If an international package is missing, the buyer should usually open the marketplace’s non-delivery case, while the seller or shipping-account holder usually starts the carrier claim. Those are separate processes. A recipient should report damage or nonreceipt promptly, but may not be able to claim directly from a carrier whose contract is with the sender.

If you’re the buyer, don’t wait for a seller’s carrier investigation to finish before protecting your marketplace or payment rights. If you’re the seller, don’t tell the buyer to handle a carrier claim if your business purchased the shipping label and controls the carrier account.

This guide is for general U.S. consumer information. Order terms, carrier rules, payment deadlines, and destination-country laws can differ.

Who should start an international shipping claim?

The right claimant depends on the problem and the contract behind the shipment.

The person named as the shipper on the label is not always the merchant. A marketplace, freight forwarder, consolidator, or fulfillment company may have purchased the label. Ask who owns the carrier account and who is authorized to submit a claim.

What does not control the outcome by itself?

Several details can be useful without deciding the dispute:

• A tracking status is not a refund decision. “In transit,” “held at customs,” or “delivered” may still require investigation.
• A carrier claim number is not a marketplace case. A seller’s open claim does not automatically preserve the buyer’s platform deadline.
• An Incoterm does not automatically decide a consumer refund. It allocates commercial shipping responsibilities, but the order and marketplace terms may provide a separate remedy.
• A customs bill does not by itself prove seller wrongdoing. The charge may result from the destination country’s assessment, an incorrect declaration, or the agreed delivery term.
• A chargeback is not guaranteed. The card issuer or payment service reviews evidence under its own process.

Open the remedy that matches the transaction. If the platform deadline is approaching, start the platform case even if a carrier investigation is also underway.

Buyer workflow for a lost, damaged, or delayed package

1. Check the order page first

Find the promised delivery window, buyer-protection status, return instructions, and case deadline. Policies can vary by order, seller, destination, and shipping service, so a date found in an old forum post may not apply to your purchase.

Use the correct reason:

• Item not received for a package that has not arrived
• Not as described for the wrong, incomplete, or materially different item
• Damaged in transit when the goods arrived broken or unusable
• Customs or duty problem when the issue concerns clearance, documents, or charges

2. Open the marketplace case before the deadline

Submit the case from the order account rather than relying only on email or a private message to the seller. Describe the problem factually and request a specific remedy, such as a refund, replacement, or correction of documents.

For AliExpress, use the order’s Return/Refund or dispute controls and follow the deadline shown in the account. Its buyer-protection page provides additional policy and support information, but the order page is the practical place to check the available option for a particular purchase.

For Amazon, use the order support flow and review the applicable A-to-Z Guarantee terms if the order qualifies. For eBay, use the order-history process for an item not received or an item not as described. In each case, save a screenshot of the submission and case number.

3. Give the seller a short, written opportunity to investigate

Send the order number, tracking number, delivery address, date of the problem, and the remedy you want. Ask whether the seller or its shipping provider has opened a carrier claim.

Keep the conversation on the platform when possible. A seller’s promise to “wait for the carrier” should not replace opening a time-sensitive marketplace case.

4. Preserve the evidence

For damage, photograph:

• The unopened parcel and every side of the outer packaging
• The shipping label and any damage to the box or envelope
• Internal packing materials
• The product, serial number, and specific defect
• Any delivery scan, signature, or inspection record

For non-delivery, save:

• The order confirmation and promised delivery range
• Tracking events and delivery scans
• Customs notices or requests for documents
• Messages with the seller, carrier, and broker
• Proof of payment and the product invoice

Do not discard damaged packaging until the seller, carrier, or insurer says it is no longer needed.

Seller workflow: open the carrier claim and protect the buyer’s case

A seller should take ownership of the carrier side when the business purchased the shipping label or arranged transport.

1. Confirm the service and claimant. Check whether the label was bought directly from DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS, a marketplace, or a freight forwarder.
2. Review the declared value and insurance. The potential payout may be limited by the service terms, declared value, exclusions, and proof of the item’s value.
3. Submit the claim promptly. Carrier deadlines vary by service and country. Do not assume that a general deadline for one carrier applies to another.
4. Send the buyer the claim number. Explain what documents were submitted and when you expect the next update.
5. Continue responding to the platform. A carrier investigation does not automatically pause a marketplace case.
6. Avoid unsupported promises. State whether you are offering a replacement, refund, or another remedy and under what conditions.

If a marketplace or logistics intermediary owns the shipping account, ask that party to submit the claim. The buyer may still need to use the marketplace’s refund process.

Carrier claims with DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS

There is no universal international shipping claim deadline or payout rule. The applicable terms may depend on the service, origin, destination, account holder, declared value, packaging, and reason for the loss.

Use this process:

1. Identify who bought the label and who is authorized to file.
2. Check tracking for the last physical scan, customs event, delivery scan, or exception.
3. Gather the invoice, proof of value, shipping receipt, photographs, and correspondence.
4. File through the carrier or shipping intermediary’s claim channel.
5. Keep the claim number and every request for additional information.
6. Ask for the written reason if the claim is denied, then appeal within the stated period.

Lost shipment

A sender should normally contact the carrier when the label is tied to the sender’s account. The recipient should notify the seller and open a marketplace case independently.

If tracking shows no movement, ask whether the parcel is delayed at export, held by customs, returned, or considered lost. If tracking says delivered, ask for the delivery location, signature, photograph, or other delivery details. A delivery scan may need to be challenged as a misdelivery rather than treated as an ordinary transit loss.

