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Purchases · the UK
Checked 2026-09-30

📦 My online order never arrived: what now in the UK?

Short answer

Unless you agreed another date, the shop must deliver within 30 days. If it doesn’t, give it a final date in writing; if it still doesn’t deliver, you can end the contract and get all your money back. The shop — not the carrier — is responsible until the goods are in your hands.

⏱ DeadlineThe agreed date, or at the latest 30 days after the order. Then the extra date you set in your letter.

📜 Your rights

The rules in the UK

Unless agreed otherwise, the trader must deliver without undue delay and within 30 days of the contract. If it misses the date, you can set a further reasonable period; if that passes too, you can treat the contract as ended. If the date was essential, you can end it at once.

Law: s. 28 Consumer Rights Act 2015
Official source: legislation.gov.uk · Checked 2026-09-30

🪜 Step by step

  1. Check the trackingLook for “delivered” to a neighbour, a locker or a pick-up point, and ask the shop for the carrier’s proof of delivery.
  2. Set a final dateUse the letter below: it asks for delivery by a date you choose (14 days is common).
  3. Still nothing?Tell the shop you end the contract and want all your money back. If the date was essential or the shop refused, you can do that straight away (choose it in the letter).
  4. Paid by card?Ask your card issuer about a chargeback for goods not received.
  5. EscalateThe bodies under “If the trader does not answer”.

✉️ Your letter

Information, not legal advice. FFCheck is independent and not affiliated with any authority, court or company. The letter is a template filled with your details: you check it and send it yourself.

Fill in your details. The letter appears on this page: copy it into an e-mail or the trader’s contact form, or print it. Nothing you type is stored.

Name of the shop or company
e.g. “1 pair of running shoes, size 42”
What happened required
Your full name
Optional, but a letter by post needs it.

🧭 If the trader does not answer

Give the trader the time in your letter. Then, in this order:

An out-of-court dispute body (ADR) can settle it. The trader has to tell you which ADR body covers it (on its website, terms or in its reply).

Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) – ADR Approved BodiesOfficial list of accredited consumer ADR bodies by sector; CTSI is the competent authority.🔗 tradingstandards.uk
Citizens Advice consumer helplineFree consumer advice (England and Wales); can refer complaints to Trading Standards.📞 0808 223 1133 🔗 citizensadvice.org.uk
Make a court claim for money (county court)Online or postal money claim in England and Wales; small claims track up to £10,000.🔗 gov.uk

📇 Every office for this in the UK →

❓ Frequently asked questions

The shop says the parcel is lost and I should ask the carrier. Is that right?

No. You have no contract with the carrier the shop chose; the shop carries the risk until you have the goods.

Tracking says “delivered” but I have nothing. What now?

Ask the shop for the carrier’s proof of delivery (signature, photo, place). Without it, the shop has not shown that you received the goods.

The shop has gone bankrupt. Does the letter help?

Usually not. See the page on a webshop going bankrupt in Who do I contact, and ask your card issuer about a chargeback.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-09-30

🔎 What people search

  • “order never arrived the UK”
  • “parcel not delivered refund”
  • “shop not delivering what to do”
  • “online order late 30 days”
  • “non delivery letter”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related

📭Parcel arrived damaged→💶Refund not received→💳Unauthorised payment→↩️Return an online order→📇Every office for this in the UK→

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