"Delivered" is the most frustrating status in parcel tracking, because it is the one status a buyer cannot verify. The courier says it happened, the seller points at the scan, and the parcel is not in your hands. What follows is usually a week of contradictory messages and, all too often, a buyer who gives up and absorbs the loss.
In the EU the legal position is clearer than the customer-service conversation suggests, and knowing it changes the outcome.
The starting point: risk sits with the seller
Under the Consumer Rights Directive, the risk of loss or damage passes to the consumer only when the consumer, or a third party nominated by them, takes physical possession of the goods. A tracking scan is not physical possession. A photo of a parcel on a doorstep is not physical possession.
That single sentence decides most of these disputes. Until the parcel is in your hands, the contract is unperformed, and the seller is responsible for either delivering or refunding. What the seller does with the courier afterwards is a commercial dispute between two businesses, not something the buyer has to solve.
The caveat is where the seller nominated the courier and you chose a delivery option yourself — for example, instructing the courier to leave the parcel in a specific safe place. In that case you have authorised the delivery method, and the analysis can shift. Our guide to missed deliveries covers how the safe-place instruction works in practice.
Before you escalate: the five-minute search
A meaningful share of "missing" parcels are simply in an unexpected place. Check, in this order:
- The tracking detail, not just the status. Most carriers record a delivery location — "left in porch", "handed to resident at 14", "delivered to neighbour at number 12".
- The photo, if one exists. Look at the door, the mat and the surroundings. A photo of a different door is strong evidence and worth saving.
- Building and neighbours. Ask the caretaker, the shop downstairs, the neighbour who signs for everything.
- Your own safe-place settings. If you have ever set a default drop location in the courier's app, it may have been used without further notification.
- A second attempt scan. Some carriers mark "delivered" when the parcel enters a pickup point, with collection still pending. Check whether a locker or shop is holding it — see parcel lockers and pickup points.
If none of these produce the parcel, you are in dispute territory, and timing starts to matter.
The claim windows
| Action | Typical window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Report to the seller | Immediately, within 48 hours ideally | Written form, order number, tracking number |
| Carrier investigation | 7–14 days | The seller opens this, not you |
| Refund or replacement | 14 days from your notice | Risk is with the seller until delivery |
| Card chargeback | Typically 120 days from transaction | Last resort, after written attempts |
The important asymmetry: the carrier's claim window is short, which is why sellers ask you to report quickly. That urgency is real, but it is their deadline, not a limit on your rights. A seller who misses the carrier window because you reported late may still owe you a refund — they simply cannot recover it from the courier.
What to put in the first message
One email, five facts, no emotion:
- Order number and tracking number.
- The exact status text and timestamp.
- A statement that the parcel was not received by you or anyone at the address.
- What you have already checked (neighbours, safe place, pickup point).
- What you want: redelivery or refund. Pick one, do not leave it open.
Attach a screenshot of the tracking page. It costs nothing and it prevents the "we will look into it" reply that restarts the clock.
If the parcel contained a high-value item and you have photos of the delivery location, keep them. They are also relevant if the parcel later turns up damaged, which is a separate claim covered in damaged parcel rights.
The "delivered to a neighbour" complication
In Germany and several neighbouring markets, couriers routinely hand parcels to a neighbour when nobody answers, and the status still reads "delivered". This is lawful where the delivery instructions permit it, but it does not automatically discharge the seller's obligation — the parcel still has to reach you.
Two practical rules:
- Ask for the neighbour's house number. The carrier has it, and a seller who cannot supply it has not investigated.
- Remove the default neighbour instruction if you do not want this. Most carrier apps let you require handover to the recipient only, which pairs with the ID checks described in signature and ID checks.
For vape orders the neighbour scenario has an extra wrinkle: age-restricted parcels should not be handed to a neighbour at all, because the neighbour cannot be age-verified. If that has happened, the delivery was non-compliant and the seller needs to know — it is a stronger argument than "it went missing".
When the seller refuses
Escalate in writing, in this order:
- Cite the rule, once. "Under the Consumer Rights Directive, risk passes on physical delivery; the tracking scan is not delivery." Do not write an essay.
- Set a deadline. Fourteen days is the statutory refund period; naming it focuses the reply.
- Copy the payment provider. For card payments, a chargeback is available and the threat is usually enough. For bank transfer, the options are thinner — our guide to bank transfer orders explains why.
- National consumer body. In Germany, the Verbraucherzentrale; elsewhere, the equivalent. A formal complaint is slow but effective on repeat offenders.
What does not work: arguing with the courier. The courier's contract is with the seller. A buyer has no standing to open a claim, which is exactly why the seller has to do it. The one exception is a parcel that never entered the EU network at all, which is a customs question rather than a delivery one — the packaging and customs label guide explains what the declaration should show.
The insurance question
Many sellers mention transit insurance as if it changes your position. It does not. Insurance is how the seller recovers the loss after refunding you; it is not a precondition for your refund and it is not something you claim on. If a support agent tells you to "claim from the courier", the correct reply is that the contract is with them.
The mechanics of transit cover, and what it does and does not include, are set out in parcel insurance and claims.
Frequently asked questions
The tracking says delivered but nothing arrived. Who is responsible?
The seller, until you take physical possession. They must refund or replace and pursue the courier themselves.
How long should I wait before reporting?
Report the same day. Waiting does not improve the odds, and it can push you past the carrier's investigation window.
Can the seller insist I file a police report?
They can ask, and for high-value parcels it is reasonable. It is not a precondition for a refund, but refusing outright can slow the process.
What if the parcel turns up after a refund?
Tell the seller and arrange return or repayment. Keeping it is not worth the argument, and in most member states it is not lawful either.
Does this apply to business orders?
No. Business-to-business sales are governed by the contract, which is why the wholesale guide treats transit terms as a negotiated clause.
The whole dispute reduces to one question: did the parcel reach your hands? If it did not, the seller carries the risk, whatever the scan says.
