Depop Says Delivered but the Buyer Says It Never Arrived: Seller Guide

Audit the delivered scan before you argue the outcome

A delivered scan records a carrier-reported delivery event. Read its supporting details: it may identify a doorstep, reception, neighbour or other location. It does not, by itself, establish who now has the parcel or resolve an address mismatch.

1. Match the parcel to this sale.

   Compare carrier and tracking number across the order, label and postage receipt. Make sure you are looking at this buyer’s parcel, not a reused screenshot or another shipment.

2. Save the event and its time.

   Record the delivery date/time, exact status and full history. Keep Depop’s view too if the two disagree. Note when you saved it.

3. Check the destination.

   Compare the sales-receipt address and label. Public tracking may hide the full address: “not displayed” is different from “different address”. Ask for carrier confirmation where needed.

4. Inspect available proof.

   Save the delivery image, signature/name or location note if available. Does the photo show the expected building? State what the buyer disputes. Ask about location/GPS evidence if needed; not every service records or discloses it.

5. Ask targeted, neutral questions.

   Have household members, reception, the named neighbour and any recorded safe place been checked, where safe? Ask whether the photo or location is recognised. Preserve the answers.

Depop specifically suggests checking neighbours. Royal Mail’s sender help also recommends checking the address, household, Safeplace, workplace post room and any signature or photograph. These are investigation steps, not a requirement that the buyer accept a disputed delivery.

Policy basis: Depop Protection for buyers — reporting window and delivered-tracking limits; Royal Mail — sender checks when delivery is disputed.

Which delivery situation do you actually have?

A missing photo is an evidence gap, not proof of false delivery. A photo of a door is evidence to assess alongside the address and buyer’s explanation, not a guaranteed decision. If the parcel is found with damage, switch to the damage evidence checklist.

Policy basis: How do I sell safely? — address and shipping records; Depop Protection for sellers — eligibility, limits and discretion.

Preserve evidence that answers the disputed fact

Keep original files privately and submit through the official case/support route. If you cannot access detailed proof, state that and ask who can obtain it. Avoid sending a public screenshot containing the buyer’s full address.

Should I contact Depop, the carrier, or both?

There are two questions: what happened to delivery, and how the Depop order and money should be resolved. A carrier can investigate the first; it does not decide the Depop case.

Do not apply the ten-days-after-shipping stalled-tracking trigger to a disputed delivery. Report the delivered mismatch promptly. Nor should you claim on two routes without telling the handlers about payments or an existing claim.

For Royal Mail, its sender delivery-denial page distinguishes scans today from earlier ones; use its current instructions alongside any Depop deadline. See our courier claims guide for the sender route. Our Evri delivered-but-missing guide gives broader delivery context.

Policy basis: My buyer hasn’t received their order — seller action and refund route; Evri — sender, recipient and third-party-label contact routes; Royal Mail — sender checks when delivery is disputed.

Keep the issue response and money status in view

If an INR issue is open, respond in the Resolution Centre within 48 hours of it being raised, even while you are waiting for delivery evidence. Go to My Depop → My account → Support → Sold item issues. If the buyer rejects your explanation, they can escalate; reply to subsequent Support emails within their stated deadlines.

The buyer’s Depop Payments non-arrival window runs from purchase: after five days and within 30 days. A request to “wait for the carrier” should not make them miss it. For the full issue sequence, use the seller non-arrival guide.

Depop’s delivered-address rule means a refund is uncertain, rather than automatically approved or refused. Submit an actual mismatch; do not just write “tracking says delivered, close the case”. Depop’s protection programmes also leave local consumer rights and seller obligations intact.

Check the actual order and Balance for any refund, pending amount, adjustment or payout. A delivered scan is not a protection award. Depop can refund on your behalf and recoup funds; no universal hold duration or compensation credit date is confirmed here. If a debit has happened, ask for its reason and whether any protection review remains open.

Policy basis: Resolution Centre as a seller — access and response options; I haven’t received my order — non-arrival reporting rules; Depop Protection for buyers — reporting window and delivered-tracking limits; Terms of Service — dispute decisions and recouping funds.

A neutral response you can adapt

Thanks for letting me know. [Carrier] reports delivery at [time/date] to [location exactly as recorded], but I understand you haven’t located the parcel. I’ve saved the tracking and [available photo / delivery details].

Do you recognise [the photo / named location], and have [relevant household/reception/neighbour checks] been possible? I’m [asking Depop to investigate its shipment / contacting my label provider for delivery-point confirmation]. I’ll update the order by [date I can meet] and respond to any open Depop issue.

Keep only the questions relevant to this record. Do not promise that Depop will refuse the buyer, that a carrier will compensate you, or that the parcel will be recovered. Do not ask the buyer to close the issue as a condition of investigating.

What if the investigation changes the story?

1. Wrong-place delivery can be recovered

   Ask the handler for the recovery plan and update Depop. A proposed recovery is not confirmation that the buyer now has the parcel.

2. Carrier confirms the parcel is lost

   Submit that finding. On Depop Shipping, ask Depop to assess refund and protection; on independent postage, pursue its claim and resolve the buyer refund. Use the loss/damage compensation guide.

3. Carrier maintains delivery; buyer still denies receipt

   Send the complete audit to Depop with the unresolved fact clearly stated. Ask for the basis of the decision; do not label an unresolved delivery dispute as confirmed loss.

4. Parcel is found after refund or compensation

   Send the new scan and buyer confirmation to Depop and the claim handler. Ask for instructions before arranging another payment or return.

Buying rather than selling? See our general buyer-perspective delivered-but-missing guide. A parcel still in transit belongs in the Depop seller non-arrival workflow.