When something you paid for never arrives, an item not received claim is how you get your money back — through your card issuer, the marketplace, or the shipping carrier, depending on how you paid and where you bought. The route you pick decides your deadline. Credit card disputes give you 60 days from the statement date. eBay gives you 30 days from the estimated delivery date. PayPal gives you 180 days from payment, but your dispute auto-closes after 20 if you don’t escalate. Pick the route that fits your purchase, then move before its clock runs out.
Pick Your Route First
You generally have three places to file, and in some cases you can use more than one:
- The payment method you used (credit card issuer, debit card bank, or PayPal).
- The marketplace where you bought (Amazon, eBay, PayPal-protected purchases).
- The shipping carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS), especially if the package was insured.
Credit card disputes are the strongest route. The Fair Credit Billing Act specifically defines non-delivery of goods as a billing error you can formally dispute, and during the investigation you don’t have to pay the disputed amount.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors Debit card disputes work under Regulation E, which also protects you but gives the bank more time and your money sits with them longer.
If you bought on a marketplace, the marketplace’s own guarantee is often the fastest path. Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee, eBay’s Money Back Guarantee, and PayPal’s Buyer Protection all cover non-delivery. One important restriction on Amazon: if you’ve already filed a chargeback with your bank, Amazon won’t process an A-to-Z claim on the same transaction.2Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee Pick a lane before you file twice.
Carrier claims are a separate track. They compensate you for the value of a lost shipment and work best when the package was insured. For uninsured packages, the carrier’s liability may be capped at a default amount that doesn’t cover what you paid.
Deadlines at a Glance
These are the clocks you need to beat, shortest to longest:
- PayPal dispute escalation: 20 days. You have 180 days from payment to open a PayPal dispute, but the dispute itself auto-closes after 20 days unless you escalate it to a formal claim. Once it closes, you can’t reopen it.3PayPal. How Long Does It Take to Resolve a Dispute or Claim
- eBay Money Back Guarantee: 30 days. Thirty calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery date to report an item hasn’t arrived. On day 31 the system will likely reject your request.4eBay. eBay Money Back Guarantee Policy
- Credit card dispute (FCBA): 60 days from statement. Sixty days from the date your issuer sent the first billing statement showing the charge. The clock starts when the statement is sent, not when the charge posted or when you noticed.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.13 – Billing Error Resolution
- Debit card dispute (Regulation E): 60 days from statement. Same 60-day window, but your potential out-of-pocket loss escalates the longer you wait. Report within two business days of discovering an unauthorized transfer and your liability caps at $50; after 60 days, there’s no cap on transfers that happened after the window.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 205 – Electronic Fund Transfers, Regulation E
- USPS insurance claim: 60 days from mailing. For insured packages, file as soon as possible but no later than 60 days from the mailing date. A missing mail search request can be filed between 7 and 365 days after mailing.7United States Postal Service. Missing Mail – The Basics
- Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee: 90 days. Ninety days from the maximum estimated delivery date. You have to wait at least three days past the latest estimated delivery date before you’re eligible, and Amazon typically requires you to contact the seller and wait up to 48 hours for a response first.2Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee
- PayPal Buyer Protection: 180 days from payment. The widest marketplace window — remember the 20-day escalation trap inside it.8PayPal. PayPal Buyer Protection
- FedEx lost shipment claim: 9 months. Nine months from the shipment date for lost or undelivered domestic shipments. If contents are damaged or missing from a received package, the window shrinks to 60 calendar days.9FedEx. File a Claim
If you have multiple options, generally file with the one that gives you the fastest refund without closing off a backup. For credit card purchases, that usually means contacting the seller or marketplace first and keeping the FCBA dispute in reserve if that fails. Just watch the 60-day statement clock while you wait.
What to Gather Before You File
What you can prove matters more than what happened. Pull together the paper trail before you open a case, because the reviewer decides based on documents.
Start with your purchase confirmation email. It establishes what you ordered, when you ordered it, what you paid, and what delivery window was promised. If the product listing has since changed or been taken down, screenshot the original listing now — sellers sometimes edit or remove listings after complaints start coming in.
Pull the carrier tracking record. This is your most objective evidence. The log shows whether the package was actually tendered to the carrier, where it moved, and whether it stalled. No movement for days supports a lost-in-transit theory. A “delivered” scan at an address that isn’t yours is the strongest possible evidence in your favor.
Save every message you exchanged with the seller. These conversations usually show one of two things: the seller acknowledged the problem and failed to fix it, or the seller went silent. Both patterns help you. A promised replacement that also never arrived is especially useful because it shows a pattern rather than a one-time mishap.
Match the transaction to the correct statement line. The dispute routes differently depending on whether you paid by credit card, debit card, or through PayPal, and attaching the right financial record prevents delays.
