What to Do When an Online Purchase Never Arrives

Your order was supposed to arrive last week. The tracking page says nothing, the seller has stopped replying, or the shop has vanished. Not every missing parcel is a scam — carriers lose items — but the order in which you act decides which routes to a refund remain open.

Step 1: Rule Out the Ordinary Reasons

• Check the order confirmation for the promised delivery date and the address you gave.
• Open the tracking link on the carrier’s official site, typed in or from the app you installed yourself. Be careful with tracking links in unexpected texts, which may be phishing.
• Ask household members and neighbours, and check for a delivery notice or a safe place.
• Look at the seller’s shipping policy: international or pre-order items may take longer.

Step 2: Contact the Seller in Writing

Use the platform’s messaging or email so there’s a record. State the order number, date, amount, promised delivery date and what you want (delivery by a date or a refund). Set a short, reasonable deadline. Genuine sellers respond; scam shops go silent, reply with delays, send fake tracking numbers or ask you to pay “customs” or “redelivery” fees.

Step 3: Use the Right Dispute Route, in This Order

1. Marketplace or platform protection. If you bought through a marketplace, open a claim in its resolution centre. These often have time limits that start from the estimated delivery date, so don’t wait.
2. Payment service dispute. If you paid with a service that offers buyer protection, open a dispute in that service. Follow its deadlines and provide the evidence it asks for.
3. Card chargeback. Contact your credit or debit card issuer using the number on the card. Explain that the goods weren’t delivered, give the merchant name, date and amount, and ask about a chargeback. Time limits apply, so ask when yours ends. Your rights differ by country and card type.
4. Bank transfer or UPI. Tell your bank at once and ask whether a recall or dispute is possible. Chances are lower than for cards, so report quickly. Also report to your national cybercrime service; see below.
5. Crypto, gift cards or cash. These are very hard to reverse. Report to the provider and the authorities straight away, but expect a low chance of recovery.

If you are unsure which route applies, call your card issuer or bank first and ask what is available; they can tell you about deadlines you may not know.

Step 4: Know Your Consumer Rights

Rules differ by country, so rely on the official consumer-protection body for your location. Two examples: in the United States, FTC rules on mail, internet and telephone orders generally require sellers to ship within the time they promised or, if no time was stated, within 30 days, and to give you the choice to cancel and get a refund if they can’t. In India, you can raise a complaint through the National Consumer Helpline (1915 or consumerhelpline.gov.in) under consumer-protection rules for e-commerce. Check the current official pages, as rules and portals change.

Step 5: If the Store Looks Fake

If the website has gone, the contact details are false, or other buyers report the same, treat it as fraud:

• Call your card issuer or bank immediately and say you believe it was a fake shop. Ask them to block the card if you entered details, and for a replacement.
• Report to your national fraud or cybercrime service: reportfraud.ftc.gov in the United States, cybercrime.gov.in and the 1930 helpline in India, or your country’s equivalent.
• Report the shop’s social ads or posts to the platform that carried them, and the domain to its host or registrar if you can identify them.
• Watch your statements for unfamiliar charges and change any password you reused on the shop.

What to Collect Before You Complain

• Order confirmation, order number, date and amount
• Screenshots of the product page, the seller’s details and the ad you clicked
• Messages with the seller and any tracking information
• The payment record showing the merchant name and transaction reference

Our guide to preserving evidence after an online scam explains how to capture these properly.

Avoid the Second Scam

After posting a complaint, you may be contacted by someone claiming they can “recover” your money for an upfront fee, or by a fake refund agent asking for your card details, a code or remote access. Genuine refunds come from the seller, platform or your bank, not from unsolicited contacts. See The Scam After the Scam.

To avoid the problem next time, run through the Online Shopping Scam Checklist before paying.

Key Takeaways

• Act early: dispute windows are measured from the promised delivery date or the payment.
• Contact the seller in writing, then use the dispute route that matches how you paid.
• If the shop looks fake, call your card issuer first and report to your national authority.
• Never pay “customs” or “recovery” fees to get a refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Procedures, deadlines and refund rights differ by country, bank and payment method. Always use contact details from your bank’s official app, website or the back of your card. ScamSense helps you assess suspicious content but cannot guarantee that any message, link or caller is safe or unsafe.