A package marked delivered but missing, or a shipment that has stopped moving, is easier to resolve when you follow a documented sequence. This guide gives you a 12-step checklist, an evidence list, and ready-to-edit messages for the carrier, seller, marketplace, or payment provider.
Overview
Before requesting a refund or opening a dispute, establish what happened and who is responsible for the next step. The seller may need to start the carrier claim, while the carrier may only discuss shipment details with the sender. The correct process depends on the service used, the destination, the shipment value, and the terms shown at checkout.
Use the carrier’s official tracking page rather than relying only on a retailer’s order screen. If you are unsure which company handled the parcel, use this directory of official package tracking links. Keep screenshots as the status changes; tracking pages can be updated after a delivery scan, address correction, or return.
A “delivered” scan does not always identify the exact place where a parcel was left. It may refer to a mailroom, reception desk, parcel locker, secure location, neighbor, or another approved delivery point. A shipment that is “in transit” or “not moving” may still be progressing between facilities, but a prolonged gap should be documented and raised with the carrier or seller.
What to track
The 12-step missing-package checklist
- Copy the tracking number, order number, shipment date, sender name, and delivery address into one note.
- Confirm that the tracking number belongs to the correct order and carrier. If it is not recognized, follow the steps in Tracking Number Not Found?.
- Read the full tracking history, including the latest scan location, delivery time, exception message, and any signature or photo information.
- Check the delivery address in the order confirmation. Look for apartment, unit, building, business, or access details that may have been omitted.
- Inspect the usual delivery locations, including a porch, side entrance, garage, mailbox area, parcel locker, reception desk, and building mailroom.
- Ask household members, neighbors, building staff, or a workplace receiving desk whether they accepted the parcel.
- Check for a delivery notice, access instruction, attempted-delivery message, or request for customs payment or identification.
- Contact the carrier through its official website or app and ask for delivery details, a GPS or scan review where available, or a trace.
- Contact the seller promptly, explain the checks already completed, and request that the seller open a carrier investigation when appropriate.
- Save every response, case number, screenshot, receipt, photograph, and promised follow-up date.
- If the carrier or seller does not resolve the issue, review the marketplace, card, bank, or payment-provider dispute process and its applicable deadline.
- Continue monitoring the tracking record until the parcel is delivered, returned, replaced, refunded, or formally declared unresolved.
Evidence to collect
Create one folder for the case. Include the order confirmation, invoice or receipt, tracking screenshots, delivery photo, photographs of the delivery area, address details, carrier correspondence, seller messages, claim numbers, and any customs documents. For an international package, also save duty or tax notices, import requests, and proof of information submitted to customs. The guide to packages stuck in customs or delayed can help separate a customs hold from a carrier delivery problem.
Do not edit screenshots or remove dates. If a delivery photo shows a location that is not yours, photograph the relevant entrance or mailbox from a similar angle and describe the difference clearly. Avoid publishing full addresses or tracking numbers in public posts.
Cadence and checkpoints
Use a simple timeline rather than sending repeated messages without new information. Record the date and action at each checkpoint:
- First review: Check the address, delivery locations, neighbors, building staff, tracking history, and notifications as soon as you notice the problem.
- Initial contact: Ask the carrier or seller for a trace, investigation, replacement, or other available remedy. Request a case number and the next response date.
- Follow-up: If the promised response date passes, reply in the same thread with the case number and a concise summary. Avoid opening duplicate cases unless support directs you to do so.
- Escalation: If the case remains unresolved, contact a supervisor or the seller’s formal claims team. Then review the marketplace or payment-provider process before its stated deadline.
- Closure: Mark the case resolved only after receiving the parcel, replacement, refund, or written decision. Keep the records until the transaction and any dispute are fully closed.
Carrier claim windows, contact methods, investigation times, and compensation terms vary. Check the official carrier page and the seller’s terms for the shipment involved rather than relying on an old forum post. For broader claim preparation, see How to File a Lost or Damaged Package Claim.
Carrier claim template
Subject: Missing shipment investigation — [tracking number]
Hello, I am requesting an investigation for shipment [tracking number]. The tracking record shows [delivered/in transit/last update] on [date], but [briefly explain what is missing or incorrect]. I confirmed the delivery address, checked the usual delivery locations, and contacted [neighbors/building staff/household members]. Please review the delivery scan and advise whether a trace or claim can be opened. The sender is [name], the recipient is [name], and the case or order number is [number]. Please confirm the claim reference and next steps. Thank you.
How to interpret changes
A new scan usually means the carrier has recorded another handling event, but it does not necessarily mean the parcel is close to delivery. Compare the new location and event type with the previous scan. A facility arrival may be followed by sorting, an address correction, customs processing, or a transfer to a local delivery partner.
If the status changes from “delivered” to an exception, save both versions and ask the carrier to explain the sequence. If the status remains unchanged, do not assume the parcel is lost solely because the tracking page has been quiet. Compare the elapsed time with the service’s estimated delivery window and the route involved. This delivery-time guide can help you frame that comparison.
For a seller or marketplace message, be specific about the remedy requested:
Seller refund or replacement template: Hello, order [number] has not been received. Tracking [number] shows [status] dated [date]. I checked [locations and contacts], but the parcel is not in my possession. Please open a carrier investigation and confirm whether you will issue a replacement or refund if the shipment cannot be located. Attached are the order confirmation, tracking history, and relevant photos. Please advise on the next step and response date.
Payment-dispute template: I am requesting a review of transaction [number]. The goods were not received. The tracking record shows [status], but the parcel was not delivered to me at [general delivery location]. I contacted the seller on [dates] and the carrier on [dates]; case numbers are [numbers]. Attached are the receipt, tracking screenshots, correspondence, and evidence of the delivery issue. I am requesting review under the provider’s applicable non-receipt process.
Keep each message factual. Do not claim theft, fraud, or carrier misconduct unless you have evidence and the relevant organization asks for that information. A clear chronology is more useful than a long description.
When to revisit
Revisit this checklist whenever a shipment has a conflicting delivery status, misses its expected window, or stops receiving scans. Save a copy of the tracking page before contacting support and review the case after every promised follow-up date.
For this guide, carrier claim deadlines, official claim URLs, phone and chat pages, typical processing times, and compensation policies should be checked quarterly and after peak shipping seasons or major policy announcements. International customs guidance should be reviewed annually and after significant shipping disruptions. These details can change, so use the carrier’s current official instructions for the parcel in question.
Before closing your case, confirm four points: the final delivery or resolution is documented, the refund or replacement has actually appeared, any dispute has been withdrawn or closed correctly, and all records are stored. If another package goes missing, duplicate the folder, update the dates and tracking number, and start again at step one.
