Is a late delivery always refundable?

Not automatically. Your position is strongest when the seller promised a date, missed it, and offered no workable fix. In the US you can cancel an unshipped order if the seller cannot ship on time; in the EU you can cancel after a final deadline passes.

What if the item eventually arrived?

You can still ask for a partial or full refund if the delay made the item useless to you, but you will need to explain why the date mattered and offer to return it if you want a full refund.

Do I have to give the merchant extra time first?

Under EU rules usually yes, unless the trader refuses to deliver or the date was essential. In the US, if the seller cannot ship in time it must offer you the option to cancel.

Delivery issue guide

Late delivery refund: when and how to escalate

The window was part of the deal.

Updated October 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice

Key facts

US: no date stated: The seller must have a reasonable basis to expect to ship within 30 days of a complete order (50 days if you applied for credit).
US: seller cannot ship in time: It must promptly offer you the choice to accept the delay or cancel for a prompt refund; card refunds are due within 7 working days of cancelling.
EU: no date agreed: Delivery should arrive within 30 days. If not, give a reasonable extra deadline, then cancel and be reimbursed.
Skip the extra deadline (EU): If the trader refuses to deliver, or the date was essential (for example an event) and you said so.

Copy a letter Open workspace

01
Capture the promised delivery window
Save the checkout estimate, any shipping guarantee, and any message where you told the seller the date mattered.
02
Check whether it has shipped
If it has not shipped, ask to cancel for a refund. If it has, record the tracking history and the missed date.
03
Escalate with the date and the remedy
Ask for a refund or a firm delivery date by a calendar deadline, quoting the promised date and your earlier request.

Letter generator

Late delivery letters: fill in your details and copy

Choose by situation: not shipped yet, a set final deadline, or a card dispute after the date passed.

01Not shipped yet: cancel and refund

Hello, I ordered [product or service] on [purchase date] (order [order number], [amount]) with an estimated delivery of [promised delivery date]. It has not shipped.

Since it cannot be delivered as promised, I choose to cancel the order. Please refund [amount] to my original payment method and confirm the cancellation by [date you expect an answer].

02Final delivery deadline (EU-style)

Hello, order [order number] was due by [promised delivery date] and has still not arrived. I contacted you on [date of first message].

Please deliver it by [final date]. If it has not arrived by then, I will cancel the contract and ask for a full refund of [amount].

03Card issuer dispute summary: not delivered

I am disputing a charge of [amount] from [merchant], posted on [charge date], for order [order number]. Delivery was promised by [promised delivery date] and the goods have not arrived.

[what went wrong in one sentence]. I contacted the merchant on [date of first message] and [date of second message] and asked for delivery or a refund. The order confirmation, tracking history, and messages are enclosed.

I request reversal of this charge.

Need the letter tailored to your exact timeline, plus an escalation message and a bank dispute summary? Build the full package in the workspace.

How this works

If the order is late, first check whether it has shipped. In the US a seller must ship within the promised time (or within 30 days if none was stated) and must offer you a cancel-and-refund option if it cannot. In the EU you set a final deadline, then cancel and be reimbursed.

Late delivery rules by country

This is general information based on official consumer guidance. Check the current text for your situation.

US: under the FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, if no shipping time is stated the seller must have a reasonable basis to expect shipment within 30 days (50 days if you applied for credit). If it cannot ship on time, it must promptly offer you the option to accept a delay or cancel for a prompt refund, at its expense, and you can cancel before the item ships. Refunds to a card are due within 7 working days of cancelling.
EU: if no delivery time was agreed, the trader should deliver within 30 days. If it does not, remind it and set an extra deadline; if it still does not deliver you can terminate the contract and be reimbursed. No extra deadline is needed if the trader refuses to deliver or the delivery date was essential.
UK: if goods never arrive, pay-by-card protection applies: section 75 for credit card purchases from £100 to £30,000, or chargeback for debit, credit, and prepaid cards, generally within 120 days.

When the delivery date was essential

If you needed the item by a certain date, make that visible in writing, ideally before you order.

Tell the seller the date matters (event, trip, deadline) in the order notes or by email, and keep the reply.
When the date passes, write the same day: say the date was essential and ask for a refund.
If the item arrives after the date and you no longer want it, say so in the first message and ask for a refund with return instructions.

Before you send, and when to escalate

Before you send

Quote the promised delivery date in the first line of every message.
Say whether you still want the item; a refund request and a delivery request point different ways.
Set a calendar deadline, not “soon”.
Check your card dispute deadline once the promised date has passed.

Escalate when

The delivery promise was explicit, the date has passed, and the merchant offers no remedy.
The merchant confirms the delay but does not give a revised date or refund.
The date was essential and you told the seller so before or after ordering.

Common questions

Is a late delivery always refundable?: Not automatically. Your position is strongest when the seller promised a date, missed it, and offered no workable fix. In the US you can cancel an unshipped order if the seller cannot ship on time; in the EU you can cancel after a final deadline passes.
What if the item eventually arrived?: You can still ask for a partial or full refund if the delay made the item useless to you, but you will need to explain why the date mattered and offer to return it if you want a full refund.
Do I have to give the merchant extra time first?: Under EU rules usually yes, unless the trader refuses to deliver or the date was essential. In the US, if the seller cannot ship in time it must offer you the option to cancel.

Sources

Rules change. Check the current official text before relying on a deadline.