If an international package is late, missing, or damaged, contact the seller and save your evidence before you lean on the carrier. The seller ran the sale and is often the only party that can replace the item or refund you. The carrier investigates the shipment. Those are different jobs, and waiting on tracking alone can burn the deadline that actually pays you.

This is written for U.S. consumers buying from overseas sellers. Order terms, the shipping service, the marketplace, how you paid, and the countries on the route all change the remedy. There is no single international shipping complaint form.

What actually controls the complaint?

More than one rule can apply at the same time:

• The seller's delivery promise. The advertised or confirmed date can matter more than a later carrier estimate.
• The carrier's service terms. These cover tracking investigations, damage reports, declared value, insurance, and claim cutoffs.
• Marketplace buyer protection. Amazon, AliExpress, and similar platforms set their own dispute steps and clocks.
• Your payment method. A credit-card billing dispute is not the same process as a debit card, bank transfer, or payment app.

The Federal Trade Commission's prompt-delivery guidance says covered online sellers generally must ship when they say they will. If they can't, they generally must tell you about the delay and give you a chance to cancel for a prompt refund.

That rule is about the seller. It does not decide whether a carrier owes you money, whether customs handled the parcel correctly, or whether a marketplace will approve a dispute.

Save a file before the tracking page changes

Tracking pages overwrite themselves. Before you call anyone, keep:

• Order confirmation, invoice, and the seller's promised or estimated delivery date
• Tracking history, including customs scans, delivery photos, and the last known location
• Shipping label, waybill, order number, and any carrier case number
• Screenshots of the listing, shipping promise, return terms, and duty disclosures
• Photos of the package from every side, the label, the inner packing, and damaged contents
• Proof of payment and any customs, duty, or brokerage receipt
• Emails, chat transcripts, and the date of every call
• A short timeline of what happened and when

Keep the original packaging until the seller or carrier says you can discard it. Don't repair a damaged item until you know whether an inspection is required.

A dated timeline beats a long emotional message. Note the order date, promised delivery, dispatch, each scan, every contact attempt, and any remedy already offered.

Who to contact first

Carriers often limit claims to the shipper, the account holder, or the person who bought the postage. Ask whether you can file as the recipient, or whether the seller has to submit it.

Email the seller, even if you already called

Put the order number in the subject line and ask for one specific fix.

Subject: Delivery complaint for order [number]

I placed this order on [date]. The advertised or estimated delivery date was [date]. Tracking number [number] currently shows [exact status] as of [date and time].

The order has [not arrived / arrived damaged / arrived incomplete]. I have attached the order confirmation, tracking history, payment record, and photographs where relevant.

Please provide [a full refund to the original payment method / a replacement at no additional cost / a written delivery plan] and confirm the next step by [date].

Regards, [Name]

Don't call a package lost if tracking still shows movement. Say delivery is overdue, or that the scans have stopped. Later, the seller, the platform, and a card issuer may compare your statements.

If they offer store credit, a partial refund, or a replacement, decide whether that actually solves the problem before you accept it. Keep a copy of the offer. Closing a marketplace case or taking a settlement can limit what that platform will do next.

File a carrier claim when it helps, not instead of a refund clock

A carrier investigation can locate a parcel or document damage. It is not always the fastest path to getting your money back.

1. Type the carrier's official website yourself. Skip links in unexpected texts or emails.
2. Pick the service that actually moved the shipment. International networks often hand a parcel to a postal service or local courier.
3. Ask who may file, what deadline applies, and whether the sender must start the claim.
4. Submit the tracking number, invoice, proof of value, photos, packing details, and a description of the loss.
5. Save the claim confirmation and any response deadline.

DHL's official claim guidance says claims can be filed online, but the process depends on the DHL service and the shipment. FedEx, UPS, USPS, and postal partners also use service-specific procedures. A customs declaration or shipping label is not a universal claim form.

Compensation can be capped by the service terms, declared value, insurance, exclusions, or who bought the postage. A carrier settlement may not match the item's retail price. Ask whether shipping charges, duties, or only the declared transport value are covered.

Treat a customs hold as its own problem

A customs scan does not mean the package is gone. Holds often come from missing or inconsistent paperwork, unpaid import charges, a request for proof of value, restricted goods, a broker or recipient response, or a security inspection.

Ask the carrier's customs team for the exact reason, the missing document, the amount due, and the reply deadline. If the seller used the wrong description or promised duties-paid delivery, send that evidence to the seller too.

Don't pay a customs charge through an unsolicited link. Check the tracking number on the carrier's official site and call the number published there. If you plan to refuse delivery, ask the seller in writing first what happens to the refund and return costs. Refusing a parcel does not, by itself, guarantee a refund.

