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If an online order never arrived, arrived damaged, or was charged incorrectly, start with the seller's written refund process. Keep the order record and make a request that matches what actually happened. A credit-card billing-error dispute is a different track, with its own paperwork and deadlines, and it only applies when the facts fit that process.

Those paths are easy to mix up. A store's return window is not the FTC's shipping rule, and neither one is a debit-card or payment-app procedure. Using the wrong one can burn the clock on the process that would have helped.

Don't fabricate tracking, edit receipts, put the purchase on someone else's card, or collect a merchant refund and then dispute the same charge. That isn't a refund strategy. It's fraud, and it can follow you into closed accounts, collections, and legal trouble.

Which rule or policy actually controls the request?

For a change of mind, a sizing issue, or any other voluntary return, the retailer's policy at checkout is the document that matters. Check the deadline, required condition, exclusions, who pays return shipping, and whether the money goes back to the original payment method.

Late shipment is a separate issue. The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers shipping promises. If the seller gave a shipping time, it must have a reasonable basis for that claim. If it stated no time at all, a 30-day shipping standard generally applies. That 30-day figure is not a universal return window, and it does not force a refund because you decided you no longer want the item.

Credit-card billing errors have still another process. The FTC describes a written dispute for charges involving merchandise you never received and for other billing errors. The timing is not the same as a retailer's return desk.

Debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, and payment apps do not automatically get those credit-card rules. Contact that provider and ask for its error or fraud procedure.

State law, the merchant's terms, and the payment method can all change the result. None of this is a guaranteed refund.

How to request a refund from the seller

Save the order confirmation, receipt, product listing, delivery promise, and return policy while they are still on the screen. Screenshot or download them. Don't edit the files.

Look for the return or cancellation deadline, final-sale items, packing or label rules, and whether a marketplace rather than the brand handled the sale. Damaged-item or missing-item instructions are often in a different help article than the ordinary return page. Confirm whether any refund is supposed to go back to the original payment method.

Write through the support address, order page, or help center on the retailer's official site. Identify the order, state the facts, and ask for a specific resolution.

I'm requesting a refund for order [order number]. The order was [not delivered / damaged / different from the listing] on [date]. I've attached [tracking details / photographs / other records]. Please confirm the next step and, if approved, the refund amount, payment method, and processing date.

Leave out threats and claims you can't support. If the seller says no, ask for the reason and the policy section it relied on.

Keep one folder with the confirmation and payment receipt, listing and refund-term screenshots, tracking and delivery notices, photos of damage or the wrong item, your messages and case numbers, return-label and carrier drop-off proof, the relevant card or bank statement, and the dates, amounts, and outcome you asked for.

If you send the item back, follow the seller's instructions. Photograph the sealed package, get a carrier receipt, and save the tracking number. Never send an empty box, a different product, or a counterfeit item.

Ask when the credit was processed, how much was approved, and where it was sent. A merchant's processing date and your bank's posting date often don't match. If an approved refund never appears, go back to the seller with the confirmation, then ask the payment provider how to report a missing credit.

Don't treat a pending refund as money you can spend twice. If a credit posts after you have already opened a dispute, tell the seller and the card issuer so the records can be corrected.

Late, missing, damaged, or unrecognized charges

Check the promised ship date against the latest tracking. If the seller missed its shipping promise, send a written request to cancel and get a refund.

A seller that can't ship on time generally must notify you under the FTC merchandise rule and give you the choice to cancel for a prompt refund or agree to a later shipment. If no shipping time was stated, the 30-day standard may be relevant. The FTC business guide is the seller-side explanation of those duties.

If the package arrives after a refund, tell the seller and ask how it wants to unwind the duplicate benefit. Don't quietly keep both the merchandise and the money while the seller is trying to correct the sale.

When tracking says delivered and you have nothing, start with the address, the carrier scan, the mailroom, building staff, and the usual drop spots. Then contact the carrier and seller promptly, and describe only what you know:

Tracking shows the package as delivered, but I did not receive it. Please investigate the delivery and explain the available refund or replacement options.

Don't call the package stolen unless you have a factual basis for that. Keep delivery photographs, carrier messages, and case numbers.

