Lost parcel claim: how to get your money back
If you bought it from a shop, your lost parcel claim goes to the seller, not the carrier: ask it for a replacement or a refund once the carrier's waiting time has passed (7 days after mailing for a USPS search, 10 working days after the due date for Royal Mail 1st or 2nd Class). The seller booked the carrier, so the carrier's compensation goes to the seller. In the UK and the EU, the parcel stays the seller's responsibility until you have it.
How do I claim for a lost parcel and get my money back?
- Wait out the carrier's timeBefore then, the parcel is late, not lost.
- Ask the sellerIn writing, with the order and tracking numbers, for a replacement or a refund.
- Open a case on the platformMarketplaces refund you if the seller doesn't, inside their window.
- Claim from the carrierIf you sent it. Some carriers take a recipient's claim too. Bring proof of posting and value.
- Then your card or PayPalThe last resort: a chargeback can end the platform's case.
The seller may ask you to wait while the carrier searches, or to sign a declaration that nothing came. It shouldn't send you off to the carrier.
Tracking says delivered but nothing came? See delivered but not received. Arrived broken? See damaged parcel.
How long before you can claim for a lost parcel?
Carriers count from posting or the due date, not from the last scan. Most "lost" parcels are only late: Canada Post and Australia Post say most turn up within 5 business days of the expected date. Tracking just gone quiet? See tracking not updating.
| Carrier | Search or claim from | Claim deadline | Who claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Search: 7 days after mailing. Insured claim: 15 days (7 for Priority Mail Express) | 60 days after mailing | Sender or recipient, with the mailing receipt |
| UPS | No day count | 60 days after scheduled delivery | You, unless the shipper blocks it; the shipper is paid |
| FedEx | No day count | 9 months after shipping | You, or the merchant |
| Royal Mail | Days after the due date: 10 working (1st, 2nd Class), 7 (Tracked 24, 48), 5 (Special Delivery by 1pm) | 80 days after posting; 6 months abroad | Sender or recipient, sender first. Tracked 24 and 48: sender only |
| Evri | Over 7 days with Evri: tell the sender | 28 days after the order (45 abroad), recommended | The sender |
| DPD UK | The sender reports it within 14 days of despatch | 1 year | The sender |
| An Post | 5 working days after posting (15 days international) | 3 months after posting (6 international) | Sender or recipient |
| Canada Post | After the expected delivery date | 90 days after shipping (6 months abroad) | Only the sender is paid |
| Australia Post | 10 business days after the expected date | 6 months after posting | The sender is paid, unless it waives |
Who is responsible for a lost parcel, the buyer or the seller?
If you bought from a business, the seller, in most places:
- UK: goods stay at the trader's risk until you, or someone you named, physically have them (Consumer Rights Act 2015, s. 29).
- Ireland and the EU: the same rule. The CCPC says the business stays responsible when it uses a courier: it should replace a parcel "lost in transit", or refund you in full if it can't deliver.
- US: no federal rule; the terms of sale decide. The FTC says a seller charging you for "insurance" implies it "will honor any claim of nondelivery".
- Australia: Australia Post tells buyers to contact the seller, "best placed to provide you with a replacement item".
The risk is yours if you booked a courier the shop didn't offer, or bought from a private person. Canada's rules and the other exceptions are in delivered but not received.
Lost parcel refund on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Vinted, Temu and AliExpress
If the seller doesn't help, the marketplace can, if you paid through its checkout:
| Platform | Open a case | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon, shipped by Amazon | 48 hours after the estimated delivery date | 30 days after that date |
| Amazon A-to-z Guarantee (other sellers) | 3 days after the latest estimated date, if you contacted the seller over 48 hours ago and it hasn't solved it | 90 days after the last possible delivery date |
| eBay | Once the estimated date has passed; the seller has 3 business days to answer | 30 days after that date |
| Etsy | Estimated date passed and the seller contacted over 48 hours ago | 30 days after the estimated date |
| Vinted (its label) | Parcel seems to be lost, or 25 business days after shipped | 2 days after Vinted's notice |
| AliExpress | From the 11th day after dispatch, or once the delivery time is over if tracking still moves | 15 days after the delivery time ends |
| Temu | Lost in transit | 90 days after purchase |
Vinted refunds once the loss is confirmed, which can take weeks. Etsy won't cover a delay caused by a strike or severe weather, or a parcel you refused to pay customs charges on. More on AliExpress, Temu and Shein in tracking a parcel from China.
How much compensation do carriers pay for a lost parcel?
