For a U.S. order marked delivered but not received, save the delivery evidence, check the address and nearby locations, contact the carrier and seller, and open the correct payment or marketplace case before its deadline. A delivery scan can show a date, photo, signature, or location, but it doesn't automatically prove that the package reached the right person or address.

The route depends on where you bought the item and how you paid.

Start with these checks

1. Save the tracking record. Screenshot the delivery status, date, time, photo, signature information, and stated delivery location. Tracking pages can change.
2. Compare the addresses. Check the order confirmation against the shipping address and label, including the apartment, suite, building, or unit number.
3. Look nearby. Check parcel lockers, a front desk, household members, hidden places, and trusted neighbors. If the scan appeared unusually early, check again during the next normal delivery cycle.
4. Contact the carrier. Ask for a delivery investigation and any proof-of-delivery details it can disclose. Request the case number. With USPS, contact the local post office as well as using the tracking or claims tools where appropriate.
5. Contact the seller. Describe what you checked and ask for a carrier trace, replacement, or refund under the seller's policy. Keep the conversation inside the marketplace when possible.
6. Keep a timeline. Record dates, names, case numbers, emails, and promised follow-up dates. Waiting for a carrier response shouldn't cause you to miss a platform or card deadline.

If you authorized the purchase but never received the item, describe it as an item-not-received problem or billing dispute. Don't call it an unauthorized transaction or fraud merely because the parcel is missing.

Which process controls the dispute?

A carrier investigation and a payment dispute are separate. The carrier may review a delivery scan without ordering the retailer to refund you. A marketplace, PayPal, or card issuer can also make its own decision based on the evidence.

Send the seller a factual message

A short, specific message is more useful than an accusation. You can write:

Tracking for order [number] shows delivered on [date and time], but the package isn't at the delivery address. I checked the property, household, neighbors, and building reception. Please open a carrier investigation and let me know whether you can provide a replacement or refund. The carrier case number is [number].

Include the order and tracking numbers. Don't put your full address, phone number, or GPS information in a public review or marketplace message that isn't intended for sensitive evidence.

PayPal

The linked U.S. Purchase Protection terms state that an item-not-received dispute must be opened within 30 days of the delivery or fulfillment date, or within 180 days of the payment date, whichever comes first.

Open the dispute from the transaction in your PayPal account. Explain why the delivery evidence doesn't establish that you received the order. Relevant facts may include:

• The carrier delivered to a different address, unit, or building.
• The delivery photo shows another doorway or location.
• The carrier acknowledged a misdelivery.
• A required signature was missing.
• The seller or carrier gave information that conflicts with the tracking record.

If the seller doesn't resolve the issue through the dispute, follow PayPal's instructions for escalating it to a claim. PayPal makes its decision under its eligibility rules and the information submitted.

If a credit card funded the PayPal payment, don't seek duplicate refunds. PayPal and the card issuer may require you to choose one process, and you must not keep both a PayPal refund and a card-credit refund for the same purchase.

eBay

Open the item-not-received request from the eBay order. A seller message or email alone may not create a formal case.

Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee policy, buyers generally have 30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery or collection date to report a problem. Eligibility and exclusions can vary by transaction.

If eBay decides against you, the policy says an appeal may be submitted within 30 calendar days of the decision. Use the appeal to add clearer or new evidence, such as a carrier case number, an incorrect delivery address, or a delivery photo showing a different location.

A delivery scan may support the seller's position, but it doesn't make the explanation irrelevant. State whether the problem was a wrong-address delivery, an early scan, a missing signature, or theft after a correct delivery.

Amazon marketplace orders

An Amazon order may involve Amazon, a third-party seller, or a carrier selected by the seller. Start on the order page. Review the delivery photo and other available details, then contact the seller or Amazon support through your account.

If the seller doesn't resolve the issue and an A-to-z Guarantee option appears, use the instructions and deadline shown for that specific U.S. order. Amazon's marketplace procedures vary by country, order type, and fulfillment method, so don't copy a deadline from an Amazon help page for another country.

Amazon won't necessarily approve a refund just because a carrier scan looks incomplete, and a scan marked delivered doesn't guarantee that the seller wins. Identify the mismatch between the tracking record and what happened at the address.

Shopify-powered stores

Shopify is a storefront and payment platform, not one universal refund authority. The individual store handles the order and refund request. The payment processor or card issuer handles a payment dispute.

Keep the following records:

• The store's refund and shipping policies.
• The order confirmation and payment record.
• Tracking screenshots and delivery photos.
• Your messages and the seller's replies.
• The carrier investigation number and result.

If the store stops responding, use the dispute process for the payment method. A Shopify store's policy doesn't replace the separate procedures for a credit card, PayPal, or another payment provider.

Credit-card disputes for merchandise you never received

If you paid with a U.S. credit card and the merchant doesn't resolve the problem, the FTC describes a written billing-error process for certain disputes involving merchandise that wasn't received. Under the process described in the FTC's billing-error guidance, your notice generally must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.

