For a late, missing, or damaged U.S. online merchandise order, start with the seller and save the record before tracking details change. The key question is usually what the seller promised about shipment, whether it met that promise, and what resolution you requested.

Carrier scans, delivery apps, and marketplace dashboards can help prove what happened. They don't, by themselves, decide whether you can cancel an order or receive a refund. A carrier claim and a payment dispute are separate paths, each with its own deadline.

This information is for U.S. online merchandise orders. Restaurant delivery, services, digital goods, subscriptions, marketplace guarantees, and state laws may follow different rules.

The FTC rule focuses on shipment, not every delivery estimate

The FTC's Business Guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule addresses the seller's representation about when an order will ship.

In general:

• If a seller gives a shipment time, it must have a reasonable basis for believing it can meet that time.
• If the seller gives no shipment representation, it generally must be able to ship within 30 days.
• If it cannot ship on time, it generally must send a delay notice with a revised shipment date and an opportunity to cancel for a prompt refund.

Read the listing and order confirmation closely. "Ships within 72 hours" concerns dispatch. "Arrives by Friday" concerns delivery and may also matter under the seller's own terms, but it is not the same wording. Screenshot the promise and save the confirmation email.

An order-status page can support a delay notice delivered another way. It is not a reason to ignore whether the order was canceled or whether a refund was actually issued. If the seller sends a delay notice, check the response deadline. Some notices state that the order will be canceled unless the seller ships by a stated date or you expressly agree to wait.

For a refund required under this FTC rule, timing depends on payment method. The FTC guide says a seller generally must credit a credit-card account within one billing cycle after cancellation. For cash, check, money order, or similar payments, the refund generally must be mailed within seven working days.

Match the remedy to the problem

A carrier claim concerns a transportation loss or damage. A refund, replacement, or cancellation concerns the purchase itself. You may need to pursue both. A carrier's decision does not automatically require the seller to refund you, and a seller's refund does not necessarily resolve a carrier claim.

Take these steps before deadlines run out

Save the order record

Collect the documents before the listing, tracking page, or chat history changes:

• Product listing and shipping language
• Order confirmation and receipt
• Promised shipment or delivery date
• Tracking history and delivery photographs
• Emails, chats, and notes from calls with the seller
• Photographs of damage, packaging, or missing contents
• Card statement or other payment record

For phone calls, note the date, time, representative's name, and any commitment made. A vague note such as "they said they would fix it" is less useful than "seller said on May 4 that a refund would be submitted within five business days."

Send the seller a written request

Use email, a support form, or marketplace messaging so there is a record. Identify the order, quote the original promise, state the current status, and ask for a specific outcome.

Order number: [number]
I placed this order on [date]. The listing or confirmation stated: "[exact shipping or delivery promise]." Tracking now shows [status]. Please confirm whether the order has shipped and provide the revised date. If it cannot ship by [date], I request cancellation and a refund to the original payment method.

For damage or missing contents, identify the affected item and attach clear photographs. Ask whether the seller wants the item returned. Keep the box, packing material, and contents until the seller and carrier confirm they are no longer needed.

Decide whether to wait, cancel, replace, or refund

If the seller missed its promised shipment period, ask directly whether it will cancel the order through its delay process. If you decide to wait, ask for the new shipment date in writing.

Once cancellation is confirmed, ask:

• When was the refund submitted?
• Which payment method will receive it?
• What amount is being refunded?
• Is any part of the order still active?
• Is there a refund reference or transaction record?

A promise to refund is not the same as a completed refund. Check the card or bank account and follow up if the credit does not appear within the period the seller gave you.

File a carrier claim for loss or damage

For USPS shipments, begin at the USPS domestic claims page. The filing period depends on the mail class, insurance, and reason for the claim.

USPS says a claim for damage or missing contents may be filed immediately, but no later than 60 days after the mailing date. Loss claims can have different filing periods. Check the service-specific rules in the USPS Domestic Mail Manual section on indemnity claims.

Keep the mailing container, damaged articles, all packaging, and any contents received while the claim is open. USPS may require proof of value and evidence that the relevant service or insurance was purchased.

If USPS partially pays or denies a claim, its guidance allows an appeal within 30 days of the original decision. A second appeal may be available within 30 days after an appeal denial.

If you paid by credit card, protect the billing-dispute deadline

An authorized purchase should not be reported as unauthorized merely because the merchandise did not arrive. If merchandise was never delivered, arrived damaged, or was otherwise not delivered as agreed, the issue may qualify as a billing error.

The FTC's guidance on using credit cards and disputing charges advises consumers to:

1. Contact the seller and retain proof of that effort.
2. Write to the card issuer at the billing-dispute address shown on the statement or in the issuer's instructions.
3. Make sure the dispute reaches the issuer within 60 days after the issuer sent the first statement containing the error.
4. Explain the order, the seller's promise, tracking history, efforts to resolve the problem, and the result you want.
5. Keep copies of the letter and supporting documents.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue. It generally must complete its investigation within 90 days. The issuer may ask for more records, and a dispute is not an automatic refund.

This 60-day written billing-error procedure is for credit cards. Do not assume the same deadline or process applies to a debit card, prepaid card, ACH transfer, bank transfer, or peer-to-peer payment. Contact the relevant provider promptly and ask which dispute procedure applies. Continue paying the undisputed part of a credit-card bill while the issuer reviews the dispute.

If the seller refunds the order while the card dispute is open, tell the card issuer so the charge is not credited twice.

What tracking apps, marketplaces, and drone delivery do - and do not - change

Tracking systems, route-management tools, and marketplace dashboards can document timing and delivery status. They do not replace the seller's shipping promise, create a federal refund rule, or extend a credit-card dispute deadline.

A marketplace may offer its own buyer-protection process. Open a marketplace case before its internal deadline, but don't rely on it as a substitute for a timely card dispute or carrier claim.

Drone delivery does not create a separate consumer refund system. The FAA's package delivery guidance explains that commercial drone package deliveries using beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations require the applicable Part 135 certification process and an exemption or waiver. Those requirements concern aviation authorization and safety, not whether a seller shipped on time or whether a card issuer must resolve a billing error.

If drone delivery was advertised, preserve the seller's delivery promise and notice. Ask the seller which company handled the shipment, who holds the tracking record, and how a failed delivery will be handled.

Limits that can affect your options

• The FTC merchandise rule has a defined scope. It covers merchandise ordered through mail, internet, or telephone solicitations. It does not automatically govern services, digital purchases, restaurant delivery, or peer-to-peer transfers.
• An estimate is not always a guarantee. Preserve both the seller's wording and the carrier's estimate. They may describe different things.
• Carrier claims have separate conditions. Service type, insurance, filing window, and proof requirements can determine whether a claim is available.
• Marketplace procedures are private policies. They can be useful, but they are separate from federal rules and card-issuer procedures.
• The 60-day credit-card period runs from the first statement with the error. Repeated promises from a seller can consume that time.
• State law may provide additional options. If a seller ignores a documented request, check your state's official consumer-protection office for its complaint process.

Before making another support call, save the listing, receipt, tracking record, and previous messages in one place. Then send the seller a dated written request that names the missed promise and the resolution you want.