What should I do if an Etsy order shows delivered but the buyer says it’s missing?

Question

I sell physical art prints, and a customer who ordered from another country messaged me asking for a refund or a replacement because they can’t find the package. The tracking status shows the order as delivered, but they say they never received it.

How should I respond to the buyer, and what’s the best way to handle refunds or reshipments when tracking shows “delivered”?

Mustafa Aydemir · Answer

Hi! If tracking shows **Delivered** but your buyer can’t find it, the best move is to respond calmly, help them do a few quick checks, and then (if it still doesn’t turn up) guide the situation into the proper Etsy “Help request / case” flow so you’re protected—especially on international orders.

Here’s a message you can copy/paste and tweak:

> Hi [Name] — I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I can see the tracking shows **Delivered** on [date]. Sometimes carriers mark packages delivered a bit early or leave them in an unexpected spot.  
> Could you please check (1) around all entryways/porch/garage, (2) with anyone else in your household/building or your workplace reception, and (3) with neighbors? If your country’s postal service handles last-mile delivery, it’s also worth contacting your local post office/courier and asking if they can confirm the exact delivery location (sometimes they can see GPS/location info).  
> In the meantime, I’m happy to help from my side as well—please confirm the shipping address on the order is correct. If it’s still missing after 24–48 hours, we can take the next step to get this resolved.

### What to do next (so you don’t refund when you don’t have to)
1) **Ask them to wait 24–48 hours after the “Delivered” scan**  
Mis-scans and “delivered but actually coming tomorrow” happens more often than buyers realize (especially internationally).

2) **Start a carrier inquiry / missing mail request** (you do this on your end)  
Even with a delivered scan, the carrier may be able to confirm where it was left or whether it was misdelivered. If you used an Etsy shipping label (or a service that includes coverage), this is also where you may be able to file a claim.

3) **If it still doesn’t show up, have the buyer submit a Help request and (if needed) open a case**  
When an order qualifies for Etsy’s Purchase Protection, Etsy may refund the buyer without taking the funds from you. Eligibility depends on things like shipping on time, using valid tracking / Etsy labels, shipping to the address on the Etsy receipt, and the order total being within the program’s coverage limit (the exact cap can vary, and Etsy has occasionally run higher-coverage periods).

### Refund vs replacement: what’s the “best practice”?
- **Don’t automatically refund or reship just because the buyer says it’s missing while tracking says Delivered.** Treat it like a “missing after delivery” situation first (checks + carrier confirmation).  
- **If the carrier confirms misdelivery and you can’t recover it**, then you decide whether to **reship or refund** based on your margins and how confident you are in the address being secure. For art prints, many sellers prefer **reship once** (with upgraded tracking/signature where possible) rather than refunding immediately.
- **If it looks like a customs/fees issue** (common internationally), be careful: if it wasn’t received because duties/taxes weren’t paid or the buyer delayed pickup, that typically isn’t something you should be refunding for.

If you tell me what shipping service you used (and whether you bought the label on Etsy) plus the delivered date, I can suggest the cleanest next step and wording for your exact scenario.