Package Marked Delivered but Missing? What to Do and Who Is Responsible

A delivery notification appears, but there is no parcel at your door. It may have been left elsewhere, handed to another person or scanned incorrectly. Acting promptly—and dealing with the right business—can make the problem easier to resolve.

Start by checking the delivery details, household members, neighbours, reception desk and any authorised safe place. Save screenshots and contact the retailer in writing, even if you also speak to the carrier. In many jurisdictions, a retailer that arranged shipping cannot end the matter simply by pointing to a “delivered” scan, but your exact rights depend on local law and any delivery instructions you gave. ([consumerprotection.govt.nz](https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/common-consumer-issues/delivery-issues?utm_source=openai))

Check where the package may have been left

Open the carrier’s detailed tracking page rather than relying on the status shown in the retailer’s app. Look for a delivery photograph, signature, recipient name, collection location or driver’s note.

Then check:

• your letterbox, porch, garage and other sheltered areas;
• any safe place you previously authorised;
• other members of your household;
• neighbours, building reception or a mailroom;
• collection lockers or local pick-up points;
• whether the address and postcode on the order are correct.

Do not assume that a note saying “left at door” proves the parcel reached the correct property. Equally, avoid immediately alleging theft: the problem could be a premature scan, an address error or delivery to the wrong building.

Preserve evidence before tracking information changes

Create a simple record of the incident. Save:

• screenshots of the tracking page, including the date and time;
• the order confirmation and payment receipt;
• delivery emails, text messages and app notifications;
• any delivery photograph or proof-of-delivery document;
• photographs of your entrance if they help show that the pictured location is different;
• your messages to the retailer and carrier, including case numbers.

Write down when you received the delivery alert, who was home and which locations you checked. The US Federal Trade Commission also recommends retaining order confirmations, receipts, tracking numbers and communications when goods have not arrived. ([consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products?utm_source=openai))

Contact the retailer first if it arranged delivery

Your purchase contract is normally with the retailer, not its courier. Tell the retailer in writing that the order is marked as delivered but was not received. Ask it to investigate with the carrier and establish where, how and to whom the parcel was delivered.

You can contact the carrier at the same time, particularly if it can quickly speak to the driver or check location data. However, where the retailer selected or offered the delivery service, several consumer-protection systems place responsibility for resolving delivery problems on the retailer. EU guidance says the trader must contact the delivery service and prove delivery, while New Zealand’s Consumer Protection service directs customers to the shop first when the retailer arranged shipping. ([consumerprotection.govt.nz](https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/common-consumer-issues/delivery-issues?utm_source=openai))

A message you can send to the retailer

> Order [number] and tracking number [number] are shown as delivered on [date and time], but neither I nor anyone authorised by me received the parcel. I have checked the property, household, neighbours and any stated delivery location. Please investigate with the carrier, provide the available proof of delivery and arrange an appropriate remedy if delivery to me cannot be established.

Ask for a replacement, completion of delivery or a refund as appropriate under the law applying to your purchase. Keep the discussion in one email or support thread so there is a clear record.

Who bears the risk? It depends on where you live

The legal position is not identical worldwide. These rules generally concern purchases from businesses; private sales through marketplaces may be treated differently.

European Union

For consumer purchases, EU rules generally keep the risk of loss with the trader until the consumer—or a third person designated by the consumer—takes physical possession of the goods. An exception can apply when the consumer independently appoints a carrier that the trader did not offer. EU consumer guidance also states that the trader is responsible for contacting the delivery service and proving that the item was delivered. ([europa.eu](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/shipping-delivery/faq/indexamp_en.htm?utm_source=openai))

For an unresolved cross-border purchase within the EU, consumers can seek assistance from the European Consumer Centres Network.

United Kingdom

Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 states that goods remain at the trader’s risk until they enter the physical possession of the consumer or a person identified by the consumer. The principal exception is where the consumer commissions a carrier that the trader did not offer. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/29?utm_source=openai))

If the trader fails to deliver, Section 28 provides remedies that can ultimately include ending the contract and receiving reimbursement, although the consumer may first need to give the trader an appropriate additional period for delivery unless timing was essential or the trader refuses to deliver. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/28?utm_source=openai))

United States

US law does not provide a single nationwide rule identical to the EU or UK physical-possession rule for every missing-package dispute. Start with the seller and request an investigation, replacement or refund. If the seller does not resolve a non-delivery problem and the purchase appears on a credit-card statement, the FTC advises consumers to dispute the charge.

