Return tracking: where is my parcel and my refund?
A return has its own tracking number, separate from your order's. It's on the return label or on the receipt from the drop-off point, and the shop's returns page shows it too. The shop refunds you once its returns centre has the parcel and has checked it. How long that takes depends on the shop and, if you cancel within the 14-day cooling-off period in the UK or Ireland, on the law.
Does my return have a tracking number?
Yes, if you used the shop's label or QR code. A QR code isn't the tracking number itself: it's what the drop-off point scans. At a Post Office, Amazon UK's label-free returns are even packed and labelled for you. The number then shows up on your receipt, in the shop's email and on its returns page.
Keep that receipt until your money is back. Amazon UK says the Evri assistant "will scan your item and give you a receipt", and Zalando asks you to keep the carrier's return receipt until you've had your refund. At an InPost locker there's no counter: ASOS asks you to request a virtual proof of postage by scanning the QR code on the locker screen.
Paying the postage yourself? Then it's only tracked if you choose a tracked service. Amazon.com asks for one on returns over $35 to third-party sellers.
- YouPack it, add the label or keep the QR code
- Drop-off pointScans it and gives you a receipt
- CarrierTracks it under the label's number
- Returns centreTracking often ends at its door
- ShopChecks it and issues the refund
Where is the return tracking number?
On the shop's returns page, and in its return emails. The shop offers its carriers when you create the return; these are the ones its help pages list:
| Shop | Where the return is | Carriers listed |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Your Returns, Last 3 Months, or Return/Refund Status in the return email | UK: Evri, the Post Office, Amazon Lockers and Hub Counters. US: "over 8,000" drop-off locations. Amazon.co.uk orders sent back from Ireland: An Post |
| Shein | My Orders, Returns, Return & Refund Record, Details | US: Happy Returns, USPS. UK: Evri, Royal Mail, InPost lockers. Ireland: An Post. Canada: Canada Post, Neighbour Express, FedEx. Australia: Hubbed, Australia Post |
| Temu | Your Orders, Returns, Print return label. Refund status in the order details | US: Happy Returns, FedEx, USPS, UPS. Canada: Neighbour Express, Purolator, Canada Post, FedEx, UPS. Australia: PARCELPOINT, Australia Post |
| ASOS (UK, Australia) | My Account, My Returns. Guests only get it in the drop-off confirmation email | Shown when you create the return |
| Zalando (Ireland) | Returns, in your account | Shown during the online return |
The carriers track it too: Royal Mail, Evri, InPost, An Post, USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Purolator and Australia Post. Evri takes the 16-digit number or your ParcelShop receipt number.
One parcel, one number. ASOS gives each extra parcel "its own QR code and tracking number", and Amazon asks you not to mix items from different orders in one box.
Not sure whose number you have? Type it here:
The number of the order you received is somewhere else: see find your tracking number.
How long until the shop gets it, and why does tracking stop?
The last scan is often the carrier handing the parcel over, not the shop opening it. Evri's final tracking point on a return is On its way back to the retailer, with no update when the retailer gets it: the shop tells you itself. Evri asks you to allow 14 days from drop-off.
Returns rarely go straight to the shop, either. Shein and Temu warn that the address on the parcel you received isn't the return address, and Shein's Irish returns go to a logistics firm near Dublin. ASOS returns from Australia travel to Doncaster, England.
| Shop | To reach the returns centre and be processed |
|---|---|
| Amazon UK | Processed within 14 days of drop-off |
| Amazon Ireland | Up to 10 business days after the carrier gets it |
| Amazon US, Australia | Up to 30 days |
| Shein | 5–7 days on the way, then 5–7 days for the warehouse check |
| ASOS | UK: up to 10 calendar days to reach the warehouse. Australia: up to 21 business days, processing included |
On Amazon UK and Ireland, the return tracker in Your Orders shows an expected date for each step: Initiated, Drop off, Received, Refund issued, Refund credited. Tracking stuck before the returns centre? See why tracking stops updating.
When do I get my refund?
After the check, plus your bank's time:
| Shop | Refund issued | Then at your bank |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon US | Up to 30 days in all. Third-party sellers: usually within two business days of getting it | Credit card 3–5 business days, debit card up to 10 |
| Amazon UK, Ireland | Within 14 days at most, for products shipped by Amazon | Up to 7 business days |
| Amazon Canada | Up to 30 days after Amazon receives it | Credit card 3–5 business days |
| Amazon Australia | Usually 2–5 business days after it's marked delivered to Amazon | 2–5 business days |
| Shein | 1 day after the warehouse check | Usually 1–10 business days |
| Temu | Once it's received and passes the quality check | 5–14 business days, up to 30 days |
| ASOS | Aims for 14 days from receiving it | Up to 10 working days |
| Zalando Ireland | Within 14 days of handing it to the carrier | Your bank may take a few days more |
Some refund early. Amazon.com can issue an advanced refund "when a carrier first scans your return", Temu sometimes refunds once you've dropped it off, and Amazon UK and Ireland may offer an instant refund. Send the item back in time, or you're charged again.
Shein and Temu refund once the item passes their quality check, and Amazon.com reduces refunds for returns that are "used, damaged, or missing parts".
- You start the returnIn the shop's app or website, within its return window. You get a label, a QR code or a return code.
- You drop it offKeep the receipt or proof of postage until the money is back.
- The shop receives itTracking may stop at the returns centre's door. The shop emails you.
