How Retailers Handle Lost Holiday Packages
Find out when to request a reshipment, refund, or carrier claim for a missing holiday delivery.
Retailers usually ask you to contact them first so they can trace, reship or refund a missing holiday order. If a seller cannot ship on time, federal mail-order rules require notice and a choice between a new ship date or cancellation with a prompt full refund. Lost can mean two different problems.
A parcel may be lost in transit and never show a delivery scan. It may also show delivered but still be missing at your address.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What to do first when an order does not arrive
Contact the seller before the carrier when a holiday order never arrives. The Federal Trade Commission advises buyers to ask the seller for reshipment, tracing or a refund, then dispute the credit-card charge if the seller will not refund, as explained in the FTC's consumer advice on missing online orders. Keep your order number, promised delivery date and any tracking updates together.
Save messages with the seller and photos of your mailbox, porch or locker if delivery is claimed.
- Check tracking for address errors, holds or forwarding notes.
- Ask neighbors, household members and building staff about misdelivery.
- Ask the seller for a trace, replacement or refund in writing.
- If the seller refuses a refund, contact your card issuer about disputing the charge.
What sellers must do about late holiday shipments
Online sellers must ship by the promised date or within 30 days when no date was stated. If they cannot meet that deadline, they must notify you and offer a new date or cancellation with a prompt full refund, according to the FTC's guide to the mail-order merchandise rule. That rule covers orders by mail, internet or phone.
It gives you a clear response when a holiday gift is stuck with no ship date. Agree to a delay only if the new date still works for your holiday plans. Cancel for a refund if it does not.
How marketplace sellers handle missing parcels
On large marketplaces, the seller that shipped your item is often responsible for fixing a missing delivery. Walmart Marketplace, for example, makes sellers responsible for seller-fulfilled cases described as Lost in Transit, Damaged in Transit, Lost After Delivery and Incorrect Address, as described in Walmart Marketplace guidance on lost or undelivered orders. That guidance defines Lost After Delivery as still missing 48 hours after the carrier delivery scan.
The waiting period allows time for a late scan update, a neighbor drop or a locker placement to surface. Report the exact tracking status when you write to the seller. Say whether tracking shows no movement, arrival at a facility, an address problem or delivery without receipt.
When a carrier claim has its own deadline
A carrier claim is separate from a retailer refund and has strict filing windows. FedEx requires damaged or missing-contents claims no later than 60 calendar days from shipment for U.S. packages and 21 days for international packages, while undelivered or lost-shipment claims must be filed within nine months, according to FedEx claim filing guidance.
Either the sender or recipient can start some claims, but only the sender may have the proof of mailing, insurance and value. Ask the retailer whether it already filed a claim before you file a second one. File before the earliest deadline that applies to your shipment.
For holiday parcels, act in December rather than waiting until January.