Order and payment problems
Paid, and it never arrived
You paid, the seller went quiet, and nothing came. Sometimes there's a tracking number that never updates or belongs to a different package. It's the second most-reported fraud category at the FTC, and it lives on marketplaces, social media ads, and text-message storefronts.
What it looks like
- A seller who was very responsive until the payment landed.
- A tracking number that shows 'label created' forever, or a delivery to a different address.
- Excuses: customs, the courier, a family emergency, 'the system'.
- A shop found through a social media ad that has no address and no phone.
What can you do when something you paid for never shows up?
Delay does most of the work. A week of 'it's on its way' takes you past the point where you'd have acted, and each excuse is just believable enough. Fake tracking numbers are easy to generate. Off-platform payment removes your recourse, which is why the seller wanted it that way.
What to do
- Check tracking on the carrier's own site, not from a screenshot or the seller's link.
- Open a dispute with the platform or payment method as soon as the promised date passes. Don't wait for the seller.
- Paid by card? Ask for a chargeback. Paid by Zelle or friends-and-family? Call your bank anyway, and note it for next time.
- Report it and add the number here.
More in the tips: Buying, selling, and payment apps.
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