Not much. Included cover is capped and pays only the value you can prove, usually plus the postage:
| Carrier | Included cover | Extra cover |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Up to $100 on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage | Insurance to $5,000; Registered Mail $50,000 |
| UPS, FedEx | $100 | Declared value |
| Royal Mail | 1st, 2nd Class £20; Tracked 24, 48 £75; Special Delivery by 1pm £750 | Special Delivery to £2,500 |
| Evri | £20 | Full Cover |
| Canada Post | CAN$100 on Priority, Xpresspost, Expedited Parcel; none on Regular Parcel | CAN$5,000 in Canada, CAN$1,000 abroad |
| Australia Post | Up to A$100 on most services | Extra Cover to A$5,000 |
| An Post | Standard Post: postage and direct costs, usually in stamps | Registered Post |
| Parcels between national posts (UPU) | 40 SDR plus 4.50 SDR per kg | Insured items |
Between two national posts, a lost 2 kg parcel pays at most 49 SDR plus postage, about €59 at the UPU's 2026 rate of €1.2119 per SDR (Correos), unless the posts agreed a flat 130 SDR.
Declared value isn't insurance: you pay UPS to raise its limit, and UPS says it "does not receive any form of insurance". Royal Mail pays nothing for jewellery or money outside Special Delivery, or for badly packed items.
How do I file a claim with USPS, Royal Mail or another carrier?
On the carrier's own site, before the deadline in the first table, with:
- Tracking number and history. Screenshot it, because tracking pages expire. Peek shows every scan on the parcel's page, but can't file the claim for you.
- Proof of posting. USPS needs the original mailing receipt for insured mail. Royal Mail needs a certificate of posting for international items, from the Post Office counter.
- Proof of value. Invoice, receipt, bank statement or PayPal record. USPS accepts an online transaction printout showing buyer, seller, price, date and item. Without proof of value, Royal Mail refunds only the postage.
- Contents and both addresses.
USPS usually decides within 5 to 10 days, UPS in 8 to 10 business days, Royal Mail within 30 days.
Bought from a private seller on eBay or Vinted?
Consumer law doesn't cover sales between individuals. In the UK, handing the parcel to the carrier normally counts as delivery to you (Sale of Goods Act 1979, s. 32). What protects you is how you paid:
- eBay's Money Back Guarantee doesn't exclude private sellers, but covers only orders paid through eBay checkout.
- Vinted refunds you when a parcel sent with its label is confirmed lost, and compensates the seller. Paying outside Vinted isn't covered.
- PayPal Goods and Services is covered; friends and family payments are not.
Paid by bank transfer? Ask the seller to claim from the carrier and pass the money on.
Last resort: a PayPal or card dispute
When the seller and the platform both fail, the way you paid can still bring the money back. Its clock runs from the payment or your statement, not from the delivery date.
On PayPal, open an Item Not Received dispute within 180 days of paying, and escalate it within 20 days of opening it. In the US, PayPal refuses it if the seller shows proof of shipment or delivery. For a US credit card, send your issuer a written billing-error notice within 60 days after the charge appeared on your statement. Chargebacks, Section 75 and the time limits elsewhere are in delivered but not received.
Sources
- USPS: Missing Mail – 7 days
- USPS: Claims – deadlines, evidence, timing
- USPS: Insurance – cover
- UPS: File a claim – 60 days
- UPS: Terms of Service – $100, declared value
- FedEx: Claims – 9 months
- FedEx: Declared value – $100
- Royal Mail: Compensation for loss – timing, £20, evidence
- Royal Mail: Item hasn't arrived – waiting times
- Royal Mail: Tracked 24 – £75
- Royal Mail: Special Delivery – £750, £2,500
- Royal Mail: International compensation – 6 months
- Citizens Advice: Royal Mail claims – Tracked senders
- Evri: Parcel not received – 7 days
- Evri: Terms – £20, deadlines
- DPD UK: Standard Terms and Conditions of Carriage – 14 days, 1 year
- An Post: Receiving post – 5 working days, 15 days
- An Post: Feedback and complaints – who complains, deadlines, stamps
- Canada Post: Missing packages – 90 days, senders
- Canada Post: Coverage – CAN$100, caps
- Australia Post: Lost or late items – 10 business days
- Australia Post: Compensation – $100, who is paid
- UPU: Regulations – 40 SDR, 4.50 SDR/kg, 130 SDR by agreement
- Correos: International loss – SDR rate
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, s. 29 – risk
- Sale of Goods Act 1979, s. 32 – private sales
- CCPC: Non-delivery – replace or refund, business responsible with a courier
- FTC: Mail Order Rule – insurance charges
- Ontario: Consumer rights – 30 days
- Amazon: Late deliveries – 48 hours, 30 days
- Amazon: A-to-z Guarantee – 3, 90 days, chargebacks
- eBay: Money Back Guarantee – 30 days, 3 business days, checkout, chargebacks
- Etsy: How to open a case – 48 hours, 30 days, strikes and weather, chargebacks
- Etsy: Purchase Protection Programme – charges refused on delivery
- Vinted: Refund policy – lost parcels
- Vinted: Parcel didn't arrive – 25 days
- AliExpress: Open a dispute – 11, 15 days
- Temu: Purchase Protection – 90 days
- PayPal UK: Buyer Protection – 180, 20 days
- PayPal US: Purchase Protection – proof of shipment
- CFPB: Card disputes – 60 days