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eBay item not received: how sellers claim for a lost parcel
Checked on 7 November 2026 against each carrier's and platform's own pages · General information, not legal advice
A buyer says their parcel has not arrived. You need to deal with the eBay request, but that may not be the only deadline to watch.
If you arranged your own postage and refund the buyer, you may still be able to claim for the lost parcel under your delivery contract. Eligibility, evidence and the amount paid depend on the service you bought. The carrier clock is separate from eBay's case clock: do not wait for one process to finish before checking the other.
Used eBay Simple Delivery? Start there instead. Its seller protections are different from a label you bought yourself. Do not assume you need a separate direct carrier claim.
Check both clocks. Read the deadline on the eBay request. If you bought the postage yourself, work out the carrier claim date as well. They do not wait for each other.
Check my claim dates – freeAn eBay buyer claims item not received. What should I do?
Open the request in eBay, read its deadline, check the carrier tracking and respond there. Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee, the seller must respond with tracking, delivery updates or a refund within 3 business days after the buyer reports the problem. After 3 business days either party can ask eBay to step in. eBay keeps the report open for 21 business days. Those are business days, not calendar days (eBay Money Back Guarantee).
For eligible purchases, the buyer's latest time to report an item not received is 30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery or collection date has passed. That is a buyer reporting window, not the seller's response window, and it is not your carrier claim limit (eBay Money Back Guarantee).
What if I have proof of postage but no tracking?
Keep the posting receipt. It can matter for a carrier claim. Do not confuse proof of posting with proof of delivery to the buyer.
For its item-not-received decision, eBay looks for carrier-validatable tracking uploaded before the latest estimated delivery date, a delivered or attempted-delivery status and date, and location details that match the order. Orders with a total cost of £450 or more also need signature confirmation. Do not assume a posting receipt alone protects you from an item-not-received refund (eBay's delivery evidence requirements).
eBay label or your own label: which route applies?
eBay Simple Delivery
Check that the order actually used Simple Delivery. eBay's current delivery terms make it available to eligible private-seller listings. Where those terms, eBay's policies and the relevant carrier terms are met, the item is covered for loss or damage in transit up to its sold value, and you retain the sale proceeds once eBay verifies the claim. You remain responsible until the item is scanned into the carrier network. Certain items need a second scan during transit (eBay delivery terms, sections 5, 8 and 12).
Keep your drop-off evidence and use the help route on that order to see how the protection applies. Do not treat a direct-booking carrier deadline as the rule for every Simple Delivery order.
Postage you arranged yourself
Find the booking confirmation, the service name and the terms that apply to that booking. Deal with the eBay request, and at the same time check whether you can make a carrier claim. Refunding the buyer does not itself recover the money from the carrier, and compensation is not guaranteed to match your eBay sale price.
For a label bought through another marketplace or a broker, follow that provider's instructions. Do not assume the carrier takes the claim directly. This guide does not set out those routes.
The carrier claim deadline is a separate clock
These are the carrier rules we have checked for postage you arranged yourself. They are not Simple Delivery rules, and they are not eBay's case deadline.
| Booking or service | What the verified terms say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Mail retail 1st and 2nd Class services covered by its retail loss policy | Loss is normally considered after 10 working days from the due delivery date. Claim within 80 calendar days of posting. This is not a rule for every Royal Mail service. | Royal Mail retail loss policy |
| Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm, not posted on account | The same retail loss policy uses 5 working days after the due date, with the same 80-calendar-day limit from posting. | Royal Mail retail loss policy |
| Evri UK parcels booked under its published direct terms | Business and commercial-trade senders must notify Evri in writing within 28 days of booking, or the claim is rejected. For consumers, Evri recommends that period, and this does not affect statutory rights. | Evri terms, clause 7.3 |
Royal Mail's retail loss policy names the products it covers. Tracked services are not in that list, so do not read the 80 days as the deadline for every Royal Mail label (Royal Mail retail loss policy).
