eBay Item Not Received Case: How Sellers Respond (2026)

Quick answer: When a buyer opens an eBay item not received case, you have 3 business days to respond. Upload valid tracking from an integrated carrier, message the buyer with the latest scan, and refund if the parcel never shipped or has stopped moving. Requests close on their own within 24 hours once tracking shows delivery to the buyer's ZIP code.

An eBay item not received case usually lands on a quiet morning: the estimated delivery date passed yesterday, the buyer checked their porch, and now a request is waiting in Seller Hub. For a dropshipper the parcel is in someone else's hands, which makes the next three business days matter more. This guide walks through what eBay expects, how to read the tracking you have, which reply fits each situation, and how to set up your orders so fewer requests open in the first place. Where a tool helps, we show how Ecomli handles it: Ecomli is a non-API browser extension for dropshippers that works through the seller account already signed in to your desktop Chrome browser.

• How an eBay item not received case works
• How to respond, based on what the tracking shows
• Messages, refunds and when to wait
• Item not received requests on dropshipped orders
• Preventing the next request
• Frequently asked questions

How an eBay item not received case works

A buyer can report an item as not received once the estimated delivery date on the order has passed. The buyer help page for items that haven't arrived says buyers should report it within 30 calendar days after the delivery date to keep their eBay Money Back Guarantee protection. The report starts as a request between you and the buyer. It only becomes a case that eBay decides if you and the buyer do not settle it.

That estimated delivery date comes from your handling time plus the shipping service on the listing, so the clock on an item not received request starts with choices you made when you listed. Our guide to how long eBay sellers have to ship explains how those two settings combine into the date the buyer sees.

Here is the published timeline for both sides:

The outcome you want is a request you resolve yourself. The seller standards track cases closed without seller resolution, which is the count of requests where the marketplace had to step in and found for the buyer. The seller performance metrics guide covers how that rate is measured each month and where to find it in Seller Hub.

How to respond to an eBay item not received case, based on what the tracking shows

Every good response starts with the tracking page, because tracking decides the outcome if the buyer escalates. The seller help page on tracking items you've sold says tracking must come from one of the integrated carriers and must show an acceptance scan to prove shipping. A label that was printed but never scanned does not prove anything.

If tracking exists but never reached the order, uploading it is the fastest fix. Our walkthrough on adding a tracking number to an order covers Seller Hub, My eBay and the app.

Messages, refunds and when to wait

Buyers who open a request mostly want to know where their order is. A short, specific reply inside the request thread settles more of them than a refund offer does. Keep the message factual: the carrier, the last scan with its date, and what you will do next.

• Delivered: "Tracking shows your parcel was delivered on [date] to your ZIP code. Could you check with neighbors or your building's mail area? If it hasn't turned up by [date], reply here and I'll sort it out."
• In transit: "Your order is with [carrier] and was last scanned on [date] in [city]. The new estimate is [date]. If it hasn't arrived by [date], I'll refund you in full."
• Refunding: "I'm sorry this one hasn't arrived. I've issued a full refund, which you'll see on your original payment method."

Waiting makes sense when scans are recent and the delay is small. Refunding makes sense when there is no acceptance scan, when the parcel has stalled, or when the buyer has already waited well past the estimate. Run the numbers before you decide. In an illustrative order that sold for $34.99 with an $18.00 supplier cost, a refund costs you the $18.00 you paid the supplier plus the marketplace fees, unless the supplier refunds you. Letting the request escalate without valid tracking usually ends with the same refund, plus a case closed without seller resolution on your record. Our guide on how to refund a buyer on eBay shows the Send refund steps and when a partial refund fits.

Because Ecomli runs through your signed-in seller account, there is no API connection to authorize, and it handles the listing, ordering and tracking work around each order. Its Overview dashboard records refunds next to selling fees and supplier costs, so you can see what item not received refunds actually cost you each month. The profit and loss statement guide shows how those lines fit into a monthly statement.

Item not received requests on dropshipped orders

Dropshipped orders open more of these requests for one practical reason: the supplier's tracking does not always match what eBay can read. An AliExpress parcel can travel on a courier the marketplace does not integrate with, and an Amazon order often ships with a TBA number that is not accepted as it is. The buyer then sees an order with no usable tracking, even though the parcel is moving. The Amazon TBA tracking number guide explains why that happens.

Ecomli's Tracking Conversions addresses this gap. With Aquiline, it converts supported AliExpress tracking and Amazon TBA tracking numbers into eBay-compatible tracking, then adds the converted number to the order after its automatic checks. It works for supplier orders placed through Auto Ordering or recorded in Orders, and a Needs-attention view lists parcels that did not convert so you can handle them before the buyer asks. Conversion is not instant and not every parcel converts, so check that view daily during busy weeks.

The order itself matters too. When Ecomli places supplier orders through Auto Ordering within your buying limits (Basic on Pro, Advanced on Scale), the supplier order is linked to the sale from the start, which gives Tracking Conversions the tracking it needs sooner. You can see how these steps fit together on the Tracking Conversions overview.

Preventing the next eBay item not received case

Most requests come from a gap between what the buyer expects and what the tracking shows. Close that gap before the estimated delivery date and fewer buyers ever open the form.

1. Set handling time and shipping service to match your supplier. A realistic estimated delivery date means fewer orders pass it before the parcel arrives.
2. Get valid tracking onto the order inside your handling time. The seller help page notes that tracking from an integrated carrier, uploaded within handling time, protects you if a buyer opens an eBay Money Back Guarantee request.
3. Tell the buyer the parcel is on its way. Ecomli's Auto Messages sends rule-based shipping notices with the carrier and tracking, so the buyer knows where to look. It skips buyers with open issues, so you answer an active request yourself in the thread. The guide on messaging a buyer covers the wording.
4. Review the Needs-attention list every day. A parcel without converted tracking is the order most likely to turn into a request.
5. Track your request rate by supplier. If one supplier's parcels keep stalling, move those products to another source.

For a wider view of tools that keep orders, tracking and buyer messages in one place, our roundup of the best eBay order management software compares the options, with Ecomli as our pick for dropshippers. Plans and limits are on the Ecomli pricing page, and the automation overview shows each feature.

Frequently asked questions

When can a buyer open an item not received request on eBay?

Once the estimated delivery date has passed. eBay tells buyers to report it within 30 calendar days after the delivery date to keep their Money Back Guarantee protection.

How long does a seller have to respond to an eBay item not received case?

You have 3 business days to upload tracking and respond. After that, if the request is still open, the buyer can ask eBay to step in, and eBay says it normally answers within 48 hours.

What happens if tracking says delivered but the buyer says it never arrived?

If tracking from an eBay-integrated carrier shows delivery to the buyer's ZIP code, the request closes automatically within 24 hours. The buyer can still ask eBay to step in during that window, so reply with the delivery scan and suggest where the parcel may be.

Does an item not received case affect seller performance?

A request you resolve yourself, with tracking or a refund, does not count as a case closed without seller resolution. Requests that eBay closes in the buyer's favor after stepping in do count toward that metric.

The fastest route through an item not received request is valid tracking on the order and a clear reply in the thread. Ecomli's Tracking Conversions puts eBay-compatible tracking on dropshipped orders, and Auto Messages keeps buyers informed while the parcel moves.

Ready to run this on your own eBay store? Get started with Ecomli → Plans from $29/month · 7-day money-back guarantee on your first payment · cancel any time.