For a damaged, wrong, or materially different item, photograph the product, box, label, and damage before you throw packaging away. Compare the item with the confirmation and the listing. Ask whether the seller wants a return, replacement, repair, or refund, then follow those instructions. A plain description of the purchase date, the defect or mismatch, and the remedy you want is more useful than an aggressive one.

A charge you don't recognize needs a slower look than a stolen-card assumption. Check the merchant descriptor, shared accounts, recent orders, and recurring payments first. If it still isn't yours, contact the issuer or payment provider through an official phone number or app. If you authorized the purchase and the merchandise never arrived, don't describe it as unauthorized. Explain non-delivery so they apply the correct process.

How to dispute an eligible credit-card billing error

The FTC's guidance on using credit cards and disputing charges says to dispute a billing error in writing within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Related FTC guidance on being billed for things you never got uses the same written 60-day window. This is a credit-card process. Don't copy it onto debit cards, prepaid cards, payment apps, ACH transfers, or wires.

The FTC notes that some issuers may extend that period when a shipment is delayed. Plan around the written 60-day deadline anyway.

A written dispute should identify:

Send it using the issuer's billing-error instructions, keep a copy, and keep proof of delivery. Don't send your only original documents.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it resolves the matter sooner. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days, according to the FTC. During the investigation you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges, but you should pay the rest of the statement on time and follow the issuer's instructions.

A dispute is an investigation, not an automatic refund. The merchant may send records, and the issuer decides based on the facts.

I am disputing the $[amount] charge from [merchant] shown on the statement dated [date]. The merchandise was [not delivered as agreed / not as described], and I contacted the merchant on [date]. The merchant [did not respond / denied the request / promised a credit that has not appeared]. Please investigate. I have attached copies of the order, communications, tracking, and statement.

Use only the reason that fits. If the merchant has already issued a full refund, tell the issuer instead of asking to recover the same money twice.

If you paid by debit card, payment app, or bank transfer

The credit-card process above is not a universal chargeback rule. Contact the provider immediately, say whether the issue is fraud, non-delivery, a duplicate charge, or a missing credit, and ask for its deadline and document list.

Save the confirmation number and any written instructions. Recovery can be more limited outside the credit-card system, and delay makes it harder.

Protect yourself from refund phishing

A fake refund message may imitate a retailer, delivery company, bank, or payment app. Treat an unexpected refund email or text as unverified until you check it yourself.

Warning signs include a link asking you to "verify" card or bank details; a request for a one-time code, password, gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire; pressure to act immediately; a request to install remote-access software; and a refund offer for an order you never placed.

Don't use the message's link or phone number. Open the retailer or payment provider's official website or app directly, check the order history, and contact support from there. Never share a password or one-time code with someone who contacted you out of the blue.

If you already entered payment details, contact the card issuer or bank immediately, change the affected password from a trusted device, enable multifactor authentication, and save the suspicious messages. The Federal Trade Commission's contact page includes its reporting route for suspected scams.

If the seller refuses

Work through this order:

  1. Ask the seller for a written explanation, the policy basis, the case number, and any missing information it needs to reconsider.
  2. If a third-party seller handled the transaction, open a case through the marketplace's official order page and follow its deadline.
  3. If the facts fit a credit-card billing error, send the written dispute within the 60-day period the FTC describes.
  4. Contact your state consumer protection office. USA.gov's state consumer protection directory can help you find it.
  5. For a suspected scam or illegal business practice, start with USA.gov's online purchase complaint guidance and the FTC contact page.

A regulator complaint and a payment dispute do different jobs. Report suspected fraud, but keep the seller or payment-provider process moving for that one transaction.

Refund request checklist

Before you send the request or dispute, confirm that you have the correct order number and merchant name, a factual explanation of what went wrong, the refund, replacement, or cancellation you want, copies of the order, policy, statement, tracking, and messages, photos or return-tracking records when they matter, the correct payment-provider deadline, and a record of every contact.

Write the seller today. If it doesn't resolve a genuine credit-card billing error, get the issuer's written dispute out before that 60-day deadline runs out.