Start with the seller, not the carrier. In your first message, identify the order, state the promised shipment or delivery date, attach the relevant tracking history, and request one specific remedy. The seller usually controls the order refund, replacement, cancellation, or marketplace case, even when the carrier caused the delay.

For U.S. mail, internet, and telephone orders, the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule generally requires a seller to ship within the time it represented. If the seller gave no shipping-time representation, it generally must ship within 30 days. These are shipment deadlines, not automatic guarantees that a carrier will deliver by a particular date.

When a seller cannot ship on time, the rule requires a delay notice and, depending on the circumstances, an opportunity to cancel for a prompt refund or agree to a revised date. It does not create a universal cash payment for inconvenience or require a carrier to refund every late parcel.

First identify what went wrong

Use the right remedy for the actual problem:

• The seller did not ship on time: Compare the order confirmation with the actual shipment date. Ask for cancellation and a refund, or ask the seller to provide the delay notice and options required by the applicable terms.
• The order shipped but is late: Save the tracking history, contact the seller, and check whether the shipping service has a refund or guarantee policy.
• The order arrived late: Ask for the remedy promised in the seller's policy or shipping terms. A full product refund isn't automatic if you keep the item; a return, cancellation right, or specific guarantee may control.
• You were charged but never received the merchandise: Contact the seller promptly. If you paid by credit card, you may also have a billing-error dispute route with a strict written-notice deadline.

Don't treat a carrier's estimated delivery date as the same thing as a definite seller promise. The order confirmation, checkout page, invoice, and shipping terms may show different dates. The FTC rule focuses on when the seller ships; a delivery estimate may instead be governed by the seller's or carrier's terms.

What rule or policy controls the refund?

The FTC's regulation text covers seller shipment and delay-notice requirements. It isn't a general carrier-refund law. A carrier claim may also be limited to the shipping account holder or original shipper, so you may need the retailer to submit it.

State laws, contracts, and marketplace terms can provide additional protections, but they vary by location and transaction. Check the terms tied to your order rather than relying on a general rule found online.

Gather the evidence first

Create a dated timeline and keep the relevant records in one folder:

1. Order confirmation and invoice
2. Screenshot of the promised shipping or delivery date
3. Tracking number and tracking history
4. Messages with the seller, marketplace, or carrier
5. Payment statement showing the charge
6. Photos of damage or packaging, if damage is also involved
7. The carrier service and shipping method, if listed

Record the order date, promised shipment date, promised arrival date, actual shipment date if known, latest tracking scan, and any revised date the seller supplied. Save the original promise if the estimated date later changes.

A tracking screenshot may show where the parcel is, but it usually won't prove what you paid or what the seller promised. A short, complete timeline is more useful than a folder filled with unrelated attachments.

Common mistakes that weaken a shipping complaint

Leading with anger instead of facts

A message such as "Your incompetence ruined my vacation" may express real frustration, but it doesn't tell the claims team what happened or what action to take.

Use a dated description instead:

Order 12345 was expected to arrive on June 10. Tracking has shown no movement since June 8, and the package has not arrived.

You can be firm without making personal accusations.

Asking for "compensation" without naming a remedy

A seller can't easily act on a vague request. Choose the result you want:

• Cancellation and a full refund because the order hasn't arrived
• A replacement shipment
• A refund of a shipping charge if the seller's terms or a qualifying guarantee supports it
• Return instructions and a refund if a late item is no longer useful

State the amount you paid and ask that any refund go to the original payment method. If you plan to keep the product, don't demand its full price solely because of a minor delay unless a specific contract, guarantee, or legal right supports that request.

Confusing shipment and delivery dates

A seller's promise to ship by a date is different from a carrier's estimate of when the parcel will arrive. Your complaint should say which date passed. If both dates were given, include both.

Sending the complaint to the wrong party

The carrier controls transportation and tracking scans. The seller generally controls the order, refund, replacement, and marketplace process.

Contact the retailer or marketplace first. If the seller directs you to the carrier, ask for the correct claim route and whether the seller must open the claim as the shipping-account holder.

Treating an exception scan as the final answer

"Weather delay," "address correction," "delivery attempt," and "label created" describe tracking events. None of those phrases, by itself, decides whether you qualify for a refund.

Send the tracking evidence to the seller and ask what happens next. If the address was correct and the carrier made an error, state that fact without guessing about blame.

Relying on a blanket deadline

There is no single U.S. deadline for every late-package complaint. Carrier deadlines may depend on the service, shipping account, destination, invoice, and claim type. Marketplace filing windows can differ as well.

Check the current terms linked from the order or shipping account. A deadline for one UPS or FedEx service may not apply to another service. The separate credit card billing-error deadline is more specific: the issuer generally must receive a written dispute within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.

