise that wasn't delivered as agreed can generally be disputed under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA).

The key deadline is tied to your statement, not the seller's delivery promise: your written notice generally must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the charge was sent to you. Contact the seller, but don't wait for a response if that deadline is approaching.

A chargeback isn't an automatic refund. The issuer reviews the order terms, promised date, tracking history, seller communications, and any response from the merchant or payment platform.

The first decision is how you paid

Several sets of rules can affect an undelivered order:

• Credit-card billing dispute: The FCBA and your issuer's procedures govern the formal written dispute.
• Seller shipping obligations: The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule addresses when a seller must ship and what it must do when a shipment is delayed.
• Card-network procedures: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and individual issuers may use different claim labels and evidence requirements. A network reason code is a processing category, not a federal legal deadline.
• Marketplace or payment-platform policy: Amazon, eBay, PayPal, and other platforms have separate deadlines and buyer-protection terms. Opening a platform case doesn't automatically count as written notice to your card issuer.
• Debit card, bank transfer, and other payment methods: These use different rules and usually don't have the same FCBA protections.

The FTC says an online seller must ship within the time it advertised. If it gave no shipping time, the rule generally uses a 30-day period. When the seller can't ship on time, it generally must send a delay notice and give you a chance to cancel for a full refund.

That rule controls the seller's conduct. It doesn't require a card issuer to approve a chargeback. The FTC's business guide to the merchandise rule covers the seller-side requirements.

What to do when goods don't arrive

1. Check the order and delivery record

Look at the original order before deciding what to claim. Confirm:

• The promised shipping date and, if given, the promised delivery date
• The shipping address
• The carrier's latest tracking event
• Whether someone in your household or a neighbor accepted the package
• Whether the carrier left it in a designated safe place
• Whether the seller sent a delay notice or revised date
• Whether the tracking record says delivered, returned, or held for pickup

Save the order confirmation, status page, and tracking history. A "label created" scan shows that the seller prepared a shipping label; it doesn't by itself prove that the package was shipped or delivered.

2. Ask the seller to fix it

Contact the seller by email, chat, or another method that preserves the exchange. Identify the order, say that you didn't receive the goods, and state what you want.

If the promised date has passed, ask for a refund to the original payment method or for a specific revised shipping date. If you don't agree to wait, say plainly that you're canceling the order and requesting a refund.

Keep the seller's response, including an automated message. If there is no response, save your unanswered request. This record can help with a platform claim or card dispute, but it shouldn't make you miss the issuer's 60-day deadline.

3. Open a marketplace or payment-platform case

If the purchase went through a marketplace or payment service, open its non-delivery case promptly and save the case number. Its deadline may be earlier or later than the FCBA deadline, so track both.

If the seller promises a refund, check your card account to make sure the credit actually posts. Tell the card issuer about any platform case, seller refund, or other credit. A buyer shouldn't keep two refunds for the same purchase; duplicate credits can be reversed.

4. Send the credit-card issuer a written dispute

Use the billing-inquiries address on the statement or in the issuer's dispute instructions. It may not be the same address used for payments.

An online or telephone report can alert the issuer, but a written notice is the safest way to use the FCBA process. Make sure the issuer receives it within 60 days after the first statement containing the charge was sent.

Include enough information for the issuer to identify the transaction:

• Your name and the account information the issuer requests
• The merchant name, transaction date, and amount
• The order number and item description
• The promised shipping or delivery date
• A clear statement that the merchandise was not received as agreed
• Your attempts to contact the seller
• The refund or cancellation you requested
• Copies of the order confirmation, tracking record, correspondence, and platform case, if available

You can state: "I am disputing this charge as a billing error because the merchandise was not delivered as agreed." If you authorized the purchase, describe it as a non-delivery or billing dispute rather than an unauthorized transaction.

Keep a copy of the letter and attachments. Use a delivery method that gives you a record of when the issuer received the notice.

5. Pay the part of the bill that isn't disputed

During a qualifying billing investigation, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance or other charges. You still need to pay undisputed charges and follow the issuer's instructions for the rest of the account.

Don't stop paying the entire balance because one order is under review. A missed payment on an unrelated charge can create a separate problem.

6. Answer the issuer's questions

The issuer may ask for additional information or send you the seller's response. Reply by the stated deadline and use a simple timeline: what you ordered, what the seller promised, what happened, and when you asked for a refund.

The issuer generally must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days unless it has already resolved the matter. It generally must finish the investigation within two billing cycles, and in no event later than 90 days after receiving the dispute.

An initial or temporary credit may change after the investigation. Read the final notice and check the account rather than assuming that an early credit is permanent.

Evidence that helps with a non-delivery dispute

A short timeline is usually easier to review than a folder full of unlabelled screenshots. Put the records in roughly this order:

1. The agreement: Order confirmation, invoice, product description, shipping promise, and cancellation terms.
2. The payment: Statement or transaction record showing the credit-card charge.
3. The delivery history: Tracking events, carrier messages, delivery photos, or a carrier investigation number.
4. The seller's conduct: Emails, chat transcripts, delay notices, refund promises, and cancellation requests.
5. The platform record: Case number, claim decision, and messages exchanged through the marketplace.
6. The problem: A brief explanation of what was missing, late, misdirected, or never shipped.

