How to Handle “Item Not Received” Cases on Etsy

Item Not Received claims are Etsy’s way of flagging a non-delivery problem, and the right response can calm a worried buyer while keeping the resolution clean and documented. Start by checking the order’s shipping status, the address on the Etsy receipt, and whether you have valid tracking or proof of shipment, then message the buyer with a clear update and realistic next steps. If the package is still in transit, focus on carrier timelines and a simple plan; if it appears lost, be ready to choose between a refund, a replacement, or letting Etsy review it under Purchase Protection. One surprisingly common mistake is solving it “off-platform” instead of using the case log when a case is opened.

Etsy Purchase Protection for non-delivery: what it covers

Orders and situations typically covered

Etsy Purchase Protection is designed to handle certain “item not received” situations without automatically putting the cost on the seller. If an order qualifies, Etsy may refund the buyer while you keep your earnings, which is a big deal in non-delivery cases where the package was shipped correctly but still went missing in transit.

In practical terms, non-delivery is most likely to be covered when:

You shipped the order on time (within your stated processing time).
You shipped to the address on the Etsy receipt.
The order has valid tracking and/or you bought the shipping label through Etsy.
Your listing includes an estimated delivery date (Etsy uses this to judge whether an order is late or truly missing).
The order total is within Etsy’s Purchase Protection limit (commonly stated as up to $250 USD, including shipping and taxes, or the equivalent in your currency).

Etsy explains the current requirements and what qualifies in its official overview of Etsy’s Purchase Protection for Sellers.

What Etsy may not cover

Even in a straightforward “item not received” story, Purchase Protection is not automatic. Etsy may not cover the case if key eligibility pieces are missing, or if the situation falls outside the program rules. Common examples include:

If the order total is over $250 (including shipping and taxes), the refund generally becomes the seller’s responsibility.

If you shipped late, shipped to a different address than the one on the Etsy receipt, or cannot show valid tracking or proof of shipment, the order can become ineligible.

If the buyer’s non-delivery is caused by refusing to pay customs or import charges due on delivery, Etsy states this does not qualify for Purchase Protection.

If the shop is not in good standing, or the order does not meet the program’s stated criteria, Etsy can also deny coverage.

Eligibility rules that matter in an item not received claim

Tracking and proof of shipment requirements

For an “item not received” claim, Etsy usually looks for one simple thing first: can you show the order was actually shipped correctly and on time?

The strongest position is when you have valid tracking attached to the order, especially if it shows acceptance and movement through the carrier network. If you buy postage through Etsy, that also helps because it creates an Etsy-side record of shipment. If tracking is not available for your shipment type, you still want “proof” ready, like a carrier receipt, a shipping label receipt, or dispatch documentation that clearly ties the package to that specific order.

Etsy also lists a few situations where tracking is not required (and where you’ll need to mark an exception in the order completion flow), such as digital downloads, local pickup, and some oversized shipments. Those rules are summarized in How to Add Tracking and Complete an Order.

Shipping address and delivery window requirements

The delivery address matters more than many sellers realize. To stay eligible for Etsy’s protections, the package needs to be shipped to the address on the Etsy order receipt, not an address sent later in Messages.

Timing matters too. Etsy’s case system is built around the estimated delivery date window and your stated processing time. If you ship late, or if the order is not yet truly past the delivery window, it becomes harder to treat the order as “missing” versus simply “still in transit.”

Digital items and local pickup exceptions

Item-not-received cases get tricky when nothing is physically shipped.

For digital items, the dispute is often about access (download availability) rather than carrier delivery. Keep all communication and any re-send steps in Etsy Messages so it’s easy to show what you provided.

For local pickup, you should plan ahead. Since there may be no tracking, you’ll want a clear pickup process and written confirmation inside Etsy (date, location, and buyer acknowledgment) to reduce “I never got it” misunderstandings.

Buyer help request and case opening timeline on Etsy

Messaging the seller first

On Etsy, an “item not received” situation usually starts with a Help with order message, not a case. Buyers are required to contact the seller first through the Help with order flow, and those messages show up in your Etsy inbox labeled as a help request.