Sending unsafe or irrelevant documents

For an ordinary parcel, a bill of lading usually isn't necessary. Start with the order confirmation, invoice, tracking record, and payment evidence.

Redact a full card number, security code, passwords, and unrelated personal information. Send identification only through the merchant's or carrier's official secure process if it is genuinely requested.

Citing the wrong country's law

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a U.K. law. It doesn't govern an ordinary U.S. purchase. For a U.S. complaint, rely on the order terms, the FTC rule, and applicable state protections instead of copying a foreign template.

How to write an effective refund request

Keep the first message short and send it through a channel that creates a record. Use the seller's official contact form, account message system, or support email. If the seller provides a claims department, use that route and save the confirmation number.

Sample shipping delay complaint

Subject: Late order and refund request - Order [number]

Dear [seller or support team],

I placed order [number] on [date] for [item]. The confirmation said it would ship by [date] and estimated arrival was [date]. Tracking number [number] shows [brief status] as of [date], and the promised date has passed.

Because the order hasn't arrived, I'm requesting [cancellation and a refund of $amount to the original payment method / a replacement / another specific remedy]. Please confirm the next step and expected resolution date in writing. I have attached the order confirmation, payment record, and tracking history.

Thank you,
[Name]
[Email and phone number]

Use a reasonable response date as a follow-up target, such as five business days. That is your requested response date, not a universal legal deadline.

If the seller sends a revised shipment date, reply in writing to say whether you accept it. If you don't, state that you want to cancel and request the cancellation and refund option described in the delay notice or applicable terms.

If the item arrives before cancellation is processed, ask for return instructions. Don't keep both the merchandise and a refund without confirming with the seller what it wants you to do.

What to do if the seller doesn't respond

Credit card purchase

If the merchandise was never delivered or wasn't delivered as agreed, consider a written billing-error dispute with the credit card issuer. The FTC's guidance on disputing charges for goods you never received says that a credit card billing error generally must be disputed in writing within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.

Send the letter to the billing-dispute address shown on the statement. It may be different from the issuer's general customer-service address. Include:

• Your name and account details
• The charge date and amount
• The merchant name
• The order and tracking numbers
• The promised date and actual delivery status
• Copies of your seller complaint and supporting records
• The amount you are disputing

Keep a copy and proof of delivery. The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days unless it resolves the matter sooner, and must resolve it within two billing cycles, not more than 90 days, under the FTC's explanation of the process.

Pay the undisputed portion of the bill while the investigation is pending. The FTC says you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges during the investigation. A credit card dispute isn't an automatic refund: the issuer reviews the evidence, and the seller may respond.

If the item later arrives, update the issuer and follow the seller's return or payment instructions.

Debit cards, bank transfers, and payment apps

The credit card billing-error process doesn't automatically apply to debit cards, prepaid cards, ACH transfers, wire transfers, or peer-to-peer payment apps. Contact the provider immediately and check its error, fraud, and purchase-protection procedures. These payment systems can have different deadlines and eligibility rules.

If you paid through a marketplace or payment intermediary, check its dispute window before waiting for a carrier investigation. Contacting the carrier may not preserve a marketplace or payment-provider deadline.

Government and state complaints

If a seller appears to be using deceptive shipping promises or repeatedly taking payment without shipping, you can report the conduct to the FTC or your state consumer-protection office. A report may help authorities identify a pattern, but it doesn't guarantee an individual refund. Keep pursuing the seller, marketplace, or card issuer for the transaction itself.

Marketplace and carrier tips

Marketplace orders

Use the order's help or dispute page and message the marketplace seller first. A marketplace guarantee, if available, has its own eligibility conditions and filing window, separate from a carrier's service guarantee.

Record when you contacted the seller and what resolution was offered. Check the current instructions for the country and account involved rather than relying on a rule copied from another marketplace site.

Carrier claims

Check the exact service purchased, not just the carrier's name. Express, ground, and postal handoff services can have different terms. Weather, address problems, customs, and other listed exceptions may affect eligibility.

Give the seller or authorized shipper:

• Tracking number
• Shipment and promised delivery dates
• Service level
• Invoice or receipt
• Actual delivery time, if delivered
• Screenshots of relevant tracking scans

Don't assume a carrier always owes a refund after a certain number of days. Verify the current terms for that shipment and ask whether an approved refund would cover postage only or another amount. If only the original shipper or account holder can file, ask the seller to submit the claim.

Start by saving the order confirmation and tracking history. Then send the seller a precise request through an official channel. If the order was never delivered and you paid by credit card, calculate the separate 60-day written-dispute deadline before deciding how long to wait.

This is general information for U.S. consumers, not legal advice. State laws and transaction terms may change the result.