Start with the route that matches your purchase

A missing international package usually creates two separate questions:

  1. Can the seller or marketplace refund the purchase or replace the item?
  2. Can the carrier or insurer pay for loss, damage, or an eligible service failure?

If you bought goods, start with the seller. Many carriers limit claims to the shipper, account holder, or another authorized claimant, so the seller may need to file. If you bought the shipping service yourself, use the carrier's claim process.

Don't treat every stalled scan as proof of loss. Customs holds, unpaid duty, address errors, and missed scans may need different fixes.

Where to begin

Situation First move What you may recover
You bought an item that never arrived Contact the seller or marketplace Purchase price, shipping, or a replacement under the applicable terms
You shipped the parcel yourself File with the carrier or insurance provider Declared value, insured value, or another contractual limit
The parcel is delayed but still moving Ask the carrier to trace it A shipping-service refund only if the service terms provide one
Tracking says delivered, but you didn't receive it Ask for delivery evidence and contact the seller Refund or replacement may depend on the seller and delivery proof
Customs has the parcel Contact the carrier's customs team Release, redelivery, or a refund only if the relevant terms allow it
You paid by credit card and the seller won't resolve non-delivery Consider a written billing dispute The disputed card charge, subject to legal requirements and deadlines

Carrier claims and seller refunds are separate. If one party pays or replaces the order, tell the other party. Don't try to collect twice for the same loss.

What controls the refund

No single international shipping refund policy controls every case. The hard part is often figuring out which set of terms controls your case. Your eligibility may depend on several documents at once:

The carrier brand is not enough by itself. DHL Express, DHL Parcel, FedEx services, UPS services, and postal products can have different claim routes and limits. The deadline may also depend on whether the issue is loss, damage, delay, missing contents, or refused delivery.

Check the receipt, waybill, shipping account, and order page before relying on a deadline found in a search result. If the terms are unclear, ask the carrier in writing:

Step 1: Save the evidence before tracking changes

Screenshot or export the tracking history as soon as something looks wrong. Capture the tracking number, shipment date, promised delivery date, last scan, customs messages, and any estimated-delivery updates.

For a purchase, also keep:

For business goods, keep the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and proof of the item's actual value. A retail selling price may not be the amount the carrier uses to calculate a claim.

If the parcel arrived damaged, photograph the outer box, inner packaging, label, and contents before throwing anything away or repairing it. Keep the packaging unless the carrier tells you otherwise. DHL's claim guides show the kind of material that may be requested, including an airway bill number, the claimant's role, supporting documents, and photos. The exact process can differ by DHL division and destination country.

Step 2: Work out whether it's a delay, loss, or delivery dispute

The label matters because delay, loss, and delivery disputes can trigger different proof requirements.

Delayed or held in transit

"In transit" or "held in customs" doesn't necessarily mean lost. Ask the carrier:

Customs delays can involve duties, restricted goods, missing invoices, or an incorrect description. Send requested information only through an official carrier, seller, marketplace, or customs channel. A standard lost-package claim may not fix a customs problem.

Tracking says delivered

Check the delivery address, delivery photo, signature record, safe-place instructions, mailroom, and nearby locations. Then ask the carrier for available delivery evidence and notify the seller promptly.

A delivered scan can make a carrier claim harder, but it doesn't automatically settle the seller dispute. Give the seller the tracking details and explain why the delivery record doesn't show that you received the order.

Returned or refused

Find out why the parcel was returned. An incorrect address, unpaid import charge, refused delivery, or missing customs information can affect who pays additional shipping and whether a refund is available. Ask the seller and carrier to identify the return event in writing instead of treating every return as a carrier loss.

Step 3: Contact the correct party in writing

If you bought goods, write to the seller first. Include the order number, tracking number, delivery promise, current tracking status, and the result you want: replacement or refund.

Use a clear request such as:

I paid for order [number] on [date]. The promised delivery date was [date], and tracking number [number] shows [status] as of [date]. Please confirm whether you'll issue a refund or send a replacement. If you believe a carrier claim is required, please open it and provide the claim number and next deadline.

If the seller says the carrier is responsible, ask whether the seller will file the claim or authorize you to file. A recipient may be able to report a problem without being the person who receives the claim payment.

If you purchased shipping directly, contact the carrier through the account, receipt, or official tracking page. Don't send invoices, identification, or payment details to an unverified claims form.

Step 4: File the carrier or insurance claim

Select the category carefully. Choosing lost when the parcel is actually held in customs can slow or derail the claim. Lost shipment, damaged shipment, missing contents, delay, and refused delivery can require different evidence.

