Yes, asking for a refund in the United States for goods you never received is lawful, even if the seller later points to a tracking scan. So what actually controls the refund?
The seller's shipping promise, what happened to the parcel, the marketplace terms, and your payment method all matter. People often treat the federal merchandise rule as a day-30 delivery guarantee. It isn't.
The FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule focuses on when a seller must ship and what it must do if it cannot meet that promise.
Turns out, a clean paper trail often matters more than a long argument. Save the order details and contact the seller in writing.
The rule that actually controls
A seller that solicits an online order must have a reasonable basis to ship within the advertised period under the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule. No stated period generally means 30 days.
If the seller cannot ship on time, it must follow delay-notice requirements. That can mean getting your consent to a delay, or refunding payment for the unshipped merchandise. The current regulation text contains the detailed requirements.
It's mainly a shipment rule. It is not a promise that every package lost by a carrier automatically qualifies for a federal refund on the thirtieth day.
| What happened | What usually controls | Sensible next move |
|---|---|---|
| The seller never shipped by the promised date | The seller's shipping promise and the FTC rule | Request a refund or agree to a specific revised shipping date |
| No shipping time was stated | The FTC's 30-day default for shipment | Ask the seller to ship or refund the unshipped order |
| The seller shipped, but the carrier lost the parcel | Seller terms, contract, marketplace rules, and payment-dispute procedures | Ask the seller to investigate or refund, while preserving your payment deadline |
| Tracking says delivered, but you received nothing | Delivery evidence and the relevant platform or payment process | Report nonreceipt promptly and dispute the facts accurately |
State law, contract terms, and marketplace guarantees may provide additional remedies. U.S. rules apply here, not another country's deadlines.
Why the 30-day number is easy to misunderstand
Thirty days is not a magic refund day, and an advertised arrival date is not the same thing as a shipping date, so if a listing says an order will ship in two days and arrive in five, the FTC rule's central question concerns the shipping representation while the promised arrival date may still matter under the order contract or a marketplace's policy.
If the seller misses its shipping promise, it can't keep you waiting forever without the required delay process. Accept a clearly stated new date, or ask for a refund on unshipped merchandise.
Once the order has shipped, the analysis changes.
A parcel marked lost, stuck in transit, or returned to sender may require you to use the seller's terms, a marketplace guarantee, state remedies, or a payment dispute, because the unshipped-merchandise language in the FTC rule does not answer every post-shipment loss.
How to request the refund
Start with the seller, even when the tracking history looks hopeless. Written contact gives the seller a chance to fix the problem and creates a record for a bank or marketplace reviewer.
- Save the order information. Keep the confirmation email, listing, promised shipping or arrival date, tracking number, payment record, and seller's contact details.
- Check what was promised. Figure out whether the date was for processing, shipment, or delivery. Save a screenshot if the listing may change.
- Write a clear request. Ask that the amount charged for the undelivered order go back to the original payment method.
- Decide about any proposed delay. If the seller asks you to wait, accept only a firm date you actually agree to. Otherwise, say you do not consent to an open-ended delay.
- Calendar the next deadline. If the seller does not respond, move to the marketplace or payment provider before its claim window expires.
You can adapt this message:
Order [number] was due to ship or arrive on [date], and I have not received it. Please confirm the current status and refund [amount] to my original payment method. If the order has not shipped, I do not consent to an open-ended delay and request a refund for the unshipped merchandise. If it has shipped, please investigate tracking [number] and explain in writing how you will resolve the non-delivery.
Use the sentence about refusing a delay only when the order has not shipped or the seller is asking for more time. Skip that line if the goods already shipped.
Your payment method changes the dispute route
A credit card has a federal written-notice process for certain billing errors, while other payment methods depend more heavily on the bank's or provider's terms. The rail you used matters.
Credit cards
The FTC's guide to billing errors involving goods you never received says a charge for merchandise you did not receive can be challenged as a credit-card billing error. To use that process, your written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. You'll need the billing-dispute address shown on your statement.
Don't use a general customer-service email or chat as the official notice. Include the seller, order date, amount, expected delivery information, tracking history, and copies of your earlier refund request.
The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days unless it has already resolved it. It must resolve the matter within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days, according to the FTC's credit-card dispute instructions.
To be honest, the 60-day written deadline is the date to protect. A seller saying it will "look into it" does not necessarily extend that period. Some issuers may extend the 60-day window when a shipment is delayed. Don't treat that as a given.
During a properly submitted investigation, the FTC says you do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges while the issuer investigates. Continue paying the rest of your bill on time.