For certain credit-card billing errors, including goods not delivered as agreed, the Fair Credit Billing Act process requires a written dispute to reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the disputed charge was sent. Debit-card protections differ, so contact the bank promptly rather than assuming the same rules apply. ([consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products?utm_source=openai))

State law, marketplace guarantees and the seller’s delivery terms may provide additional remedies.

New Zealand

New Zealand Consumer Protection says that when a retailer arranges delivery, it is responsible for sorting out delivery problems with the carrier. Consumers should therefore contact the shop first if an order has not arrived, including cases where an item was left without a signature or in a place where it could be stolen or damaged. ([consumerprotection.govt.nz](https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/common-consumer-issues/delivery-issues?utm_source=openai))

Other countries

Contact the seller first, but consult your national, state or provincial consumer-protection authority before relying on rules from another jurisdiction. Card-scheme disputes and marketplace buyer-protection programmes may help, but they have their own deadlines and evidence requirements.

Authorised safe places can affect the outcome

Tell the retailer whether you authorised delivery to a porch, garage, neighbour, concierge or another location. If the carrier followed your explicit instructions and the parcel subsequently disappeared, responsibility may be assessed differently from a case in which the driver used an unauthorised location or delivered to the wrong address.

Check for standing instructions saved in the carrier’s app. Some remain active for later deliveries even when the customer has forgotten about them.

If the retailer relies only on the tracking status

Ask for a substantive investigation rather than another screenshot of the same tracking page. Request confirmation of:

• the precise delivery location;
• the delivery time;
• whether a signature or access code was used;
• whether the parcel was handed to someone;
• whether a delivery photograph exists;
• whether the driver has been asked to verify the address.

A retailer may be unable to disclose another recipient’s personal information, but it can still compare the carrier’s evidence with your address and instructions.

If the complaint remains unresolved, escalate it through the retailer’s formal complaints process. Depending on your location, the next step may be a consumer authority, ombudsman, small-claims procedure, marketplace claim or payment dispute.

When to report suspected theft

A police report may be appropriate when there is concrete evidence that the package reached the correct address and was then stolen—for example, clear security-camera footage. It should not replace a retailer complaint when the only evidence of delivery is a tracking scan.

Describe what you know without accusing a neighbour, courier or other person unless you have evidence. A misdelivery, incorrect scan and theft after valid delivery are different events and may lead to different remedies.

Reduce the risk with future deliveries

For valuable or time-sensitive purchases, consider requiring a signature, using a secure collection point or arranging delivery for a time when someone will be present. Review saved safe-place permissions and confirm the address, apartment number, postcode and telephone number before ordering.

These precautions do not excuse an incorrect delivery. When a package is missing, the strongest approach remains the same: check the likely locations, preserve the evidence and notify the retailer promptly in writing.

Sources

1. What To Do if You’re Billed for Things You Never Got — US Federal Trade Commission — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products
2. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/12/what-do-if-your-online-order-never-arrives
3. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/29/enacted/data.xht?wrap=true
4. Delivery issues — New Zealand Consumer Protection — https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/common-consumer-issues/delivery-issues
5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Section 28: Delivery of goods — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/28
6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Section 29: Passing of risk — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/29
7. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block
8. FAQs: Shipping and delivery — Your Europe — https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/shipping-delivery/faq/indexamp_en.htm
9. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2021/11/what-do-if-your-online-order-never-arrives-how-get-your-money-back
10. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/body/2018-07-01
11. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/54?view=extent
12. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/information-bulletin_edition-4_2023.2024.pdf
13. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/selling-internet-prompt-delivery-rules
14. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/questions/reponses_qe/2018/000184/P8_RE%282018%29000184_EN.pdf
15. Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights — EUR-Lex — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2011%3A304%3AFULL
16. https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Business-AdviceGuidance/Guidance-for-Business-Consumer-Rights-Act.pdf
17. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX%3A52007XC0315%2804%29
18. https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2020-10/nl_notification_art._33-csgd.pdf
19. ​​Delivery issues | Consumer Protection — https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/common-consumer-issues/delivery-issues?utm_source=openai
20. What To Do if You’re Billed for Things You Never Got, or You Get Unordered Products | Consumer Advice — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products?utm_source=openai