Short answer: There's no universal deadline for getting money back after an online order never arrives. The date the seller promised, the law that applies to the purchase, the marketplace's claim window, and your payment method can each create a different deadline.

For U.S. purchases, the federal Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule mostly tells the seller when to ship. It does not give consumers a single 30-day refund-claim window. If you paid by credit card, the important federal deadline is usually 60 days from the first statement that shows the charge, because that is the written billing-error notice period.

In the UK and EU, the delivery promise usually comes first. If no delivery date was agreed, 30 days is commonly the legal backstop. If that date passes, you may need to give the seller one more reasonable period before ending the contract, unless delivery was essential or the seller refuses to deliver.

Start with the earliest deadline

A refund claim can involve more than one clock. A marketplace case can expire while the seller is still investigating with a courier, and a card-dispute deadline can pass while you wait for customer-service replies. The safest move is to identify the earliest hard deadline and preserve it.

U.S. orders: the 30-day rule is about shipping

The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise guidance and 16 CFR Part 435 deal with the seller's shipping obligations. If a seller gives a definite shipping date, it must have a reasonable basis for that date. If no shipping time is given, 30 days is the default.

That rule doesn't mean the parcel must reach your door by day 30. It may have shipped on time and then been delayed or lost by the carrier. When that happens, the seller's delivery promise, state law, retailer terms, and payment protections may matter more than the FTC shipping rule alone.

If the seller can't ship on time, it normally has to tell you about the delay and give you the option to cancel for a refund or accept a later ship date. If you cancel under the rule, the seller should make the required refund promptly.

What to do first

1. Pull up the order confirmation and note the promised ship or arrival date, seller name, amount paid, and order number.
2. Save tracking screenshots if the status is stalled, invalid, contradictory, or marked delivered without a package arriving.
3. Send the seller a written message saying the item was not received and that you want the order cancelled and refunded to the original payment method.
4. If the purchase went through Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, Shein, Walmart, or another marketplace, open the order page and look for an item-not-received or buyer-protection deadline.
5. Don't let a courier investigation run past a payment-protection deadline.
6. If you escalate to a card issuer or payment provider, attach the order confirmation, promised date, tracking history, messages, and your refund request.

The FTC's billing-error guidance says a credit-card charge for merchandise you never received can be disputed as a billing error.

Credit cards and other payment methods

For a U.S. credit card, write to the issuer's billing-inquiries address. Use the address for billing disputes, not just the payment address. Include the account, the charge, and why the goods were not received. The notice should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the charge was sent to you.

The issuer generally must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days unless it resolves the issue sooner. It generally must resolve the investigation within two billing cycles, but not more than 90 days. The FTC's credit card dispute guidance describes the steps.

Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, and payment apps don't follow that same federal credit-card billing-error process for ordinary non-delivery. Contact the provider promptly and ask about its merchandise-dispute or chargeback process. Network and provider deadlines vary, so don't assume a 60-day or 120-day window applies.

UK orders: agreed date first, then the 30-day backstop

Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the agreed delivery date or period usually controls. If no delivery time was agreed, the trader must deliver without undue delay and generally within 30 days of the contract, subject to the law's exceptions.

If the trader misses the deadline, your next step depends on the facts. You may be able to end the contract immediately if delivery by that date was essential. You may also end it if the trader refuses to deliver. In other cases, you can usually give one additional reasonable period. If the trader still fails, you can treat the contract as ended. Once the contract is properly ended for non-delivery, the trader must reimburse payments without undue delay.

The Citizens Advice guidance on undelivered orders makes another useful point: if the trader used a courier, the trader should investigate. You generally shouldn't be left to chase the courier on the trader's behalf.

The 14-day cooling-off right for many distance purchases is separate. It is not a universal 14-day deadline for reporting a missing parcel, and it normally concerns cancelling after receiving goods, subject to exceptions.

A practical UK message

The agreed delivery date was [date], and the goods have not arrived. I am asking you to deliver by [reasonable date]. If they do not arrive by then, I will treat the contract as ended and request repayment of all amounts paid.

If the original date was essential, say that plainly and ask for cancellation and repayment rather than offering another delivery window.

EU orders: similar sequence, local details can differ

The Your Europe delivery guidance sets out a comparable pattern. The trader should deliver within the agreed time. If no time was agreed, delivery should generally occur within 30 days. If the deadline is missed, give an additional reasonable period unless the date was essential or the trader refuses to deliver. If the extra period expires, you can generally cancel and seek reimbursement.

