International shipping disputes rarely turn on one tracking line. A seller that hasn't shipped an order, a carrier that lost a parcel, a customs hold, and an unexpected brokerage charge are different problems. Each has a different record to request and, sometimes, a different deadline.

For a U.S. consumer, start with the seller or marketplace when the complaint is about a refund, cancellation, or delivery promise. Contact the carrier or postal service for transit records and loss or damage procedures. A courier or customs broker can explain an entry hold or an import charge. If the merchandise wasn't delivered as agreed, the credit-card issuer may have a billing-dispute process.

This article concerns consumer purchases, not disputes between freight companies or commercial shippers. It isn't legal advice. An overseas seller may also be governed by the law and contract terms of its own country.

Identify what failed

This routing prevents wasted time. U.S. Customs and Border Protection generally won't resolve a merchant's refund dispute, and a carrier usually can't enforce a retailer's promise to ship by a particular date.

Save the promise before checking the parcel

Before arguing about what happened, preserve what the seller promised. Save the product page, checkout screen, delivery terms, order confirmation, invoice, and payment receipt. A PDF or screenshot can show the terms that applied when you ordered, even if the website later changes.

Look for more than a date. Check whether the seller gave a shipping date, an arrival date, or only an estimate. Note the carrier, service level, destination restrictions, insurance terms, return policy, and any statement about duties, taxes, or brokerage.

An order may also mention EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP, or another Incoterm. These terms can allocate transport, export, import, insurance, and risk responsibilities between commercial parties. The acronym alone doesn't answer whether a retailer owes you a refund.

Read the exact term, named place, and version in the order documents. If the terms are unclear, ask:

• Who pays for international transport and final delivery?
• Who handles export and import clearance?
• Are duties, taxes, and broker fees included in the displayed price?
• Who must start a carrier claim if the parcel is lost?
• Is the stated date a shipping date or an arrival date?
• What happens if customs refuses entry?

An Incoterm also doesn't automatically give you a direct claim against the carrier. Your consumer transaction is generally with the seller. The seller or its logistics provider may hold the transport contract.

Read tracking as evidence, not a verdict

"Label created" may mean the carrier received electronic shipment information without receiving the parcel. "Arrived at destination country" doesn't mean customs released it. "Delivered" may mean a mailroom, front desk, neighbor, or a scan at the wrong address.

Take a screenshot of the complete tracking history, including dates and locations. If a status is unclear, write to the seller or carrier and ask:

1. When was the parcel physically accepted?
2. What is its last confirmed location?
3. Is customs waiting for a document, payment, or inspection?
4. Who is authorized to open the claim?
5. What is the filing deadline for this service?

For a package marked delivered but not found, check the delivery address, household members, building staff, and the carrier's proof of delivery. Tell both the seller and carrier promptly. A delay can make it harder to retrieve a delivery scan, security video, or other record.

Customs holds and import charges

Don't ask a seller to call the purchase a gift, understate its value, or use a misleading product description. If the seller asks you to confirm information you know is false, refuse and keep the message. A mismatch between the order, invoice, payment record, and shipping label can delay clearance and complicate a later loss or insurance claim.

CBP says purchases valued at less than $2,500 may, in most cases, be entered informally when shipped by mail or freight. Informal entry is a customs process, not a promise that the item is exempt from duties, taxes, inspection, or other requirements. Product type, country of origin, shipping method, and agency rules can also affect the shipment. Relevant requirements may come from agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

See CBP's Internet Purchases guidance and CBP's Customs Duty Information.

Mail and courier shipments can follow different clearance paths. CBP explains that international mail is forwarded after arrival to a CBP international mail facility. Courier, express, and other commercial shipments are usually expedited through CBP by a customs broker hired by the commercial service.

If a courier contacts you about an entry problem, ask for:

• The shipment number
• The missing information or action
• An itemized explanation of each charge
• The deadline for responding
• A secure way to verify and pay the charge

Separate a government assessment from a brokerage fee, storage charge, or other service charge. Compare the explanation with the seller's checkout promise. "Free shipping" doesn't, by itself, establish that every import cost was included. Don't pay an urgent-looking demand until you've verified it through the courier's official website or phone number.

Keep the parcel and its packaging

If a package arrives damaged or with missing contents, don't throw away the box. Keep the outer carton or mailer, shipping label, customs paperwork, inner packaging, protective material, and all contents until the seller, carrier, or insurer closes the claim.

Photograph every side of the parcel, the label, broken seals, crushed areas, and the damaged item. Record what is missing. A precise description is more useful than "box damaged": "The right side of the carton was crushed, the seal was open, and the camera lens was cracked."

Also retain:

• The order confirmation and invoice
• Proof of payment
• The full tracking history
• Delivery confirmation or proof of delivery
• Messages with the seller, carrier, broker, and insurer
• Any claim or inquiry number

If you sign for delivery, record visible damage on the delivery record when the carrier permits it. Don't sign a statement saying the goods arrived undamaged when they did not.

