Buyer Says Parcel Arrived Empty: UK Seller Guide

Do these things today

Reply factually. Acknowledge the report and ask what was received. Do not accuse the buyer of fraud or promise a carrier outcome.
Keep the packaging. Ask the buyer to retain the box or bag, label, tape, inner wrapping and anything left inside. Request clear photos before anything is thrown away.
Save your existing packing records. Preserve item photos, the parcel before sealing, packing video, seal details and any measured dispatch weight. Keep original files; do not recreate the shipment as evidence.
Prove handover separately. Save the drop-off receipt or collection manifest, label and full carrier tracking. Check for damage, repacking or unusual scans.
Ask about weight records. Request any actual acceptance or depot weights tied to this tracking number. A weight typed into a label purchase is different from a carrier measurement.
Open the marketplace order. Check whether this is only a message or an actual issue, return, refund request or case. Save the allegation and displayed response deadline.
Identify the label provider today. Check its missing-contents notification window separately. A platform investigation does not automatically extend it.

An empty package needs a contents investigation

Here the buyer says the packaging arrived but contained none of the purchased goods. A delivered scan can establish movement of a parcel without establishing what was inside it. This differs from a parcel that never arrived, an empty locker, and an item that arrived broken.

Possible explanations include a packing mistake, the package being opened in transit, a failed seam, contents falling out during handling, or a disputed or dishonest report. None is established by the allegation alone. Record observations before choosing an explanation.

If some purchased goods did arrive, use the incomplete-order diagnosis. If nobody received the package at all, choose your marketplace’s non-receipt guide from the Seller guide hub.

Empty parcel evidence matrix

Connect each record to this order. Strength depends on its provenance, timing and what it actually shows.
Evidence	Who holds it	Why it matters	Strength / limit
Item, open parcel and packing photos/video	Seller or fulfilment warehouse	Identify the item, quantity, packing and sealing sequence.	A continuous record tied to the label is more useful than an isolated item photo. It cannot prove nothing happened after filming.
Seal, tape and dispatch parcel photos	Seller; compare with buyer	Show whether received packaging differs from what was sent.	Different tape can prompt a repacking enquiry; it does not identify who opened the parcel.
Measured weight before dispatch	Seller / warehouse	Compare expected goods plus packaging with the recorded parcel.	Needs date, units, scale context and parcel identity. A remembered or declared weight is weaker.
Drop-off receipt and acceptance weight	Seller; carrier if recorded	Separate physical handover from label purchase; establish an initial measurement.	A receipt may show a paid weight band rather than measured grams. It does not list or authenticate the contents.
Order, invoice, listing and quantities sold	Seller / marketplace	Show what was owed and identify the missing goods.	Proves the transaction or expectation, not the packing or cause of loss.
All sides, label, seams, tape and inside	Buyer	Connect the received package to the tracking number and show openings, damage and remaining material.	Photos taken after opening may not show the arrival condition. Ask when they were taken; retain the original packaging.
Anything remaining; measurable arrival weight	Buyer	Distinguish empty of goods from missing one component; compare packaging and weight.	Include inserts and wrapping in the description. A different scale or altered packaging limits comparisons.
Tracking and delivery photo	Carrier; copies with both parties	Establish scan times, delivery location and visible parcel condition.	A photo of a closed package does not show its contents.
Depot weights, incident/damage and repacking records	Carrier where available	May narrow when a change or handling problem occurred.	Not every courier weighs at every scan, retains the data or releases it. A weight gap is not proof of wrongdoing.

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Audit the packaging without assuming tampering

Identity: does the buyer’s label match this order and tracking number? Is there another label, carrier overbag or repacking note?
Seams: compare top, bottom and side seals with your dispatch photos. Look for cuts, torn adhesive, burst corners or punctures; describe the location.
Strength: could the goods move, pierce a bag or force a seam? Check box size, inner restraint and the actual service’s packing requirements.
Changes: ask about different tape, missing inner packaging, a flattened box or loose contents handed over separately.
Timing: when did the buyer notice the issue, who opened the package and were any photos taken before opening? Ask neutrally; no opening video does not establish dishonesty.

Describe “tape across the bottom seam differs from dispatch photo”, rather than “the courier stole it”. Ask the carrier whether it has a damage or repacking record. Keep any absence of visible damage in the evidence too; do not edit it out because it weakens a theory.

Marketplace case vs courier claim: run both routes

One order, separate decisions and deadlines.

Packaging arrived; buyer reports no goods

Marketplace / buyer case
Answer the actual contents allegation, supply the relevant records and check the order’s refund or return instructions. Tracking alone does not answer it.
Shipping contract / recovery
Identify who booked the label. Notify that provider promptly and ask for a missing-contents investigation, evidence requirements and claim classification.

