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My order never arrived

You paid, you waited, and nothing came. Maybe the tracking says "delivered" but there's no parcel. Or the seller has gone quiet.

If you bought from a business, it's the seller's job to get the item to you, not yours to chase the courier. Here's what to do.

First step today

Keep the order confirmation, any delivery updates and every message with the seller in one place.

What to keep

  • Your order confirmation, with the order date and any delivery date you were promised.
  • Your receipt and a note of how you paid.
  • Every tracking update or delivery email, including any "delivered" photo.
  • The delivery address you gave, checked for mistakes.
  • Whether you agreed to a safe place or a neighbour.
  • If the date mattered, proof you told the seller before you ordered.
  • Copies of every message between you and the seller, with dates.

Your next steps, in order

Before you pay

  1. Check the delivery date and whether the seller is a business or a private person. Your rights are different for each.
  2. If you need it by a certain day, tell the seller in writing before you order.
  3. Paying by card can give you more options later than paying by bank transfer.

After you've paid

  1. Check your address and any safe place or neighbour you agreed to.
  2. Contact the seller in writing, not just the courier. Ask where your order is and ask them to deliver it. You'll find a template below.
  3. Know the basic rule. Unless you agreed a different time, a business should deliver without undue delay and within 30 days of your order.
  4. If it's still late, you can give the seller a new, reasonable date to deliver by. If they miss it, or if a date you said was essential has passed, you can end the order and ask for your money back. Citizens Advice has step-by-step help: If something you ordered hasn't arrived.
  5. Talk to your card provider if the seller doesn't help. There are two routes, and neither is guaranteed:
    • Chargeback. Your card provider asks the seller's bank to reverse the payment. It works for debit cards, and for credit cards when Section 75 doesn't apply. Ask soon, as time limits apply.
    • Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. If you paid by credit card and a single item cost more than £100 and no more than £30,000, your credit card provider can share responsibility with the seller. It usually doesn't apply if you bought through a middleman, like a marketplace.
    • Buy now, pay later: if you used a regulated buy now, pay later plan taken out on or after 15 July 2026 (where the lender is a different business from the seller), Section 75 can apply in the same way as a credit card.
    • If your provider says no, or hasn't given you a final answer after eight weeks, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to look at it. It's free.
  6. Report it. If a business took your money and didn't deliver, Citizens Advice can pass your report to Trading Standards. In Scotland, contact Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact Consumerline. If the seller is based outside the UK, the UK International Consumer Centre may be able to help.

Who can help

A message you can send

Copy this, fill in the gaps and send it to the seller yourself.

Subject: Order [number] hasn't arrived

Hello,

On [date] I ordered [item] for £[amount], to be delivered to [address]. [I was told it would arrive by (date). / No delivery date was agreed.] It hasn't arrived. [The tracking says it was delivered on (date), but I haven't received it, and I didn't agree to it being left anywhere else.]

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller is responsible for delivering my order. Please deliver it by [a reasonable date]. If it hasn't arrived by then, I'd like to end the order and be paid back.

If possible, I'd be grateful for a reply within 14 days. This isn't a legal deadline, just a polite request so I know where things stand.

Thank you,
[Your name]

General information, not legal advice. Last updated 21 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? See /corrections.