USPS's international claims guidance tells customers to gather the tracking or label number and supporting documents before starting an inquiry. The precise evidence and procedure depend on the postal or courier service, so a deadline or document requirement from one carrier may not apply to another.

Check the documents for contradictions

An air waybill, bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, and customs entry notice serve different purposes. They can help identify the shipment and the parties involved, but none of them automatically decides whether the seller owes a consumer refund.

Compare the name, delivery address, item description, quantity, weight, and declared value across the order and shipping documents. Ask the seller to fix an error before shipment if possible. If the parcel is already moving, ask how the correction will be made and whether it could affect clearance.

Be cautious with a delivery waiver, statement of condition, letter of indemnity, or customs declaration you don't understand. Ask the seller or carrier to explain it, keep a copy, and don't sign away facts that aren't true.

Missed shipping dates and credit-card disputes

A shipping promise isn't always an arrival guarantee. For covered U.S. mail, internet, and telephone orders, the FTC's Business Guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule says a seller must have a reasonable basis for its shipment representation. When no shipment period is stated, the rule generally uses a 30-day baseline. The regulation text describes the notice and cancellation process when the seller cannot ship on time.

The rule generally concerns when the seller ships, not a guaranteed date of arrival. Its application can depend on the seller, the transaction, the advertising, and other facts. An overseas merchant isn't automatically subject to every U.S. consumer rule.

If the seller misses the promised shipping time:

1. Write to the seller with the order number, promised date, and remedy you want.
2. Ask whether the goods actually shipped and request the carrier and tracking details.
3. Decide whether to accept a proposed delay or cancel the order.
4. Keep the response and proof of any refund.
5. If you paid by credit card and the merchandise wasn't delivered as agreed, review the issuer's billing-dispute procedure.

The FTC's credit-card billing dispute guidance says written notice should reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error. Under the process described by the FTC, the issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved it, and resolve the dispute within 90 days.

That process is for credit-card billing disputes. It isn't a universal deadline or remedy for debit cards, bank transfers, prepaid cards, or payment apps. Use the billing-dispute address and instructions supplied by your issuer. A dispute asks the issuer to investigate; it doesn't automatically prove that the seller or carrier is liable.

Don't miss a separate claims deadline

There is no single worldwide deadline for an international shipping dispute. The controlling period may come from:

• The seller's return or refund terms
• The carrier's service agreement
• A postal or courier claims policy
• A cargo or travel insurance policy
• A credit-card billing-error rule
• A marketplace buyer-protection procedure

Give written notice as soon as the problem is reasonably clear, even if you still need documents. Ask the recipient to confirm the claim number, required evidence, and deadline in writing.

Don't assume that a commonly quoted 90-day period covers every parcel, cargo, demurrage, or detention claim. A carrier contract may require notice of damage before delivery or set a shorter period for submitting formal documents. The service purchased, not the fact that the shipment crossed a border, usually determines the procedure.

A practical response plan

Before ordering, check the seller's identity, contact information, return terms, delivery estimate, destination restrictions, and insurance. Confirm whether the displayed price includes duties, taxes, and brokerage. Save the checkout record and choose a payment method whose dispute process you understand.

While the order is moving, save tracking updates when the parcel changes country or enters customs. Respond promptly to a legitimate information request, but don't provide a false value, description, or gift designation. If tracking shows only a label or stops moving, ask the seller what was physically handed to the carrier and when.

At delivery, inspect the outer package before discarding it. Photograph visible damage, broken seals, and the label. Record shortages in specific language and keep the packaging.

When the shipment fails, send the seller a short written account with the order number, dates, tracking status, and requested remedy. Ask whether the seller or recipient must open the carrier claim. File the postal or courier inquiry with the required documents, notify any insurer separately, and calendar the credit-card written-dispute deadline if that payment method applies.

A message can be as simple as:

I ordered [item] under order number [number] on [date]. The promised shipping or delivery date was [date]. Tracking currently shows [status]. Please confirm by [reasonable date] whether you will provide the item, issue a refund, or open the carrier claim. I have retained the packaging, records, and payment evidence.

When an agency or regulator may help

Use the escalation route that matches the problem:

• USPS: Start with the USPS international claims page for the current inquiry and documentation process. Procedures can vary by service and destination.
• Ocean common-carrier charges: The Federal Maritime Commission accepts complaints about charges that may not comply with the Shipping Act. Its Complaints and Assistance page describes CADRS and small claims of $50,000 or less alleging Shipping Act violations. It isn't a general refund office for every online order.
• Credit-card billing errors: Send the dispute to the issuer's billing-dispute address and follow the written process described by the FTC.
• A seller outside the United States: Check the seller's terms and the official consumer or commerce authority in the seller's country. U.S. remedies may not apply in the same way.

Keep an escalation focused. A regulator or card issuer may review a billing error, improper charge, or statutory violation, but it may not decide every contract, customs, delivery, or product-quality question.

Start by putting the order terms, tracking history, customs messages, photos, payment record, and written responses into one dated file. Then send the seller the concise request above and ask the carrier or postal service for its exact claim procedure before the applicable deadline passes.