What if a buyer says they didn't receive their order?

If a buyer says that they didn't receive an order, you and your customer service policy ultimately determine how you will handle it. All sellers are expected to demonstrate a high level of customer service. We encourage you to work with the buyer to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

Below are some ways you can handle this situation. Regardless of which option you choose, the buyer might still post negative feedback for the transaction. To handle negative feedbacks, refer to the help page on What can I do about negative feedback?

The most customer-friendly solution is to issue a refund for a product that was not received. However, before initiating a refund, perform the following:

Ask the buyer to wait a bit longer for the order to arrive

See Contact a buyer to learn how to initiate communication. If you choose this option, be aware that the buyer might file an A-to-z Guarantee claim. Click here to know more about A-to-z Guarantee claims and how to Respond to an A-to-z Guarantee claim notification.

Buyers can file a claim 3 calendar days after the maximum estimated delivery date or 30 days after the order date, whichever is earlier. They have 90 days from the maximum estimated delivery date or date of service to file a claim. However, Amazon reserves the right to accept claims after that time frame.

Contact your shipping carrier

If an order is lost in transit or shipped to the wrong address, sometimes you can get help from your shipping carrier. If you purchased package tracking or insurance, the carrier might be able to help find the package or file an insurance claim. If you did not get tracking information, your carrier might have other options available to help find the package.

If you have an order that is returned damaged and you believe the damage was related to the carrier, please utilize the Optional coverage for loss or damage process to file a claim.

Ship or drop-ship a replacement order at your cost

If you choose this option, issue a refund, and then ask the buyer to reorder the product. Although this might cause a financial loss to your business, it’s good customer service. If the original order arrives, you can arrange a return with the buyer.

Refund the buyer

The most considerate approach is to issue a refund for a product that was not received. If the original order arrives after you've made a refund, Amazon can recharge the customer (with their authorization). For information about full and partial refunds, refer to the Help pages on Issue a full refund and Issue a partial refund.

Refund for an FBA order

To learn about how returns and refunds are handled for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) orders, see Customer returns for orders fulfilled by Amazon.

For FBA orders, refer the buyer to Amazon Customer Service.