Record both references and deadlines. A buyer refund does not by itself prove carrier liability; a carrier enquiry is not a reason to ignore a marketplace task.

Use the missing-contents courier claim guide for label ownership, carrier evidence and verified notification periods. Check the effect of any proposed refund or return on this order’s protection route, while still meeting the buyer and platform obligations.

Which marketplace guide helps with this case?

Start with the live allegation. An empty package may require a contents, not-as-described or transit-damage investigation; it should not be answered simply as “tracking says delivered”. These existing Seller guides explain adjacent processes and label ownership, not automatic protection for every empty-parcel report.

Routing only. Marketplace processes and deadlines differ; read the actual order notice.
Marketplace	Likely issue to check	Relevant Seller guide
eBay	Check the return/case reason and missing-parts or not-as-described allegation against Money Back Guarantee. A delivery defence alone misses the contents question.	eBay seller case basics — useful for case vs message and changed allegations; INR rules are not an empty-parcel ruling.
Vinted	Use the order’s issue/support record; distinguish transit damage from a contents/bundle mismatch. The standard-member Refund Policy differs from Pro purchases.	Vinted packaging, investigation and label routes.
Depop	Check the issue and payment method. Bundle Help recognises separate posting and accidental omissions; do not claim a delivered scan resolves contents.	Depop shipping and protection conditions — eligibility must match the actual issue.
Etsy	Keep the Help request and any case record updated with the contents discrepancy. Check the current Cases Policy.	Etsy seller protection and separate carrier recovery — no automatic empty-package cover assumed.
TikTok Shop	Read the order’s aftersales reason and fulfilment route. Use the current UK refund policy, rather than selecting DNR only because tracking says delivered.	TikTok Shop shipping models and refund tasks — its non-arrival rules do not decide missing contents.
Amazon	Establish seller fulfilment versus FBA; check the actual customer-service or claim task. FBA customer service runs through Amazon.	Amazon seller fulfilment and case routing — confirm the contents workflow in signed-in Help, not the INR criteria alone.

Seller response wording you can adapt

Thanks for letting me know. I understand the package arrived but the purchased item was not inside. Please keep all the packaging, tape, label and any material remaining inside while this is investigated.
Could you send clear photos of all sides, the shipping label, the seams/tape and the inside, including any opening or damage? Please also say when you noticed the problem and whether anything was left in the parcel.
I am checking the packing and dispatch records and the shipping provider’s records for order [ID], tracking [reference]. I will update you by [a date/time I can meet]. I will also respond through any open marketplace case.

Replace the brackets and remove any statement you cannot support. Do not describe records as checked until you have checked them. If the buyer cannot supply photos, record that fact, preserve what you do have and ask the handler about alternatives; do not turn a photo request into an invented condition of all refunds.

What not to do

Do not accuse the buyer or carrier, threaten the buyer or publish their details.
Do not fabricate packing evidence, change timestamps or present a reconstruction as the actual dispatch.
Do not tell the buyer a courier weight proves fraud or a delivery scan proves the goods were received.
Do not discard original records or ask the buyer to bin the packaging before the handler releases it.
Do not miss a marketplace response, notification or evidence deadline while arguing about responsibility.
Do not require the buyer to resolve your shipping contract before you address the order through its proper process.

Something changed: make the next response fit the new fact

Add the dated record to the existing case rather than repeating the first allegation.
New fact	Next seller action
Courier supplies a weight	Check whether measured or declared, its scan time and parcel identity. Compare with packing and buyer records; report limitations as well as any discrepancy.
Buyer provides packaging photos	Compare labels, seams and inside material with dispatch photos. Ask one focused follow-up if the relevant area is not visible.
Carrier confirms damage or tampering	Save the written finding and share it with the marketplace and claim handler. Ask what evidence or eligibility step remains; confirmation is not itself a payout.
Buyer finds the item	Confirm what was found and update both handlers promptly. Reconcile any refund, replacement or compensation; do not arrange an unauthorised recharge.
Marketplace makes a decision	Save the reason, money outcome and any appeal window. A marketplace finding does not automatically settle the carrier contract.
Courier rejects the claim	Use the rejection diagnostic to address the specific evidence or eligibility gap. Do not send an unchanged duplicate claim.

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Sources & policy review

Policy checked: 31 October 2026. UK guidance. Check the terms applying to your actual order and shipping booking.

The matrix and audit are practical editorial tools, not a universal carrier evidence standard. Amazon’s detailed Seller Central page returned a JavaScript shell during this review; no new Amazon contents deadline or protection entitlement is asserted here. ParcelClaim is independent of the marketplaces and carriers.