Do not reset the clock to the refund date. These carrier terms count from posting or booking, not from the day you refunded the buyer. Check the exact product you used, especially with an account, a marketplace label or a broker label.
Work out the carrier dates. The free checker uses the carrier rules for the service you pick. It does not calculate eBay's case deadline.
Work out my carrier claim datesFor the Evri window in more detail, read our Evri claim time limit guide. For the Royal Mail retail services in the table, read our Royal Mail lost parcel claim guide.
Can I claim back the full eBay selling price?
Do not budget on it. Royal Mail's retail loss policy defines actual loss as the cost to acquire, purchase or manufacture the item, adjusted for condition, age and depreciation, up to the limit for the service you used. Its retailer example uses the retailer's purchase cost rather than the price the customer paid. Keep evidence of what the item cost you, as well as the eBay sale record (Royal Mail retail loss policy, compensation notes).
Keep one evidence folder per missing parcel
A useful folder holds: the eBay order and case reference; the label booking confirmation and the exact service; posting or drop-off evidence; the tracking history; proof of the item's value and what it cost you to acquire; the buyer's messages and the refund record; and the carrier enquiry reference and deadline.
The carrier decides what it asks for. Royal Mail asks for evidence of posting and of value before it pays compensation above the basic postage remedy (Royal Mail retail loss policy). Evri's clause 7.6 lists evidence it may ask for, including proof of dispatch, proof of value, the cost price and receipts, and the weight, size and nature of the goods (Evri terms, clause 7.6).
Keep December claim dates out of your head
Before you move on to the next order, check the carrier window and save the evidence. For several parcels you posted yourself, ClaimMinder Pro keeps a parcel list in this browser, with each claim-by date worked out. Open your account page in that browser and a parcel is flagged there when 3 days are left. You can also add a date to your calendar. Email reminders aren't live yet.
7-day free trial, then £4.99 a month or £39 a year. Pro is available to UK customers only (UK billing address required). Cancel within 7 days and you won't be charged.
Just checking one parcel? Use the free checker.
Sources
Checked on 7 November 2026. Each rule above links to the page it comes from. The same pages are listed here:
- eBay Money Back Guarantee (buyers protection policy): item-not-received reporting time, the seller's 3 business days, how long eBay keeps the report open (21 business days), and the delivery evidence eBay lists, including signature confirmation at £450.
- eBay delivery terms for sellers, sections 5, 8 and 12: who can use Simple Delivery, and the loss and damage protection on a compliant Simple Delivery shipment.
- Royal Mail retail compensation policy for loss: when loss is considered, the 80-calendar-day claim limit, actual loss, and evidence above the basic postage remedy. The policy lists the retail services it covers.
- Evri terms and conditions, clauses 7.3 and 7.6: the 28-day UK notification period (a hard limit for business and commercial-trade senders, recommended for consumers) and the evidence Evri may ask for.
Frequently asked questions
What is the eBay item not received time limit?
For eligible transactions, eBay's Money Back Guarantee gives buyers up to 30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery or collection date has passed to report that an item has not arrived. The seller must respond within 3 business days. Check the request itself and the current policy (eBay Money Back Guarantee). This is not the carrier claim window.
Can a seller claim for a lost parcel after refunding an eBay buyer?
Possibly, if the delivery contract covers the loss and you meet its evidence and timing rules. The eBay refund and the carrier claim are separate. Simple Delivery has its own protection (eBay delivery terms, section 12). Do not assume every order needs a direct carrier claim.
Does an eBay label mean I claim directly from the courier?
Not necessarily. First identify whether it is Simple Delivery (eBay delivery terms), another label provider, or postage you bought directly. Use the terms for that booking. A carrier logo on the label does not by itself show the claim route.
Will ClaimMinder file the claim for me?
No. ClaimMinder helps you keep track of dates and links to published rules. You submit your own claim. It does not guarantee compensation, it takes no cut, and it never files claims for you.