- The shop checks itThe returns centre inspects the item. Used, damaged or incomplete items can get less back.
- Your money comes backUsually to how you paid, plus your bank's processing time.
What does the law say?
- UK: you can cancel an online order within 14 days of receiving it, for any reason, and then have another 14 days to send it back. The shop must refund you within 14 days of getting it back, or of receiving your proof that you sent it, whichever comes first. Standard delivery is refunded too.
- Ireland: the same 14 days, plus 14 to send it back. The CCPC says the shop must refund you within 14 days of your cancelling, "subject to receiving the returned items back". Shein's and Temu's terms for Ireland add that they can hold the refund until the parcel arrives or you show you sent it, whichever is earlier.
- US: the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule doesn't cover sales made "entirely online, by mail, or telephone". The FTC says "a seller's return policy should tell you if you can return the item for a refund and how to do that."
- Canada: "businesses are not obligated to accept the return of purchased items unless they are defective", says the federal Office of Consumer Affairs. The shop's policy decides.
- Australia: changing your mind gives you no right to a refund, the ACCC says. "However, if a business has a 'change of mind' policy, they must follow it."
Longer windows, like Amazon's 30 days, ASOS's 28 or Temu's 90, are the shop's own policy, on top of the law.
What if the shop says my return never arrived?
Your tracking and your receipt are your evidence. Go in this order:
- Look at the tracking. If it shows the parcel delivered, or
On its way back to the retailer, send the shop a screenshot and a photo of the receipt. - Give it the shop's time. Evri suggests 14 days. Amazon.com and Amazon.ca ask you to contact them if 30 days have passed without a refund. ASOS asks for your proof of postage if the refund doesn't come.
- Let the right one claim. With the shop's free label, the shop is the carrier's customer. "If your return was free, you'll need to ask your retailer to start an investigation on your behalf," says Evri. If you paid the postage, ask the carrier yourself.
- Know who bears the risk. "Returned items are your responsibility until they reach us," says ASOS. Amazon.com's A-to-z Guarantee may not cover a lost return to a seller sent without tracking. In the UK, your proof of sending is enough to start the shop's 14-day refund deadline.
More on chasing a missing parcel: lost parcels and delivered but not received. A delivery that bounced back to the seller before reaching you is a different case: returned to sender. Shop by shop, see Amazon orders, Temu and Shein and Vinted orders.
Can I track my return in Peek?
Yes, once you have a number. Paste the one from the label, the receipt or the shop's email into Peek: it works out the carrier and follows the parcel like any other. A QR code on its own isn't a tracking number, so wait for the receipt.
Peek sees what the carrier publishes. It can tell you the parcel reached the returns centre, but not whether the shop has checked it or refunded you: that's only in your account with the shop.
Sources
- Amazon.com: Track Your Return – where to track a return
- Amazon.com: Refunds – 30 days, advanced and partial refunds, bank times
- Amazon.com: Amazon Return Policy – 30 days, drop-off locations
- Amazon.com: Return Items You Ordered – one return per label
- Amazon.com: Returns to Third-Party Sellers – seller refunds, tracked postage, A-to-z
- Amazon.co.uk: Refunds – 14 days, bank time, instant refund
- Amazon.co.uk: Check the Status of Your Refund – return statuses
- Amazon.co.uk: Return an Item at an Evri Drop Off Location – Evri receipt
- Amazon.co.uk: Post Office Label free Box Free – Post Office returns
- Amazon.co.uk: About Our Returns Policies – Lockers and Hub Counters
- Amazon.co.uk: Return Items from the Republic of Ireland to the UK – An Post label
- Amazon.ie: Refunds – processing, instant refund charges
- Amazon.ca: Refunds – refund timing
- Amazon.com.au: Refunds – refund timing
- Shein US: Return Policy – returns record, US carriers, refund timeline, return address
- Shein UK: Return Policy – UK carriers
- Shein Europe: Right of withdrawal & Return Policy – An Post, Irish return address, refund rule
- Shein Canada: Return Policy – Canadian carriers
- Shein Australia: Return Policy – Australian carriers
- Temu US: Return and Refund Policy – US carriers, posting deadline, refund timing
- Temu Canada: Return and Refund Policy – Canadian carriers
- Temu Australia: Return and Refund Policy – Australian carriers
- Temu Ireland: Return and Refund Policy – Irish refund rule
- ASOS: Returns Policy – 28 days, refund, risk in transit
- ASOS: How do I return something to you from the UK? – My Returns, timing, InPost proof of postage
- ASOS: Returns from Australia – Doncaster, timing, one number per parcel
- ASOS: How will I get my refund? – bank time, proof of postage
- Zalando Ireland: How can I return my order? – return receipt, refund timing
- Zalando Ireland: When will I receive my refund? – refund timing
- Evri: How can I track my return? – tracking numbers
- Evri: How will I know the retailer has received my return? – final tracking point
- Evri: What if my return hasn't arrived? – 14 days, who investigates
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations, reg. 34 – UK refund deadline
- Citizens Advice: Changing your mind about something you've bought – UK cooling-off
- CCPC: Buying online – Irish cooling-off and refund
- FTC: The Cooling-Off Rule – online sales excluded
- FTC: What to do if your online order never arrives – seller's return policy
- Office of Consumer Affairs (Canada): Refund and exchange – returns not required
- ACCC: Repair, replace, refund, cancel – change of mind