Redact your full card number, security codes, passwords, and other information the issuer doesn't need. Don't crop or edit screenshots in a way that removes dates or context.

If tracking says "delivered"

A delivery scan is relevant, but it doesn't answer every question. Compare the scan with the order address and check the delivery time, photo, signature, and any carrier location information. If the scan shows a different address or conflicts with the order record, point out that discrepancy.

Ask the carrier and seller to investigate and keep their responses. A carrier confirmation of delivery to the correct address may lead the issuer to view the matter differently from a package sent to the wrong address or one that was never shipped. If the package was stolen after a confirmed delivery, review the seller's shipping or loss policy and any available carrier claim process; that situation may not be treated as simple non-delivery.

Deadlines to keep separate

• Credit-card billing dispute: Written notice generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the charge was sent.
• Seller's shipping promise: The seller generally must meet its advertised shipping time or send a delay notice with a cancellation and refund option under the FTC rule.
• Issuer acknowledgment: Generally within 30 days, unless the dispute has already been resolved.
• Issuer resolution: Generally within two billing cycles and no more than 90 days after the issuer receives the dispute.
• Marketplace or payment-service claim: The deadline varies by company and transaction. Check the current terms in your account.
• Delayed shipment: The FTC notes that some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Ask your issuer, but don't assume an extension applies.

The FCBA period is measured from the statement date, not necessarily from the promised delivery date. If you discover the problem late, send the dispute immediately and ask whether the issuer can use a network or company extension.

What changes with other payment methods?

Debit card

A debit-card purchase doesn't use the FCBA credit-card process. Contact the bank or credit union that issued the card as soon as you know the order wasn't delivered. Ask for its merchant-dispute procedure and deadline.

Describe the transaction accurately. An authorized purchase that never arrived is different from a transaction you didn't make. Calling an authorized purchase fraud can complicate the review.

PayPal or a marketplace funded by a card

Open the platform's non-delivery case within its current deadline, while monitoring the credit-card deadline separately. The statement may show PayPal or another platform instead of the underlying seller.

Give the issuer the platform case number and ask how it handles a dispute already open elsewhere. Report any platform decision or refund so the issuer has the complete record.

Payment apps, wire transfers, and cryptocurrency

These payment methods generally don't provide the same card-chargeback route. Contact the provider immediately, ask whether the transfer can be stopped or reviewed, and preserve the recipient details and messages.

A completed cryptocurrency transfer isn't automatically reversible merely because the purchase turned out to be a scam.

Why a non-delivery claim may be denied

An issuer may reject or reverse a non-delivery dispute when:

• The written notice was late
• The seller has evidence of delivery to the correct address
• You accepted a revised delivery date and the revised period hasn't passed
• The seller already issued a refund
• The evidence identifies a different transaction or amount
• The goods were delivered and the disagreement is instead about quality, damage, or a later theft
• The transaction went through a payment service with different dispute conditions

If the issuer denies the claim, ask for the decision and the evidence it relied on. A focused response can help if the merchant supplied a wrong address, incorrect delivery date, or incomplete tracking record. Ask whether the issuer offers a reconsideration process.

When a seller disappears or appears to be a fake store, preserve the website address, receipt, advertisements, payment record, and communications. The FTC's online-order guidance recommends disputing a credit-card charge when an order never arrives and reporting suspected scams to the FTC. A report may help identify a pattern, but it doesn't guarantee an individual refund.

Frequently asked questions

Can I dispute an order that is only late?

Ask the seller to cancel and refund the order once the promised shipping or delivery time has passed. If the seller sends a delay notice, decide whether you accept the revised date. If you don't, document the cancellation and send the card issuer's written dispute before the federal deadline expires.

Does a "delivered" tracking status automatically defeat my claim?

No. It is significant evidence, but the issuer can also consider the delivery address, signature, photo, carrier notes, and your explanation. A package stolen after confirmed delivery may be treated differently from one delivered to the wrong address.

Do I have to contact the seller before filing?

Not necessarily. Contacting the seller is useful and creates a record, but don't postpone the written credit-card dispute while waiting for a reply. The 60-day FCBA deadline is the safer deadline to protect.

Can I file after 60 days?

Contact the issuer immediately. The federal written-dispute period may have passed, but the issuer may offer a separate card-network process or an extension for a delayed shipment. Marketplace and seller remedies may also remain available.

What should I call the dispute?

Use the issuer's available label, such as "merchandise not received" or "billing error." Don't label an authorized purchase as fraud simply because the seller failed to deliver.

This information is for U.S. consumers. If your card was issued in another country, the applicable law and dispute deadlines may be different. If the 60-day period is close, send the written notice now and add supporting records later if the issuer allows it.