If a dropshipping order is late, never arrives, arrives damaged, or is materially different from the listing, start with the store that took your order and payment. Dropshipping is a fulfillment method; it doesn't normally make the overseas supplier your customer-service contact.

Request the remedy you want in writing, save the listing and payment records, and watch any payment-dispute deadline. A U.S. online purchase does not come with a universal 30-day, no-questions-asked return right. The 30-day rule discussed below is about when a seller must ship, not a general right to return an item.

Start with the business that took your order

Check the order confirmation, receipt, website policy pages, and card statement. The correct route depends on where you bought the item:

A store may tell you to deal with its supplier. You can ask the store to handle that relationship instead. Don't send an item to a supplier or overseas warehouse until the merchant gives you the return address, any authorization number, and shipping instructions in writing.

Save the record before the listing changes

A refund request is easier to assess when it shows the promised item, the payment, and the problem in one place. Keep copies of:

Take screenshots early. Stores can revise listings and policies after checkout. Keep the packaging while the issue is unresolved, especially for a damaged or incorrect product.

Put your refund request in writing

Email is usually better than a phone call because it creates a dated record. Include the order number, purchase date, what happened, and the remedy you are requesting.

Subject: Refund request for order [number]

I ordered [item] on [date]. The problem is [not delivered, damaged, incorrect, or materially different from the listing]. I am requesting [a full refund, replacement, or other specific remedy]. Please confirm the next steps in writing, including whether you require a return, the authorized return address, and the refund amount. If the item has not shipped, please confirm cancellation and the amount to be refunded.

Attach relevant photos or tracking records, but don't send card numbers, account passwords, or other unnecessary personal information.

If the seller offers a partial refund or store credit, read the offer closely. A partial refund may make sense if you plan to keep the item, but confirm the amount and whether accepting it closes the case. Store credit is not the same as money returned to the original payment method.

Match the request to what went wrong

The order has not shipped or is late

If the order has not shipped, ask the store to cancel it. A cancellation is not automatically available in every transaction, but the seller should tell you whether the item has shipped and what it will do with your payment.

The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires sellers to have a reasonable basis for believing they can ship within the advertised time. If no shipping time is stated, the default is generally 30 days.

When a seller cannot ship on time, the rule requires it to obtain the buyer's consent to a delay or refund payment for unshipped merchandise. If the store asks to delay the order, reply in writing with your decision. A supplier delay does not erase the store's shipping promise.

That rule concerns shipment, not a guaranteed delivery date or a general return period.

Tracking shows shipped, but the package never arrived

Include the promised date, the full tracking history, and any delivery scan in your written request. Ask the seller to explain the status and provide the remedy it proposes.

A package marked delivered but not received can require a different review from an order that was never shipped. Preserve the tracking evidence and contact the merchant promptly. If the store will not resolve the matter, provide the same records to your payment provider before its deadline.

The item is damaged, wrong, defective, or unlike the listing

Describe the difference specifically. "Not as described" is more useful when you identify the actual mismatch: wrong color or size, missing accessory, broken part, different material, or a feature shown in the listing that is absent.

For this type of problem, ask whether the merchant wants the item returned and whether it will provide return instructions or address return shipping. Do not assume you must pay to send an item abroad unless the seller's written instructions and policy make that clear.

You changed your mind

For a change-of-mind return, the store's posted policy may determine the deadline, item condition, excluded products, restocking terms, and shipping arrangements. That is different from an item that was damaged, incorrect, or materially unlike the listing.

State law and the facts of the transaction can also matter. A seller's return policy is worth saving, but it does not answer every possible consumer-protection question.

Return the item only with clear instructions

Before mailing anything, get answers to these points in writing:

Use a trackable shipping service and retain the receipt. A supplier's informal chat message is not a substitute for the merchant's written return instructions.

Once the merchant says it has refunded you, ask for the exact amount, the payment method, the date the refund was initiated, and any refund reference number. Keep that confirmation in case the credit does not appear.

If you paid by credit card

A merchant refund and a credit-card billing dispute are separate processes. A billing dispute may be available for problems such as merchandise that was not received or was not what you agreed to buy, but the card issuer decides whether the transaction qualifies.

To preserve the federal billing-error protections, send a written dispute to the issuer at the billing-inquiries address on your statement. That address can be different from the payment address.

Your letter should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. Include:

Keep the originals. The FTC's credit-card dispute guidance says an issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after receiving the written notice.

During the investigation, you generally do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges. You still need to pay the undisputed part of the bill on time.

Do not let a seller's request to "wait a few more days" cause you to miss the 60-day window. The FTC notes that some issuers may extend the period for a delayed shipment, but you should not assume they will. If the merchant refunds you after you file a dispute, notify the issuer so you do not receive payment twice.

Debit cards, wallets, prepaid cards, and transfers

The credit-card billing-error procedure does not automatically apply to debit cards, prepaid cards, digital wallets, wire transfers, or person-to-person payments. These payment methods may have separate protections, deadlines, and investigation procedures.

Contact the provider as soon as possible and ask for its written dispute or fraud process. Send the same evidence you sent the seller. For a digital wallet, use the transaction's official support or dispute channel and check the deadline shown in your account. For a wire transfer or person-to-person payment, act immediately because recovery options may be limited.

Keep track of which process you are using. A merchant refund, marketplace case, wallet claim, and payment-provider dispute can overlap, but they are not the same claim.

Shopify and AliExpress are different situations

A store built with Shopify

For a standalone Shopify store, look for the merchant's name and contact details in the confirmation email, receipt, or website policies. Direct the refund request to that business.

Shopify may provide the store's checkout and commerce tools, but the store's use of Shopify does not automatically create a refund obligation from Shopify. If the merchant stops responding, take your records to the payment provider that processed the transaction.

An order placed directly on AliExpress

For a direct AliExpress purchase, use the order's buyer-protection or support workflow and follow the deadline and evidence requirements shown for that transaction. AliExpress's Buyer Protection information says the program is subject to conditions and may offer a refund to the original payment method or an AliExpress fast refund-bonus.

Read that choice before accepting it. If you want funds returned to the original payment method, do not assume a platform bonus has the same effect.

If you bought from an independent dropshipping store that sourced the product from AliExpress, your payment was generally made to the independent store, not to the AliExpress seller. An AliExpress case may not resolve that order.

Escalate without missing a deadline

When a seller disappears or refuses to help, send one final concise request that identifies the order, the problem, the remedy you want, and the evidence you have. Then use any payment-provider or marketplace process before its deadline expires. Do not wait for a government complaint response before taking those time-sensitive steps.

For help finding a complaint route, see USAGov's guidance on online purchase complaints. A complaint can create a record and point you toward the appropriate agency, but it does not replace a card dispute or marketplace claim.

Treat an unfamiliar charge differently from a failed order. Check whether a household member placed it or whether the statement uses an unfamiliar merchant descriptor. If it is still unrecognized, contact the issuer promptly and preserve the statement, package label, and messages. The FTC's guidance on items never received and unordered products explains the distinction.

Before waiting for another seller reply, save the listing and payment statement, send a dated written request, and note the payment-provider and platform deadlines that apply to your order.