When Tracking Says “Delivered”
A “delivered” scan is the seller’s strongest evidence, and buyers often assume it kills their claim. It doesn’t necessarily, but you have to build a credible explanation.
Check around your property, with neighbors, and at any secondary delivery locations like a building mailroom or leasing office. Carriers sometimes scan a package as delivered when they leave it at a nearby address or an access point. If your carrier provides a delivery photo, check whether the location in the photo matches your actual door or mailbox.
Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee explicitly applies even when tracking says the item was delivered, as long as you file within the 90-day window.2Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee Credit card issuers can also investigate these cases, because a tracking scan is evidence of delivery, not proof you actually received the goods. Your position gets stronger when the delivery photo doesn’t match your address, the GPS coordinates are off, or a security camera has no footage of a delivery during the scanned timeframe.
For higher-value disputes, a police report for a stolen package can help. Many banks and insurers request one for claims above certain thresholds, and most police departments now accept these reports online. Filing a false police report is itself a crime, so only file one if you genuinely believe the package was stolen or misdelivered.
How to File, Step by Step
Most platforms and card issuers let you file entirely online. Have your transaction ID or order number, the date the item was supposed to arrive, a description of what you ordered, and the total you paid including shipping and tax. Pick the right category when the platform asks: non-delivery routes differently from damaged-item or wrong-item claims, and the wrong category can send your case to the wrong team.
On Amazon, open your order history and use “Problem with Order.” You’ll typically need to contact the seller first and wait up to 48 hours.
On eBay, open the case through the item in your purchase history within 30 days of the estimated or actual delivery date. If your claim is denied, you can appeal within 30 calendar days of the case closing, but you need new information eBay hasn’t already seen, such as proof the item went to the wrong address or tracking details the seller didn’t initially share.10eBay Help. Appeal the Outcome of a Case as a Buyer
On PayPal, open the dispute through the Resolution Center.11PayPal. What Is the Resolution Center The initial dispute phase is meant for direct negotiation with the seller. If that goes nowhere, escalate to a claim well before the 20-day mark or the dispute closes for good.
With a credit card issuer, most apps have a dispute button next to each transaction. Following up in writing gives you a stronger paper trail under the FCBA. If you file by mail, send the letter to the billing inquiries address (not the payment address) by certified mail with return receipt.12Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges That return receipt is your proof the issuer got your notice within the 60-day window if timing is ever questioned.
With a shipping carrier, file through the carrier’s claims portal. UPS requires an invoice verifying value, a detailed merchandise description including brand, size, color, and quantity, and the package dimensions.13UPS. Supporting Documents for Claims
Whichever method you use, save the confirmation page or case number.
What Happens After You File
Timelines vary more than most people expect.
Credit card issuers must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, capped at 90 days.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.13 – Billing Error Resolution During that period, you’re not responsible for paying the disputed charge, and the issuer can’t report it as delinquent. If you have automatic payments set up, the issuer can’t deduct the disputed portion as long as your notice arrives at least three business days before the scheduled payment. Once the issuer initiates a chargeback against the merchant, the merchant typically has 30 days to respond with evidence of delivery.
For debit card disputes, your bank must complete its investigation within 10 business days, or provisionally credit your account and continue investigating for up to 45 days. For point-of-sale debit transactions, the investigation window stretches to 90 days.14Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors That provisional credit is the key difference from just waiting: your money is back while the bank investigates. If the bank ultimately determines no error occurred, it can reverse the provisional credit, but it has to notify you first with its reasoning.
Marketplace cases usually move faster. eBay typically resolves cases within a few days, and appeals get a response within about 48 hours.10eBay Help. Appeal the Outcome of a Case as a Buyer Amazon usually issues A-to-Z decisions within a week or two. PayPal reviews evidence from both sides once the dispute is escalated to a claim and notifies you through your account dashboard.
When a claim is decided in your favor, the refund goes back to your original payment method. Credit card reversals typically post within one to two statement cycles. Debit card refunds and marketplace credits usually appear within five to ten business days, depending on your bank.
Filing a False Claim
Filing a non-delivery claim when you actually received the item is fraud. Marketplaces track dispute patterns and permanently ban accounts with suspicious histories. Payment processors share fraud data, which can make it hard to open new accounts elsewhere. A fraudulent claim that uses the mail or internet communications can also fall under federal mail or wire fraud statutes; mail fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1341 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, rising to 30 years if the fraud affects a financial institution.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1341 – Frauds and Swindles Even without criminal prosecution, a merchant who can prove you received the item can pursue a civil claim for the cost of the goods and chargeback fees. The chargeback itself gets reversed too, meaning you’d owe the money back plus whatever fees your bank passes along.