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What to Do If Your Online Order Contains the Wrong Item

Compare the delivery with your order, preserve evidence, and request the correct item or a refund. If that fails, check marketplace and payment-provider processes.
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If your online order contains the wrong item, compare it with your order confirmation, save evidence of the mismatch, and contact the seller promptly in writing. Ask for the item you ordered or a refund, and keep a record of the reply. If the seller does not resolve it, check the marketplace’s claim process and ask your payment provider whether a dispute is available. The remedy and any deadline depend on your location and the details of the transaction.

First, confirm what you ordered and what arrived

Check the order confirmation and order page against the product listing, packing slip, and delivered item. Note the specific difference—for example, the model, colour, size, quantity, or features. This can clarify whether the seller shipped the wrong product or whether the order itself selected a different option than you intended.

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Save evidence before contacting the seller

Keep the receipt and confirmation email, and capture the listing and order details while they are available. Photograph the item, packaging, shipping label, and packing slip. The FTC’s steps for online shopping problems note that receipts and confirmation emails can help when seeking a seller refund or disputing a card charge. The linked URL is unavailable, so its exact address cannot be confirmed.

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Ask the seller for a specific remedy

Use the seller’s written support or returns channel as soon as practical. Include the order number, identify what you ordered and what arrived, and say whether you want the correct item or a refund. Ask how the seller wants the incorrect item handled, including whether it must be returned and who will provide a return label or cover any return costs. Rules and arrangements can vary, so do not assume return shipping is always free.

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Keep copies of your message and the response. If the seller offers a solution, confirm any return instructions and timing in writing before sending the item back.

If you bought through a marketplace

Open the specific order in the marketplace’s help, returns, or buyer-protection area and follow its claim instructions if seller contact does not resolve the issue. Check whether protection covers the item and seller, what evidence is required, and the deadline for opening a claim. Marketplace rules differ, and the window to request a refund may be short. The FTC marketplace refund process guidance describes these differences.

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If the seller or marketplace does not resolve it

Contact the payment provider and ask whether its dispute process covers receiving a different item from the one ordered. If you paid by card, the FTC says a cardholder may be able to dispute a charge for a wrong item. Contact the issuer promptly, provide the order and delivery evidence, and follow its instructions. Do not assume one deadline applies to every card, payment method, or situation; the issuer can explain the applicable process.

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Your rights depend on where the transaction falls

United States

FTC guidance recommends keeping receipts and confirmation emails and says a credit-card charge may be disputed when the wrong item arrives. Marketplace processes vary by platform, seller, and item, and may have short claim windows. The available guidance does not establish one universal federal refund entitlement or one deadline for every payment type.

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United Kingdom

GOV.UK says a full refund must be offered when goods are faulty, not as described, or do not do what they are supposed to do. Online cancellation rights are a separate route, with a limited period and rules and exceptions. Which remedy applies depends on the facts and relevant law. See UK returns and refunds law.

European Union

Your Europe says goods that are not what was ordered—such as the wrong colour or size, or missing functionality—can qualify for free repair or replacement; if neither is possible, a price reduction or refund may be available. EU guidance also describes a 14-day cancellation right for online orders and a minimum two-year legal guarantee for goods. Check the rules applicable to the country and transaction. See EU shopping rights.

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A wrong delivery is not the same as unsolicited goods

If you placed an order but the seller sent a different item, this is a fulfillment or description problem connected to your purchase. It is distinct from merchandise you never ordered at all. FTC guidance says consumers do not have to pay for unordered merchandise; that rule should not be confused with the steps for resolving an incorrect item sent against an actual order.

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