How to Handle Item Not Received Cases

Operator playbook · Customer requests and seller protection

Open every item not received request promptly. Verify what eBay can see, give the buyer a clear delivery update, and keep the conversation inside eBay. If the request remains unresolved when Ask eBay to step in becomes available, send eBay a short, factual summary of the tracking and your communication.

This process puts you in the best position for a favorable decision, but no process can guarantee the outcome of a case.

Start with the request in Resolution Center

Open Resolution Center and select Item not received.
Open the request and review its response deadline, messages, tracking, and current status.
Select the INR # link to open the request on eBay.
Confirm that the order, tracking number, carrier, and delivery information shown by eBay are correct.
Open the supplier order and the carrier’s tracking page, then follow the path below that matches the shipment.

Do not assume that tracking shown in My Orders is also visible to eBay. The eBay request is the final check of what eBay can review.

If tracking shows delivered

First, confirm that the carrier record includes:

A Delivered status.
The delivery date.
A destination that matches the address on the eBay Order details page, including the city, county, or postal code available from the carrier.
Signature confirmation when required for a high-value order.

If the supplier order includes a delivery photo, review it before contacting the buyer. When the photo shows a recognizable exterior or delivery location, you may compare those visible details with publicly available map imagery. Map imagery can be old or incomplete, so treat this as supporting context—not proof by itself. Never claim that a photo matches unless the visible details genuinely support that conclusion.

Contact the buyer

If there is no delivery photo, use Send buyer a message in Resolution Center:

Hi, [carrier] tracking [tracking number] shows that this order was delivered on [date]. Please check with household members, neighbors, and any safe delivery locations around the address. Let me know if you locate the package.

If a delivery photo is available, open eBay Messages and attach the photo there. Dropship Calendar messages are plain text and cannot include an attachment.

Hi, [carrier] tracking shows that this order was delivered on [date]. I have attached the delivery photo from the supplier order. Please check the pictured location, household members, neighbors, and nearby safe delivery areas, then let me know whether you locate the package.

This message gives the buyer useful information and creates a communication record inside eBay. Do not accuse the buyer of fraud or include their full address in the message.

If the package is still in transit

Review the carrier’s latest scan and estimated delivery date. Then send the buyer a clear update through Send buyer a message:

Hi, [carrier] currently estimates that your package will arrive by [date]. I will continue monitoring the tracking. Please let me know if it arrives or if the carrier updates the delivery date.

Continue monitoring the request and carrier tracking.

If the package is delivered, follow the delivered-order steps above.
If the buyer confirms receipt or closes the request, no escalation is needed.
If the package remains undelivered when Ask eBay to step in becomes available, you can ask eBay to review the tracking history and communication record.

An in-transit scan is weaker evidence than confirmed delivery. Escalating an undelivered shipment does not guarantee seller protection, and eBay may decide that the buyer is entitled to a refund.

If tracking is missing or conflicts

Do not present the request as a confirmed delivery when:

Tracking is missing from the eBay request.
The carrier does not recognize the tracking number.
The tracking belongs to a different order.
The carrier destination conflicts with the eBay order.
The package was returned, lost, or delivered somewhere else.

If Add tracking is available in Resolution Center, use it to send the correct tracking number, carrier, and ship date to eBay. Wait for eBay to accept the update before relying on it.

If the correct tracking is not visible on eBay and Resolution Center does not offer Add tracking, contact Dropship Calendar support. Depending on the carrier’s findings, a replacement or full refund may be safer than escalating the request.

Wait for the escalation window

The buyer may locate the package and close the request after receiving your message. Keep watching the request in Resolution Center.

Dropship Calendar shows Ask eBay to step in three hours after the displayed response deadline, provided the request remains open and eligible. eBay checks eligibility again when you submit, so the action may occasionally remain unavailable.

Do not issue a full refund if you intend to ask eBay to decide the request. A confirmed full refund closes the request, and after eBay steps in you may no longer be able to issue the refund yourself.

Ask eBay to step in

When the action becomes available, select Ask eBay to step in. For a shipped order, choose I shipped the item with tracking details and enter a short, factual summary.

Delivered-order case details

[Carrier] tracking [tracking number] shows delivered on [date] to the destination on the eBay Order details page. I contacted the buyer through eBay on [date]. [I also sent the available delivery photo to the buyer, and the visible delivery location is consistent with the delivery address.] The buyer has not confirmed receipt. Please review the tracking and delivery evidence.

Remove the bracketed photo sentence when no delivery photo is available. Mention a map comparison only when you actually performed it and the visible details support the statement.

Still-in-transit case details

[Carrier] tracking [tracking number] remains in transit. The estimated delivery date was [date], and I informed the buyer through the eBay request on [date]. The package has not been delivered, returned, or reported lost by the carrier. Please review the tracking history and communication record.

Do not paste the buyer’s full address into the case details. Dropship Calendar sends only the selected reason and the text entered in Case details for eBay; it cannot attach a delivery photo or other file to the escalation.

Wait for eBay’s decision

After submission, Escalation sent — confirming means Dropship Calendar is checking that eBay created the case. Do not submit the escalation again directly on eBay while verification is in progress.

Once confirmed, the request changes to eBay review. In our experience, eBay often decides these cases within an hour. Allow up to 48 hours, however, because some reviews take longer.

Review the final result under View closed. If eBay asks for more information, provide exactly what it requests. If the decision goes against you and you have new supporting information, eBay allows an appeal within 30 calendar days.

What gives you the strongest position

The strongest delivered-order case has all of the following:

You shipped within the handling time promised in the listing.
Tracking from a carrier integrated with eBay was uploaded on time.
The carrier shows successful delivery and a delivery date.
The carrier destination matches the address on the eBay order.
Signature confirmation was purchased when required.
You contacted the buyer through eBay and kept the message factual.

A delivery photo and a reasonable visual comparison can support the record, but they do not replace valid carrier tracking. If the core tracking evidence is missing or contradictory, investigate the shipment instead of assuming that escalation will succeed.

Review eBay’s guidance for item not received requests and eBay’s current seller protections for current marketplace requirements.