Damaged shipment

Notify the seller and carrier as soon as the damage is discovered. Photograph the condition before throwing away the package, and follow any request for an inspection. A claim may be affected by inadequate packaging, prohibited contents, lack of declared value, or failure to preserve the parcel.

A carrier payment may cover only the amount allowed by the shipping or insurance terms. It may not cover every fee, tax, replacement cost, or indirect loss.

Delayed shipment

A delay may result from customs, incomplete address information, weather, transportation disruption, or an incorrect declaration. Ask whether the service includes a delivery commitment and whether that commitment excludes customs or other events. A delayed package is not automatically a lost package, so confirm its location before requesting a loss settlement.

Customs holds, duties, and delivery terms

A customs hold is different from a carrier loss. The shipment may be waiting for an invoice, proof of value, an import permit, a product description, payment of duties, or a decision by the destination customs authority.

Contact the carrier’s official customs department or named broker and ask for:

• The exact reason for the hold
• The missing document or payment
• The importer of record
• The deadline for responding
• Whether the parcel will be returned or abandoned if no action is taken

Compare the customs entry with the order invoice. Incorrect product descriptions, quantities, values, or classification information should be raised with the seller immediately. Use verified carrier contact details rather than paying a customs request received through an unexpected text or email.

The delivery term can affect who handles the problem:

These are commercial allocations, not automatic consumer-refund rules. The invoice, checkout promise, sales contract, and mandatory law may also matter. If no delivery term appears, ask the seller in writing who is responsible for import clearance, duties, and return costs.

Escalating when the first claim fails

Use separate escalation paths without submitting conflicting statements.

If the seller does not respond

Keep the marketplace case open and upload the tracking record, messages, and evidence. State that the seller has not provided a remedy or carrier claim number.

If the carrier denies the claim

Request the denial reason and the specific term relied on. Check whether the problem concerns packaging, late notice, prohibited goods, missing proof of value, customs responsibility, or an excluded event. Submit an appeal with the missing evidence before the carrier’s appeal period ends.

If the marketplace denies the case

Read the stated reason carefully. A delivery scan, seller-provided tracking, or missing evidence may have driven the decision. Appeal with a clear timeline and explain why the scan does not prove receipt, or why the item is not as described.

If a payment provider is the remaining option

The payment rail matters:

• Credit card: Ask the issuer about its billing-dispute process and deadline for goods not received or not as described.
• Debit card: Protections and procedures can differ from credit-card disputes, so contact the bank promptly.
• PayPal: Use the transaction-resolution process and the deadline shown for that transaction.
• Wire transfer or peer-to-peer payment: Contact the provider immediately, but recovery may be limited once funds have been delivered.

A payment dispute is separate from a carrier claim. Tell the payment provider what happened, provide the case records, and do not claim that a refund was denied if the marketplace has already refunded you. Duplicate recovery can create a new dispute.

Build a one-page evidence file

A concise timeline is easier for a platform, carrier, or bank to review than a long message thread.

Include:

• Order date and order number
• Seller and buyer details
• Promised delivery window
• Tracking number and key scan dates
• Customs events or delivery evidence
• Date the problem was reported
• Names of the people or departments contacted
• Case and claim numbers
• Requested remedy
• Refunds, replacements, or partial payments already offered

Use original files where possible. Keep screenshots showing the date, tracking number, and full status. Never alter an invoice, tracking image, or customs document.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for the seller’s carrier claim while the platform deadline expires
• Filing a carrier claim when the seller or marketplace controls the shipping account
• Throwing away damaged packaging
• Describing a customs delay as a lost shipment without checking the hold reason
• Accepting a partial refund without confirming whether it closes the claim
• Opening several payment disputes for the same transaction without telling each provider
• Assuming a shipping guarantee covers customs delays or the full product value
• Paying a suspicious customs request without verifying it through the carrier’s official website
• Relying on an old deadline instead of the order and carrier terms currently displayed

FAQ

Should the buyer or seller start an international lost-package claim?

The buyer should usually start the marketplace non-delivery case. The seller or shipping-account holder should usually start the carrier claim. The buyer should report the problem and provide evidence, even when the seller is responsible for the carrier filing.

What if the seller says only the recipient can file?

Ask the carrier whether the recipient is permitted to submit a claim, but open the marketplace case yourself before its deadline. The seller’s statement does not necessarily extend the platform’s time limit.

What if tracking says delivered but the package is missing?

Check the delivery address, household members, building staff, neighbors, delivery photo, and signature information. Then report nonreceipt to the seller and marketplace promptly. Ask the label holder to request a carrier delivery investigation.

Who pays customs duties on an international order?

It depends on the delivery term and checkout promise. Under DDP, the seller generally handles duties as agreed; under DAP, the buyer often handles import charges. Confirm the order terms and the identity of the importer of record before paying or refusing a charge.

How long does an international shipping claim take?

There is no single timetable. Carrier review times, marketplace cases, customs decisions, and payment disputes follow different procedures. File before the earliest applicable deadline and ask for a written status update.

What should I do after a claim is denied?

Request the written reason, match it against the carrier or platform terms, and appeal with a timeline and missing evidence. If the marketplace process fails, ask your payment provider about its separate dispute procedure. The result depends on the transaction records and applicable terms.