Send the notice to the billing-error or billing-inquiries address on the statement. It may not be the address used for payments. Include:

• Your name and account number.
• The transaction date and amount.
• The merchant's name.
• A clear statement that the merchandise was not received.
• Copies of the order, tracking record, carrier messages, and your contact with the seller.

Keep a copy of the letter and proof that the issuer received it. The FTC's credit-card dispute guidance says the issuer must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the matter. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, but no later than 90 days.

During the investigation, the FTC says you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges. Continue paying the undisputed part of the bill on time.

Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment was delayed. Ask the issuer about that possibility, but don't assume an extension applies. If the 60-day period is close to expiring, send the written notice promptly.

This process is for credit cards. A debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, wire transfer, and peer-to-peer payment can follow different rules. Contact the provider promptly and use the error or purchase-protection process in your account agreement.

USPS says delivered, but there is no package

Save the USPS tracking or article number and ask the local post office to investigate the delivery scan. Tell the seller what USPS says. The sender or insured party may be the one who must start a claim, depending on the shipment.

The USPS domestic claims page lists filing periods by mail class and coverage. For some eligible domestic claims involving damage or missing contents, USPS says a claim can be filed immediately and no later than 60 days after the mailing date. That does not mean every package with a delivered scan qualifies for an insurance payment.

The same page says that a partially paid or denied claim can be appealed within 30 days of the decision. A second appeal can be filed within 30 days of the appeal denial. USPS says claims decisions usually take 5 to 10 days, although individual cases can differ.

A USPS delivery scan and a USPS claim are not the same as a merchant refund. If the carrier confirms a wrong-address delivery, send that finding to the seller and, if necessary, the payment provider.

FedEx, UPS, and other carriers

Use the carrier's tracking page to request available proof of delivery. Depending on the service, it may include a delivery photo, signature record, stated location, or other scan details.

Check the record for inconsistencies:

• The photo shows a different door, porch, or building.
• The delivery time was before the package arrived in the area.
• The signature is missing even though one was required.
• The carrier's stated address doesn't match the order.
• The tracking history shows an exception or later correction.

Some carriers will investigate only through the shipper's account. If that happens, ask the seller to open the trace and give you the case number or result.

A photo or location scan can support either side, but neither automatically proves that the named buyer personally accepted the package.

If the package was stolen after delivery

Porch theft is different from a carrier losing or misdelivering a package. If the tracking and photo show delivery to the correct location, the seller, marketplace, carrier, shipping insurer, and payment provider may apply different rules.

Report what actually happened:

• If the package never reached your property, say it appears misdelivered or missing.
• If it arrived and was later taken, say it was stolen after delivery.
• If a camera recorded the event, preserve the original footage.
• If the carrier confirmed a delivery problem, provide the case number.
• If you made a police or insurance report, keep the report number.

A police report or video may support your account, but it doesn't automatically require a retailer, carrier, PayPal, or card issuer to pay. Ask the merchant whether it offers a replacement or theft policy, and check any shipping or purchase protection that actually covered the order.

If you're the seller

A delivered scan is a starting point, not a complete response. Compare it with the address captured at checkout, including the unit number, and check the delivery time, service requirements, photo, signature, and any authorized safe place.

A focused record should contain:

• The order and invoice.
• The checkout address.
• Complete carrier tracking.
• The proof-of-delivery photo, signature, or available location data.
• Delivery instructions and safe-place authorization.
• Customer-service messages.
• The carrier investigation number and result.
• Any replacement or refund already issued.

Respond through the marketplace or payment processor before the deadline in its notice. A clear timeline is easier to evaluate than a folder of unrelated screenshots. Redact private information and submit location data through the platform's secure evidence process.

Don't say that tracking proves the customer personally accepted the parcel. If the carrier confirms delivery to the wrong address, treat that as a fulfillment problem and work with the carrier and customer. If the evidence shows correct delivery followed by theft, explain the policy that applies without accusing the buyer.

For a card chargeback, use the deadline in the processor's notice. Include the order record, delivery evidence, customer communications, and a short explanation of what each document shows. No photo, GPS record, or tracking scan guarantees that a bank will rule for the seller.

Evidence that can clarify the dispute

Don't edit screenshots, invent a carrier response, or submit someone else's signature. Inconsistent evidence can weaken a valid claim and may lead to account restrictions.

Mistakes that can cost you time

• Waiting for an informal refund without opening a formal platform case.
• Assuming every delivered scan automatically protects the seller.
• Letting the carrier investigation run past a PayPal, eBay, Amazon, or card deadline.
• Treating a USPS insurance claim as a guaranteed refund.
• Applying a French, U.K., or other country's PayPal, Amazon, or eBay deadline to a U.S. transaction.
• Calling an authorized purchase "fraud" because the parcel is missing.
• Seeking two refunds for the same purchase through PayPal and the card issuer.
• Posting sensitive address or GPS information publicly.

Save the tracking page and order address first. Then contact the carrier and seller, record the case number, and note the earliest deadline shown in the relevant platform or payment account.