For sellers, this is your best chance to prevent escalation. Reply inside Etsy Messages (not email or Instagram DMs), confirm you’re looking into it, and share the most useful facts: the ship date, the carrier, the tracking link or number, and the estimated delivery window. If you need time to investigate with USPS/UPS/etc., say when you’ll follow up. Etsy gives you 48 hours from the help request to respond and resolve the issue before the buyer can move forward.

When a buyer can open a case

A buyer can open a non-delivery case only after two conditions are true:

The order is eligible based on timing (generally, the maximum estimated delivery date or estimated delivery date window has passed, depending on how Etsy displays it for that order).
At least 48 hours have passed since the buyer sent the original Help with order request.

Once an order becomes eligible, buyers typically have 100 days to open a case.

The key takeaway: if a buyer says “I can open a case right now,” check the order’s estimated delivery window and the timestamp of the help request. Those two timestamps drive the Etsy case button.

Seller workflow when a non-delivery case is opened

Where to respond and what to say

Once a non-delivery case is open, treat it like a formal ticket. Keep everything inside the case log so Etsy can review it quickly.

In Shop Manager, go to Help > Cases, open the case ID, and use Add Your Comment to respond. This is where you should post your tracking number, carrier link, ship date, and any helpful carrier scans. Etsy’s case flow is explained in How to Resolve a Case from a Buyer.

What to say matters. Aim for calm, specific, and action-focused:

Confirm you understand the buyer hasn’t received it.
State the shipping facts (date, service, tracking).
Offer next steps based on what tracking shows (delay vs delivered vs no scans).

Message templates for common situations

Template: carrier delay vs confirmed delivered

Carrier delay (in transit / delayed):
“Thanks for reporting this. I checked your order and it shipped on [date] via [carrier/service]. Tracking currently shows [latest scan + date]. This looks like a carrier delay rather than a confirmed loss. If it hasn’t updated by [reasonable follow-up date], I’ll [open a carrier inquiry / start a missing mail search] and update you here in the case.”

Confirmed delivered:
“Thanks for letting me know. Tracking shows the package was delivered on [date] to the address on the Etsy receipt. Could you please confirm whether anyone else in the household accepted it, or if it may have been left with a neighbor/building office? If you’d like, I can also help you request delivery details from the carrier.”

When to refund, replace, or escalate

Refund or replace when tracking indicates a likely loss (no movement for an extended period, returned to sender, or carrier confirms it’s missing), or when you know you made a shipping mistake (wrong address, insufficient postage, etc.).

If you believe the order qualifies for Etsy Purchase Protection, make sure the case includes clear proof you shipped correctly, then let Etsy review it. Also note that Etsy can close cases automatically in some situations, including when tracking shows delivery to the address on the Etsy receipt, or when no tracking information is provided.

Evidence to submit that helps Etsy decide faster

Tracking links, scans, and carrier confirmations

The fastest non-delivery resolutions usually happen when you give Etsy a clean, readable trail from “shipped” to “delivered” (or “still moving”).

Add the tracking number in the case log, and include:

The carrier name and tracking link (not just the number).
The latest scan (date, location, and status). Screenshots can help, but a link is better.
Any carrier-written confirmation, like a support chat/email stating the shipment status, a trace request number, or a delivery investigation outcome.

If tracking shows “delivered,” highlight that scan and confirm it was shipped to the address on the Etsy receipt. Etsy notes that, for non-delivery cases, cases may be closed when tracking shows delivery to the address on the Etsy receipt, or when no tracking is provided, so clarity here matters. See How to Resolve a Case from a Buyer.

Shipping label receipts and dispatch details

If the case turns on whether you shipped on time, include dispatch proof that ties directly to the order:

Your Etsy shipping label receipt (if purchased on Etsy).
A post office acceptance receipt or carrier pickup confirmation.
A USPS SCAN form (if you use one), plus the date it was accepted.

Also note the ship date, your processing time, and anything that explains a gap between “label created” and the first carrier scan.

Customs and international paperwork

For international orders, upload anything that shows the parcel entered the cross-border process:

Customs form details (CN22/CN23) and dispatch receipts.
Proof the item cleared export, reached the destination country, or was held.

