An online purchase that goes wrong is usually one of three problems: nothing arrived, the item does not match, or a charge you did not make showed up. Your next step depends on how you paid.

So which lever should you pull first?

Contact the seller, save every message, then use the marketplace program or the payment method that actually has rules attached. A store refund policy is not the same thing as a credit card billing dispute. Don't mix them up.

Contact the seller before you file a formal dispute

Email or message the merchant as soon as you see the problem, and ask for a refund or a replacement in writing. Save screenshots of the listing, tracking, and every reply.

What actually controls the outcome

Thing is, several different systems can overlap, and only some of them are federal consumer protections for U.S. shoppers. A retailer's return page is company policy, and a marketplace help page is platform policy.

PayPal Purchase Protection is PayPal's program, not a statute. A credit card billing-error claim is a legal process your issuer has to follow if you meet the Fair Credit Billing Act steps.

Debit cards and ACH debits sit under electronic fund transfer rules. Many prepaid products do too. Those rules help most when the charge was unauthorized. They help less when the toaster arrived and you just hate it.

You don't gain extra rights by arguing in a comment thread. File through the channel that matches how you paid.

Deadlines that actually matter

These are the clocks people miss.

Card networks may run a separate chargeback with the merchant. Ask your bank which process you are in. Don't assume an in-app tap replaces a written billing-error notice.

Credit card billing disputes

The FTC tells you to write the issuer. Billing errors include the wrong amount, a charge for goods you never received, and some delivery failures.

Get the letter to the billing inquiry address within 60 days after the first statement that showed the error. Keep a copy. The payment address is the wrong target.

You can often tap Dispute in the bank app, which is quicker than mail, and you'll still need a letter on file if you want the written process the FTC maps out, because that is the version with the 30-day acknowledgment and the 90-day outer limit attached.

Do both if you can.

After the issuer has your letter:

1. It must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days, unless it already fixed the problem.
2. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and not more than 90 days after getting the letter.
3. You do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges during that investigation.

Some issuers stretch that window when shipping is late. Calendar the statement date anyway.

FTC guidance on bills for things you never got covers unordered merchandise too. If a company sends something you never ordered, you generally are not required to pay for it or return it.

Debit cards work under different rules

Turns out two people can fight the same charge and get different results, just because one used debit and the other used credit.

The CFPB says to notify your bank or credit union fast if money left without authorization. Tell them within 60 days after they send the statement that shows the transaction. Miss that, and later charges can land on you too.

If they ask for a written follow-up and you skip it for more than 10 business days, they may withhold a temporary credit during the investigation. Many investigations then run on a 45-day clock, with more time for some types of transfers.

Broken-item fights are a weaker fit on debit. If checkout still lets you pick credit, that path usually leaves more room on goods that arrived wrong.

If you paid with PayPal

Open a dispute in Resolution Center first. Don't jump straight to a claim if the tool makes you talk to the seller.

Item Not Received disputes must be opened within 180 days of the payment. Significantly Not as Described disputes must be opened within 30 days of delivery or fulfillment, or 180 days of payment, whichever comes first. Those cutoffs are PayPal policy.

If the seller keeps stalling, escalate to a claim. PayPal decides in its discretion using its eligibility rules and your uploads. Screenshots of a dead file beat a one-line rant, especially on digital goods.

What to gather before you click submit

You don't need a legal file. You need a timeline.

• Order confirmation, amount, date, and seller name
• Tracking that shows no delivery, a failed scan, or a return to sender
• Photos or video of damage, the wrong item, or an empty box
• Seller chats, emails, and refund refusals
• A police report number if you believe the package was stolen or the charge was fraud

Match the listing to what showed up. Vague complaints stall.

When the package never arrives

The carrier site is the first place to look, even if you already suspect the seller never shipped. Open a trace if a scan looks frozen.

If tracking says delivered and you never saw a box, you end up running two conversations at once, one with the seller who will swear the carrier dropped it and one with the carrier or your issuer, and it gets messy because nobody wants to own that last stretch of sidewalk.

Give the seller a short dated window to refund. If they go silent, file with the platform or card. Don't burn the 60-day clock waiting on a nicer email.

If the bank or platform says no

Read what they claim was missing, send that document, and ask for a review.

A CFPB complaint is for banks and credit unions. State attorneys general take seller fraud, and the FTC takes consumer complaints that can feed larger cases.

Report a fake store as internet crime if the whole shop was a scam. Small-claims court is still there for a stubborn bill. Use it after the payment channels, not instead of them.

To be honest, most of this is dates, PDFs, and a letter that arrived on time. Note the statement date today, message the seller, and start the platform or card dispute before the window closes.