What to Do When a Customer Says a Package Never Arrived

When a customer says a package never arrived, check the tracking status, confirm the shipping address, review the carrier's delivery evidence, and work out whether the package is delayed, misdelivered, lost or stolen. Those answers decide what you do next, including whether you can file a claim.

The hardest case is the one where tracking says delivered and the customer still cannot find the box. That needs a different process from a package that is simply late.

The six steps to work through first

• Check the tracking status. Still moving, stalled, marked delivered, or showing an exception scan? This routes the whole conversation.
• Verify the delivery address. Compare the label against the order. Transposed unit numbers and missing apartment numbers are a common cause.
• Review the delivery evidence. Scan time, geotag, photo, signature, carrier note. Carriers capture more than most sellers check.
• Ask the customer to check nearby. Household members, neighbors, a front desk or mailroom, a parcel locker, a side door. A lot of packages turn up here.
• Document it now. Tracking number, proof of shipment, an invoice showing the order value, and your messages with the customer.
• Decide the next step. Contact the carrier, replace or refund, or start a claim.

See our claims requirements for what a complete submission needs, and how to avoid claim denials for the mistakes that cause rejections.

When tracking says delivered and the customer cannot find it

The carrier considers the job done and the customer is certain nothing arrived. Both can be true.

Start with the delivery scan. Note the timestamp and check for a photo or a geotag. A photo of the wrong door, or a geotag a block away, turns a vague dispute into a documented misdelivery you can take to the carrier.

Then confirm the address again. If the order went to an apartment, office, dorm or shared building, ask whether there is a mailroom, leasing office, package room or front desk that signs for deliveries. That is usually where it is.

If it still cannot be found, it is either a misdelivery the carrier may be able to trace, or a theft after delivery.

Theft after delivery is porch piracy, and standard in transit coverage ends at the delivery scan. U-PIC offers porch piracy coverage as an endorsement for qualifying shipments, so recovery depends on whether that endorsement is on your policy. If it keeps happening to your customers, see our post on six ways to prevent porch piracy.

Log these incidents either way. If the same area, carrier or customer account keeps appearing, that is a pattern you can act on.

When the package is still moving

A late package is not automatically a lost one. Weather, customs, address corrections and sorting backlogs all produce shipments that arrive intact.

If tracking is still updating, keep monitoring it and tell the customer what the latest scan says. Specifics calm people faster than apologies.

If tracking has gone quiet, it starts to look like a loss. With U-PIC, the default waiting period before a package can be treated as lost is 21 days from the ship date domestically and 45 days internationally. For more on filing, see the claims requirements and the coverage rules.

Start gathering records the day it is reported. The waiting period controls when you can file, not when to start.

Should you refund or reship?

That depends on your customer service policy, the order value, and whether the loss is recoverable.

You are the one they bought from, so you are the one they expect to fix it. But a replacement means paying for the merchandise and the shipping twice.

With insurance on the shipment you can make the customer whole immediately and recover the eligible loss separately. Third party shipping insurance through U-PIC covers eligible lost, damaged and stolen shipments across USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Amazon and most regional carriers, and claims are filed and tracked online.

Who is actually on the hook is its own question, covered in why buyers blame sellers for shipping incidents.

Frequently asked questions

What should a seller do if tracking says delivered but the customer did not receive the package?

Verify the delivery address against the order, review the carrier's delivery scan, photo or signature, and ask the customer to check with household members, neighbors, a front desk or mailroom, and any parcel locker. If the package still cannot be found, treat it as a misdelivery or a theft and document it.

How long should a seller wait before treating a package as lost?

With U-PIC, the default waiting period is 21 days from the ship date for domestic shipments and 45 days from the ship date for international shipments. Check the tracking history first. Those are the default windows, and the ones that apply to your account are in your agreement with U-PIC. The claims requirements cover more detail on filing.

Can a stolen package be covered?

Theft after delivery is not covered by standard in transit coverage, because that coverage ends at the delivery scan. U-PIC offers porch piracy coverage as an endorsement for qualifying shipments. See the coverage rules for what qualifies.

Is the seller or the carrier responsible when a package never arrives?

The customer bought from the seller, so the seller is the point of contact and is usually expected to resolve it. Carrier liability is limited and separate from what the seller owes the buyer, which is why many sellers insure the shipment rather than rely on the carrier.

Build the process before you need it

Missing package reports are easier when the process already exists, and the one thing you cannot add after the fact is the coverage. Apply for an account to get your rates, or if you only need to cover a single shipment, you can buy coverage for one package. The FAQs cover how it works.