Etsy Buyer Says Item Not Received: What Should a Seller Do?

Help request → case: keep the clocks separate

A buyer can ask for help before they can open a formal case. A reply does not itself resolve a missing parcel, and an unresolved Help request is not yet an Etsy decision.

1. Help with Order arrives: respond within 48 hours

   The buyer contacts you through Purchases and reviews → Help with order. Work towards a resolution and keep the exchange on Etsy. A carrier investigation does not pause your response obligation.

2. Check the maximum estimated delivery date

   Use the last date in the delivery window provided at checkout, available through the order’s Help with order page. Processing time and transit time contribute to the estimate; the dispatch-by date is a different milestone.

3. Non-delivery: 7+ days after that maximum date

   Etsy’s seller case and estimated-date guidance add this wait for non-delivery. At least 48 hours must also have passed since the Help request. Both conditions matter; 48 hours alone does not make a non-delivery case eligible.

4. Check the displayed 30-day case-opening cutoff

   Seller Help says buyers have 30 days once eligible. Buyer Help describes 30 days from the estimated delivery date. These descriptions differ: use the exact opening date and final cutoff Etsy displays for this order. Do not calculate an extra seven days plus 30 days or ask the buyer to wait beyond the displayed cutoff.

5. A case opens: Etsy reviews the order

   The buyer opens the case; the seller supplies evidence and responds to requests. Etsy may resolve it from order data or investigate further. A Help request alone does not start the Purchase Protection review.

Read together: seller case timing, estimated delivery dates and buyer eligibility/cutoff display. The timing discrepancy is in Etsy’s current pages, not a separate ParcelClaim deadline.

What does the tracking tell you to do?

What if there is no first acceptance scan?

Etsy’s 2026 programme update recognises that UK first-origin scans may be missing and some services have no tracking. Keep posting receipts and other handover evidence. A missing first scan alone does not establish late dispatch; equally, a label purchase alone does not establish on-time handover.

Can I add or correct tracking now?

Etsy allows tracking to be added to a completed order through Shop Manager → Orders → Completed → the order’s menu → Add a package. Its manual tracking edit window is three days; after that, its guidance says to message the correct number to the buyer and keep it in private order notes. Also provide it in an open case. Correcting information does not change when you actually dispatched or establish protection retrospectively.

Navigation and limitations: Etsy tracking/completion help. Keep the carrier’s full history as well as Etsy’s summary.

What happens when the buyer opens a case?

Open Shop Manager → Help → Cases → Cases reported about your shop → the case ID. Use Add Your Comment and attach relevant screenshots or photos. Keep all case information in the case log, including the tracking number, dispatch evidence and carrier’s findings; private notes alone do not show them to the case handler.

Etsy normally uses the order’s delivery status and protection criteria to reach an outcome. It checks dispatch within processing time, valid tracking and/or an Etsy postage label, estimated delivery information, listing accuracy, destination, customer service and your Help-request response. Where more information is needed, expect a case-log notice and email.

Respond promptly to Etsy’s evidence request. The current Cases Policy says sellers must respond within two calendar days. Help also tells sellers to meet the timeframe given in the case log. Act on the notice immediately; if a carrier report is outstanding, upload what you have and explain what is pending. Do not assume an extension.

Authority: current Cases Policy, case resolution. Etsy may resolve some matters automatically; an open case does not promise a human evidence exchange before every decision.

Will Etsy or the seller fund the refund?

Qualifies for protection

Etsy may fund up to $250 USD, or its converted local-currency equivalent, including postage and tax.

Qualifies, refund exceeds cap

The order can still qualify. Etsy’s contribution is capped; the seller funds the remainder.

Does not qualify

The seller may have to fund the refund. A separate carrier claim is not an automatic replacement for Etsy protection.

Quick eligibility snapshot: on-time dispatch, valid tracking and/or an Etsy label, an estimated delivery date, accurate listing and ships-from information, Etsy Payments, the Etsy delivery address, a shop in good standing, customer service standards and a Help reply within 48 hours. US shipments also have duty-paid requirements. Read the full seller Purchase Protection checklist before relying on cover.

Qualifying orders need no programme setup. Protection is assessed after the buyer’s Help request and case. Etsy then issues an eligible case refund; you do not need to issue it yourself to trigger protection. If you voluntarily refund, use Etsy’s refund process and understand that the money is normally taken from your Payment account. Do not assume Etsy will repay a voluntary refund.

Build one seller evidence file

• Order and checkout facts: receipt, paid total, delivery address, listing photos/description, processing window and maximum estimated delivery date.
• Actual dispatch: original label, postage purchase, posting receipt or acceptance scan and any collection manifest.
• Usable tracking: correct carrier/number, full event history, current status and a dated capture. An order ID is not a tracking number.
• Buyer contact: first Help with Order request, your timed reply, buyer’s description and agreed actions.
• Case record: case ID, notices, requested evidence, your submissions and the displayed deadline.
• Carrier and money records: enquiry reference, written findings, insurance details and any refund or seller-account debit.

Address mismatch? Case Help mentions evidence of dispatch to a receipt address or one agreed in Etsy Messages. The current protection policy separately requires the address provided on Etsy; the Cases Policy does not treat informal address changes as qualifying. Preserve any messages honestly, but do not present them as guaranteed protection. Before dispatch, cancelling/refunding and asking the buyer to reorder with the corrected address is the safer policy route.

Keep the Etsy route and carrier route moving

A label bought through Etsy does not turn Purchase Protection into parcel insurance. Check Etsy’s label-specific claim instructions, our courier claims guide and, for Royal Mail, the service and missing-parcel guidance. Use sender/booking details for your claim; buyer refund advice is a different perspective.

Adaptable buyer and case wording

To the buyer

Thanks for letting me know your order hasn’t arrived. I’ve checked [carrier/reference]; the latest event is [exact scan] on [date/time]. I dispatched on [date, supported by record] and am asking [provider] to investigate under [reference].

I’ll update you by [date I can meet]. If this remains unresolved, your Help with order page shows when you can ask Etsy to review it and the final cutoff. Etsy decides whether Purchase Protection applies; I can’t promise its outcome.

In an open case

Order [ID], case [ID]: the maximum checkout delivery date was [date]. Attached are [dispatch record], [receipt/address match] and [tracking history]. The latest carrier finding is [fact]; [specific report] is outstanding. I replied to Help with Order on [date/time]. Please assess the order against the current Purchase Protection criteria.

Replace every bracket and remove unsupported statements. Never make a refund conditional on the buyer closing a case.

If the parcel arrives, is confirmed lost or the case closes

Still moving: update the case with the new scan; do not invent a delivery promise. Carrier confirms loss: upload its written finding, follow the relevant claim route and check protection eligibility. Delivered but disputed: move to the delivered evidence audit.

Arrives after a refund: preserve tracking and buyer confirmation, tell Etsy what changed and ask for instructions before requesting another payment. Case closed: read the actual outcome and Payment account entry. Closure alone does not mean the seller kept the money. Etsy’s Help generally says non-delivery/late outcomes cannot be reviewed further; its Cases Policy reserves power to reopen tracking issues, which is not a promised seller appeal.

For the customer’s side, see Etsy non-delivery guidance from the buyer’s perspective. For your order, start with the case notice and your records.