If the package is stuck in customs, keep your wording factual. Buyers are typically responsible for import duties and fees due on delivery, so it helps to document any carrier notices about charges or holds.

Tracking vs no tracking outcomes in item not received cases

If tracking shows delivered

If tracking shows Delivered to the address on the Etsy receipt, Etsy often treats the order as successfully delivered, even if the buyer says they can’t find it. In fact, Etsy notes that for non-delivery cases, cases may be closed when the tracking information shows the package was delivered to the address on the Etsy receipt. In that scenario, your job is to make the case record very clear and easy to verify. Post the tracking link, the delivery scan date, and a simple confirmation that you shipped to the Etsy receipt address. How to Resolve a Case from a Buyer explains how Etsy reviews and closes cases.

From there, the most helpful, buyer-friendly next steps are usually “package recovery” steps: ask them to check with household members, neighbors, building staff, and their local post office or carrier depot for GPS or delivery notes.

If tracking shows in transit or delayed

If tracking shows the package is in transit, delayed, or intermittently scanning, Etsy generally views it as a carrier timeline issue until it becomes clearly late or clearly lost. In your case response, focus on facts: when it shipped, what the latest scan says, and when you will check again.

This is also where Etsy Purchase Protection can matter. If the order meets Etsy’s requirements (on-time shipping, valid tracking and/or Etsy label, delivered to the Etsy receipt address, and within the protection limit), Etsy may refund the buyer while you keep your earnings once Etsy steps in. Etsy lays out the qualifying criteria in What is Etsy’s Purchase Protection for Sellers?.

If there is no tracking

No tracking is the hardest version of an item-not-received case, because there is no neutral third-party scan history to confirm where the package is. Etsy specifically notes that for non-delivery cases, cases may be closed when no tracking information is provided. That doesn’t mean you should give up, but it does mean you need to strengthen everything else: proof you shipped on time, proof of postage purchase, and a clear statement that you shipped to the Etsy receipt address. The same case-closure guidance appears in How to Resolve a Case from a Buyer.

Going forward, if you ship in a way that qualifies for tracking, adding valid tracking is one of the simplest ways to reduce risk in “item not received” disputes. Etsy also notes that orders must have valid tracking to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection, with a few exceptions like digital downloads and local pickup. Those exceptions are listed in How to Add Tracking and Complete an Order.

Preventing item not received disputes on future orders

Shipping services that reduce risk

The simplest way to prevent “item not received” disputes is to ship with a service that produces reliable tracking scans. For U.S. orders, that often means choosing a tracked package service (instead of letter mail) for anything valuable, fragile, or time-sensitive.

A few practical upgrades that reduce non-delivery headaches:

Use tracked shipping for all orders above a set value threshold.
Choose services with better scan frequency and delivery confirmation.
Consider signature confirmation for high-ticket items or addresses with known theft issues (like large apartment buildings).

Also, keep your processing time realistic. When your ship-by dates are accurate, Etsy’s delivery expectations are more accurate too, which reduces premature “it never arrived” messages.

Communication cadence and delivery expectations

Most buyer anxiety comes from silence. A simple, consistent cadence usually prevents cases:

Send one message when you ship (or rely on Etsy’s automatic shipping notification if you buy labels on Etsy).
If tracking stalls, proactively message the buyer with what the latest scan says and when you’ll check again.
Set expectations in your listing description and FAQ for peak seasons (holiday mail, weather delays, customs delays).

It also helps to understand how Etsy calculates estimated delivery dates, since buyers often treat that range as a promise.

Insurance, signature, and address verification best practices

Insurance is for “lost or damaged” outcomes, not for reducing disputes, but it gives you a clean path to resolution when a package truly disappears. If you insure, document it, and know your carrier’s claim timelines.

For address accuracy, avoid shipping to an address sent in Messages. If a buyer needs an address change, ask them to update their Etsy order (or cancel and repurchase) so the shipping address on the receipt matches what you ship.

Finally, for repeat issues at the same address or for expensive orders, signature confirmation and a quick “please verify your address before I ship” note can prevent the most painful non-delivery cases.