Open marketplace protection before that window closes

Marketplace protection is a company process, not one U.S. consumer-law deadline. Open the order page and read the deadline shown for that order, seller, and destination.

For AliExpress, the official Buyer Protection page says the program runs under its terms and does not limit mandatory consumer rights that apply in the buyer's country of residence. Under certain conditions, a refund may go to the original payment method or an AliExpress fast-refund option. Read the current terms and save a copy of the order page before you open a dispute.

Amazon's A-to-z process also varies by marketplace. This official Amazon A-to-z page is for Amazon EU, not a universal U.S. rule. It includes marketplace-specific conditions about contacting the seller and the latest estimated delivery date. Use the help page and terms attached to the U.S. order. Don't import a deadline from an Amazon site for another country.

When you open a dispute, pick the most accurate reason (non-delivery, damage, or item not as described). Upload the confirmation, tracking history, photos, and seller messages. State the remedy you want and the amount paid. Include any customs response or carrier case number. Don't close the case just because the seller promised to look into it.

Watch the credit-card dispute clock

If the seller doesn't fix non-delivery, a credit-card billing dispute may still be available. It is separate from a carrier claim. You don't have to prove that the carrier violated a transport convention.

The FTC says a credit-card billing error must be disputed in writing within 60 days of the date the first statement showing the error was sent. Use the issuer's address or online process, and keep proof you sent it. A phone call or marketplace complaint may not meet the written-notice rule.

The FTC's billing-error guidance says the issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved it. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days, after receiving the letter. During the investigation you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges, but keep paying undisputed amounts and follow the issuer's instructions.

Include the merchant name and transaction date, the amount, the promised delivery date, tracking that shows non-delivery or an unresolved status, your written request to the seller and the reply, any marketplace decision, and a carrier claim number if you have one.

Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Don't count on that. Start the dispute before the deadline while you keep working the seller and carrier complaints.

Debit-card rules are different. The FTC tells consumers who paid by debit card and never received an order to contact the debit-card company, often a bank or credit union. For a bank transfer, payment app, prepaid card, or cash payment, contact that provider right away and ask which recovery process applies. Don't misstate the transaction just to fit a dispute category.

If ordinary support stalls

Work in this order so you don't outrun a shorter deadline:

1. Reply in the existing thread and ask for a supervisor or formal case review.
2. Send the seller a short final request with the order number, the remedy, and a response date.
3. File or update the marketplace dispute before its window closes.
4. Submit the credit-card dispute before the 60-day written-notice period expires, if that payment method applies.
5. Report suspected fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
6. If the amount is significant and the contract or applicable law supports a further claim, consider local consumer-protection or legal options.

Nobody has to wait 30 or 60 days just because a shipment is international. A carrier's suggested waiting period does not automatically extend a marketplace or card deadline. Get the carrier's actual claim cutoff, then act on the earliest deadline that applies.

Mistakes that weaken a claim

• Watching only the tracking page while a seller refund or marketplace window runs out
• Accepting a vague "customs issue" update without asking what you must do
• Throwing away a damaged box before you photograph it
• Asking a carrier for the full retail price without checking declared-value limits
• Mailing original documents instead of copies
• Taking store credit or a partial refund without recording the terms
• Telling the seller, carrier, marketplace, and card issuer different stories
• Paying a customs or redelivery fee from an unexpected message
• Treating a delivery scan as proof that you personally received the parcel
• Using a deadline from an Amazon or AliExpress site for another country

The FTC also warns that steep discounts on name-brand goods can signal counterfeits. If the order looks fraudulent or the seller vanishes after taking payment, keep the listing and payment records and report the suspected scam.

Frequently asked questions

Should I complain to the seller or the carrier?

Contact both once the parcel is in transit. The seller can often refund or replace the item. The carrier can investigate the physical shipment. Ask the carrier whether the sender must file the formal claim.

Is there a universal deadline?

No. The cutoff may come from carrier terms, marketplace protection, the seller's policy, or your payment method. Transport conventions can matter in some cases, but they don't replace the contract in front of you. Act on the earliest date that applies.

Does a customs delay mean I get a refund?

Not automatically. Find out whether the hold is missing documents, duties, a restricted product, or a carrier error. If the seller promised a specific service or duties-paid shipping, put that promise in the complaint.

Can I dispute a credit-card charge if the package never arrived?

A billing dispute may be available for non-delivery. For U.S. consumers, the FTC says written notice generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the billing error was sent. Confirm the process with your issuer. Don't wait for a carrier investigation to finish.

Download the full tracking history today, save the order and delivery promise, photograph any damage, and send the seller a written request. Then put the earliest marketplace or payment deadline on your calendar so a slow carrier case doesn't make you miss it.