National procedure can vary by EU country, trader location, and contract terms. Don't treat the EU's two-year minimum guarantee as a two-year deadline for a non-delivery claim. That guarantee mainly covers goods that arrive but fail to conform to the contract. The Your Europe consumer-rights guidance treats delivery rights and the legal guarantee separately.

The 14-day withdrawal right is also separate. It generally starts after delivery for goods and has exceptions. A trader can still owe a refund for failing to deliver even though the withdrawal period never applies.

For a cross-border dispute with a trader in another EU country, the Your Europe guidance points consumers to their local European Consumer Centre. Keep the order confirmation and your written cancellation request before asking for help.

Marketplace orders: check the live claim window

Marketplace buyer protection is a private policy. It can add protection, but it does not replace consumer law. Don't rely on fixed claims such as "Amazon always gives you 30 days," "PayPal always gives you 180 days," or "AliExpress always allows 60 to 90 days" without checking the actual transaction.

The deadline can depend on the seller's location, destination country, estimated delivery date, shipping method, tracking status, payment method, and any protection timer shown on the order page.

For a marketplace purchase:

1. Open the current order or transaction page.
2. Screenshot the item-not-received deadline, protection timer, tracking history, and any seller promise.
3. File the platform's non-delivery claim before that deadline.
4. Describe the issue as non-receipt if the goods never arrived. Don't frame it as a return unless you actually received the item.
5. Keep the case open until the credit or refund appears.
6. Tell the marketplace or payment provider if the seller later refunds you outside the case.

A platform may ask you to contact the seller first. That's normal, but it doesn't mean you should let a separate credit-card or bank deadline expire while waiting.

Put the refund request in writing

A short message is enough, but it should create a record.

Subject: Refund request for undelivered order [order number]
The promised delivery date was [date]. I have not received [item]. I am cancelling the order because of non-delivery and request a refund of [amount] to the original payment method. Please confirm the cancellation, refund amount, and refund date in writing.

For a UK or EU order where an additional delivery period is required, change the message to set a final reasonable delivery date and say that you will cancel if the goods still do not arrive.

Ask the seller to confirm:

• The cancellation date
• The exact refund amount
• The payment method receiving the credit
• Any refund or transaction reference
• When the refund was submitted

A merchant's "refund issued" message is not the same thing as the credit appearing on your statement. If the credit doesn't appear after the provider's normal processing period, contact the merchant first. Then give the refund confirmation to your card issuer or payment provider if the money still doesn't show up.

Situations that need different wording

Tracking says delivered

A delivered scan changes the evidence, but it doesn't automatically end the dispute. Check the delivery address, photo, safe-place note, building desk, neighbors, and household members. Ask the seller or carrier for delivery details and report an incorrect delivery promptly.

If the package was delivered to the right place and later stolen, the issue may be theft or delivery responsibility rather than simple non-receipt. Tell the seller and payment provider exactly what you know.

Part of the order is missing

Ask for a refund of the missing item or shipment unless the whole order was useless without it. Save the packing slip and photos of what arrived, especially if tracking says everything was shipped together.

Preorders, custom goods, and backorders

For items that were not in stock, the promised date and any delay notice carry extra weight. Read the terms, but don't assume an estimated date automatically waives your rights. If the delay no longer works, say so and ask to cancel.

International orders and customs delays

A cross-border order may involve different seller terms, customs processing, and marketplace protection periods. Customs delay doesn't automatically tell you whether the seller met its delivery obligation. Identify the trader's country, your country, and the contractual delivery date before choosing a legal or payment route.

Business purchases

Consumer protections may not apply the same way to goods bought primarily for business. Check the contract and applicable commercial law.

Mistakes that can weaken the claim

• Treating the FTC's 30-day shipping rule as a universal 30-day refund deadline.
• Confusing a 14-day cooling-off period with a missing-delivery claim.
• Relying only on the courier's internal claim period.
• Waiting for a seller callback while a card, bank, app, or marketplace deadline passes.
• Calling the package stolen or misdelivered without evidence that supports that description.
• Opening duplicate disputes without telling each provider about the other case.

If the order is already late, take screenshots now, send a written cancellation and refund request, and put the earliest payment-dispute deadline on your calendar. For a U.S. credit card, count 60 days from the first statement that showed the charge, not from the day tracking stopped updating.