Banks may call this a chargeback. When you contact the issuer, describe the problem accurately as a billing error for merchandise not received. Do not call it an unauthorized transaction when you authorized the purchase.
Debit cards, prepaid cards, transfers, and wallets
The 60-day procedure above is specifically a credit-card billing-error process. Don't assume the same federal deadline applies identically to a debit card, prepaid card, ACH payment, wire transfer, or person-to-person payment.
Report the non-delivery to the bank or provider promptly. Ask for its written dispute procedure and the category it uses for merchandise not received. Attach the order confirmation, seller messages, tracking details, and any platform decision.
For PayPal or another digital wallet, open the provider's current dispute process from the transaction page and check its deadline. Read that deadline carefully. If the wallet was funded by a credit card, tell the card issuer about the wallet dispute rather than describing the purchase as fraud. Overlapping cases can have different rules.
Evidence that makes the dispute easier to review
Make one folder for the order. Screenshots and the original emails can save time later.
| Record | What it can show |
|---|---|
| Order confirmation and product listing | Seller identity, item, price, promised shipping or arrival date |
| Payment statement | Amount charged and the date the billing statement was sent |
| Tracking history | Shipment scans, delays, return-to-sender status, or a delivery scan |
| Messages with the seller | Your refund request, the seller's response, and any proposed delay |
| Marketplace or carrier case number | What escalation has already occurred |
| Shipping address and delivery instructions | Whether the order was sent to the correct place |
Keep the original files where possible. Don't send a full card number in an ordinary email.
Marketplace and carrier claims are separate from legal rights
A marketplace guarantee may offer a faster remedy than a legal claim, but its conditions are company policy. It can have its own eligibility rules, evidence requirements, and claim window.
For example, Amazon's published A-to-z Guarantee help page says buyers generally must contact the marketplace seller first and satisfy timing conditions connected to the estimated delivery date and the age of the order. That linked page is for an Amazon European marketplace. A U.S. customer should use the terms shown on Amazon.com for the specific order instead of copying the linked deadlines.
The same caution applies to eBay and other marketplaces. Use the policy attached to your account and order.
Thing is, a carrier claim is different from a refund request. It may help locate the parcel or identify a shipping loss, but it does not replace contacting the seller or protecting a card-dispute deadline. Ask the seller whether it has opened a carrier trace. If the carrier says only the sender can file, keep that response and send it to the seller.
What to do when tracking says "delivered"
A delivery scan is evidence, not the end of every dispute, so check the address, building or mailroom, household members, neighbors, safe-place instructions, and any carrier photo or scan details, then tell the seller plainly that you have not received the order despite the delivered scan and ask for the delivery evidence and a written decision.
If you use a credit-card dispute, say the merchandise was not received despite a delivery scan, and do not allege an unauthorized charge unless you truly did not authorize the transaction.
If the seller still refuses to refund
A marketplace claim may be optional, but the credit-card billing-error deadline can pass while you are still exchanging emails. Protect the earliest deadline first.
An FTC report can help regulators identify repeated problems, but it is not a personal refund order. You can also check whether your state attorney general or local consumer-protection office accepts complaints against the seller.
Small claims court may be practical for a larger loss when you can identify the correct legal business and serve it in the proper jurisdiction. Check your state's filing limit, fees, service rules, and rules for out-of-state or foreign sellers before filing. Bring the order, payment record, tracking history, seller messages, and proof that you requested a refund.
If a refund posts, confirm the credit before closing another dispute. If you accept a replacement or store credit, record those terms in writing and tell the payment provider what was resolved.
Questions that come up
Does the FTC rule require delivery within 30 days?
No. When no shipping time was stated, 30 days generally concerns when the seller must ship. If the seller cannot ship on time, it must follow the delay-notice and refund rules for unshipped merchandise.
Can I dispute a credit-card charge if tracking says delivered?
You can ask the issuer to review it. Explain that you did not receive the merchandise, provide the tracking information and any delivery evidence, and let the issuer investigate. Approval is not automatic.
Does contacting the seller pause the 60-day credit-card deadline?
Do not assume it does. The FTC procedure counts from the first statement containing the billing error, so calculate that date even while the seller is investigating.
Will an FTC complaint get my money back?
Not necessarily. A complaint reports the problem and may support enforcement, but your direct refund route is usually the seller, marketplace, card issuer, or another payment provider.
This is general U.S. consumer information, not legal advice. Screenshot the promised date and tracking history today. Send the written refund request. If you paid by credit card, calculate 60 days from the first statement that showed the charge.