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.

Tips:

We encourage you to use tracking when you ship packages. Tracking can significantly reduce the costs associated with a lost shipment. It is also your best protection for A-to-z Guarantee claims.
For most US carriers (UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL), shipment tracking is already built into the cost to ship (including USPS First Class and Media Mail shipments). If you purchase shipping through Amazon's Shipping Service, tracking is added free of charge.

Note: If you sell in the Office Products or Shoes categories, you must provide valid tracking numbers for 95% of US shipments.

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.

Note: The Seller Assurance for e-Commerce Transactions (SAFE-T) process allows you to file a claim for reimbursement if you want to appeal Amazon's decision to issue a refund to a customer. At Amazon's sole discretion, you may be issued a reimbursement in cases where Amazon determines that you were not at fault. To know more, refer File a reimbursement (SAFE-T) claim.