A typical filing sequence is:

  1. Confirm the service and the eligible claimant.
  2. Open the official carrier claims page or the shipping-account portal.
  3. Enter the tracking or airway bill number exactly as shown on the receipt.
  4. Describe the last confirmed event and explain why the package is lost, damaged, or undelivered.
  5. Itemize the contents and state the requested amount.
  6. Upload proof of value, payment, insurance, shipping, and any damage.
  7. Save the claim number, confirmation email, and submitted documents.
  8. Reply promptly if the carrier requests more information.

Check whether the shipment has declared value, carrier liability, or separately purchased insurance. Those terms are not always interchangeable. A claim payment may be capped by the declared or insured amount and may not equal the item's retail price. Shipping charges, duties, taxes, and consequential losses may be handled separately.

For DHL, first identify whether the shipment was DHL Express or another DHL service, then use the portal connected to that service. The DHL official claim guide shows a claims workflow for lost and damaged shipments, while the regional guide for shipment claims shows why required information can vary by location.

For FedEx, UPS, and USPS, use the claims route shown in the shipment account, receipt, or official tracking page. Don't assume that a deadline for one international service applies to another. Postal insurance and indemnity rules can be especially service-specific.

Marketplace refunds are not carrier claims

If you ordered through AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, or another marketplace, open the dispute from the order page before its displayed protection or guarantee window expires. Upload the tracking history, delivery estimate, seller messages, and proof that the order was not received.

Marketplace cases have their own clocks, and a carrier investigation doesn't always pause them. Keep these distinctions straight:

If the marketplace asks you to wait while the carrier investigates, ask for the exact date by which you must reopen or escalate the order dispute. Keep the case open until you have a written resolution.

Customs charges and shipping refunds

A customs hold can turn into a delivery problem, but it isn't automatically a lost parcel. First determine whether the issue is unpaid duty, a missing document, a prohibited item, an incorrect description, or an inspection.

Ask who collected the charge and what it covered. These amounts may be treated differently:

Don't assume that a successful carrier loss claim automatically refunds every amount connected with the order. Request an itemized answer from the seller, carrier, marketplace, or customs authority that collected each charge.

Use a credit-card billing dispute as a backup

This route can be useful when the seller is unresponsive, but it has strict timing. If a seller charged your credit card for goods you never received and refuses to resolve the problem, you may be able to dispute the charge as a billing error. This is a payment remedy, not a carrier claim.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on charges for items you never received says qualifying credit-card billing errors should be disputed in writing within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. The FTC's credit-card dispute guidance recommends sending the letter to the billing-dispute address shown on the statement, keeping a copy, and including enough information for the issuer to investigate.

Under the FTC's description of the process:

This federal billing-error process is for credit cards. Don't assume the same deadline or protections apply to a debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, wire, or peer-to-peer payment. Contact the payment provider as soon as possible because those systems have different procedures.

Include the order confirmation, promised delivery date, tracking record, seller correspondence, and the date you requested a refund. If the seller has already issued a refund, tell the card issuer and don't dispute the same amount again.

Why claims get denied

A denial may be procedural rather than factual. Common problems include:

Request the denial reason and the specific term used to make the decision. Then submit a focused appeal with the missing evidence, claim number, and a short timeline. If you bought the item, ask the seller to appeal through its shipping account when the carrier won't deal directly with recipients.

Keep a practical follow-up schedule

The goal is to avoid relying on a vague number of days. Record these dates in one place:

Follow up before the carrier's stated response date, not only after the package has been missing for a particular number of days. If no deadline is visible, ask for one in writing. A calendar reminder is more reliable than a general claim window copied from another carrier.

Frequently asked questions

Can a recipient file a lost-package claim?

Sometimes. Eligibility depends on the carrier, service, account, and country. The sender or account holder may need to file or authorize the recipient. Ask before submitting so the claim isn't rejected for lack of authority.

Does an "in transit" scan qualify for a refund?

Not automatically. It may indicate a delay, customs hold, or missing scan rather than a confirmed loss. Ask the carrier to open a trace and ask the seller about replacement or refund terms.

Can I claim from the seller and the carrier?

You can notify both, but they may use different processes. Tell each party about any refund, replacement, insurance payment, or card dispute. You shouldn't recover more than the amount of the actual loss.

Are duties and taxes included in a shipping refund?

Not necessarily. They may be collected by a customs authority, carrier, broker, seller, or marketplace. Ask the party that collected each charge whether a separate refund process applies.

How long should an international refund take?

There is no reliable universal processing time. The carrier may need to trace the parcel, verify the claimant, inspect records, or investigate customs events. Get the case number and an expected response date, then follow up in writing.

What should I do first?

Save the full tracking history, check the seller or marketplace deadline, and send a written request for the remedy you want. If the seller won't resolve a credit-card purchase, review the FTC's 60-day billing-dispute requirements right away.