How Do I Resolve Missing Orders/Packages for my Customers?

If a buyer claims they haven’t received an order made through TCGplayer, you are responsible for resolving those disputes. Buyers are instructed to contact you through the “Contact Seller” button on their order history for a missing package after the Estimated Delivery Date has passed.

You have 2 business days to respond to their inquiry. If you do not respond within 2 business days, they can escalate the issue to TCGplayer Customer Service for assistance with a resolution. You are required to honor our refund policy and provide a resolution when a buyer reports a problem with their order. Please view our Seller Guide to Refunds and Returns for more information about resolving issues for customers.

You are required to deliver purchased items to the address provided in the order details. If a buyer needs to update their shipping address, they are required to contact you as quickly as possible after the order is placed. If a buyer uses a freight forwarding service, delivery of the package is only covered to the address provided on the order.

If a buyer inputs an incorrect shipping address during the checkout process and fails to notify you before the order is shipped, they are not eligible for a refund. Our checkout process displays the buyer's address twice to confirm that the shipping location is correct. We encourage buyers to review their shipping details carefully during this stage to prevent errors. Once an order has been shipped, address changes are no longer possible, and the responsibility for the error remains with the buyer.

If by accident you swap the shipping labels on two or more orders and ship the orders to the incorrect customers, please review our steps for Handling Swapped Orders for guidance.

If the item does not arrive at the address provided on the order details by the buyer, they are entitled to a full refund, including original shipping costs.

Buyers have up to 30 calendar days after the estimated delivery date to reach out to request a refund.

Given the nature of the TCGplayer marketplace, your listings may be viewed, purchased by, and shipped to buyers around the world. Sellers and buyers are responsible for complying with all laws and regulations applicable to the international sale, purchase, and shipment of items.

If your item sells, you will be bound by the Marketplace Seller Agreement, our Refund and Return policy, as well as any buyer protection policies. If you do not want your item to be sold to buyers internationally, you can exclude countries or regions by updating your shipping settings.

This article outlines how you can resolve the following scenarios for your customers:

• Shipped Without Tracking or Confirmation
• Shipped with Tracking or Confirmation and Has an “En Route” Status
• Shipped with Tracking or Confirmation and the package is marked ‘delivered,’ but the package was not received
• I shipped with Signature Confirmation, and the package was marked ‘delivered’, but the package was never received.
• What if a Customer Receives the Order After it was Refunded?
• How You Can Reduce the Risk of a TCGplayer Dispute as a Seller

Shipped Without Tracking or Confirmation

If you ship an order without tracking information or delivery confirmation and a buyer claims the package has not been received, you’re responsible for providing a full refund if the order does not arrive by the Estimated Delivery Date. To receive a refund for missing orders, customers must reach out in the timeframe described above.

Shipped with Tracking or Confirmation and Has an “En Route” status

If your buyer doesn’t receive their package by the end of the Estimated Delivery Date quoted on TCGplayer, you should provide a resolution in the form of a refund for the missing order. Contact our team or escalate the message thread from the order in question for additional assistance. We fully cover our sellers in the event of a discrepancy between buyer and USPS claims on domestic orders—for example, if the order is missing in transit. The tracking information must show that the package has moved beyond “Acceptance”/”Label Created” status to show proof that it has left your possession in order to receive credit for the missing package.

Shipped with Tracking or Confirmation and the package is marked ‘delivered,’ but the package was not received

We fully cover our sellers in the event of a discrepancy between buyer and USPS claims on domestic and international sealed orders with tracking—for example, if a buyer says they didn’t receive an order, but USPS reports the order as delivered.

If this happens, follow these steps:

• Recommend the customer check with family members, roommates, or neighbors to see if their package might have been handed to someone else. You can also point them to their local USPS to see if they are able to locate the package for the customer. The customer should wait 2 business days after delivered status for the tracking to update/order to show up, as sometimes the status updates before delivery is complete.
• If the tracking status updates or the USPS successfully locates and delivers the package, the problem has officially been resolved. Congrats! Please inform the buyer and/or TCGplayer within 2 business days.
• If the tracking status doesn’t update, and the customer is unable to locate the package by contacting family/roommates/neighbors and their local USPS provides them with no updates, refund the buyer in full, and continue through the next steps for reimbursement.
• Tell the buyer to let you know if the order eventually arrives:
  • If they wish to keep the cards, they should inform you and arrange payment through TCGplayer (we’ll credit you, the seller).
  • If the buyer no longer wants the cards, they should not open the package. Instead, advise them to write "Return to Sender" on the front and return it to their mail carrier. They should also contact you to let you know the package arrived and is being returned.
• Contact our Customer Service team with the subject line: "Missing Delivered Package" as well as your TCGplayer order number for reference.
• Once our customer service team receives this information, we’ll credit your store for the missing package and follow up with the buyer to see if they’ve had trouble receiving other orders. We will also make a note on their account to track undelivered package claims.
• As previously stated, if the package is reported as successfully delivered to the customer at a later date and they contact you asking to pay for the wayward order, direct them to contact our team and we’ll organize a PayPal payment for the package.

I shipped with Signature Confirmation, and the package was marked ‘delivered’, but the package was never received.

Contact our team and we’ll investigate the claim. If the signature does not match the buyer’s, or if the signature does match the buyer's and they are indicating that they did not sign for it, we will investigate. If the name on the signature confirmation matches the buyer’s, we’ll work with them to determine if the package was delivered to the correct address.

If the package can’t be located, we’ll issue the buyer a refund and credit you for the sale as USPS may have delivered the package to the wrong individual or location. Disputes for packages that are signed for by a freight forwarder or an agent of the buyer (e.g. receptionist, family member) will be denied. If our investigation determines that the customer did not receive the order due to a shipping error beyond their control, the seller may still be held liable. Note, however, that this is an extremely rare occurrence.

What if a Customer Receives the Order After it was Refunded?

If a buyer writes back in to inform you that they received their order after you processed the refund, simply reply back to them with the following message:

After you’ve sent this message to the buyer, escalate the order to our customer service team using the “Escalate This Thread” button on the order and we will connect with the buyer to ensure repayment is received and credit your account for the order.

How You Can Reduce the Risk of a TCGplayer Dispute as a Seller

There are some simple ways to mitigate the risk of a dispute for an item not received:

• Ship promptly (within 48 hours of receipt) and use a shipping method that ensures reliable delivery before the end of the Maximum Delivery Date period.
• Ship with tracking information when appropriate, and add it to the order.
• Follow the TCGplayer Shipping Guidelines.

• For orders over $20 in value, we recommend that you ship with Delivery Confirmation or Tracking for your own protection.
• For orders of $50 or more, you must include Tracking/Delivery Confirmation.  
• For orders of $250 or more, you must include Tracking/Delivery Confirmation and Signature Required (inform the buyer so they are prepared to sign for the delivery). You may also want to consider protecting yourself by purchasing insurance. Please read all of the Shipping Guidelines for Cards to make sure you're familiar with the expectations for sellers on TCGplayer.

The decision not to follow the above recommendations can affect your ability to win any disputes claiming a package did not arrive.

For more information, review the Risk of Loss section in the Marketplace Seller Agreement.

• 7/6/22 - Updated mention of USPS First Class to USPS Ground Advantage.
• 3/11/24 - Updated guidelines for missing orders.
• 7/16/24 - Added link to Seller Guide to Refund and Returns.
• 9/23/24 - Added information about wrong addresses and swapped orders.