InPost Item Missing From Parcel: How to Get a Refund (UK)
If the parcel arrived but an item you ordered was not inside it with a InPost delivery, you have rights as a UK consumer. Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 keeps the goods at the retailer's risk until they are in your physical possession. Items that never arrived were never delivered, whatever the parcel scan says. InPost's published windows are short: 7 days after drop-off for a lost parcel where the label was bought through its own site or app, and 14 to 28 days on its retailer claim form. Either way tell the retailer straight away, because the label buyer, usually the retailer rather than you, has to lodge the claim in time. Use this page to check what to do next, the InPost claim window, and when to escalate if the retailer refuses. Compensation figures vary by service, so always verify the current numbers on InPost's website before relying on them.
How to claim a refund
- 1
Photograph the parcel, the packaging and the shipping label before you unpack anything else. If the outer packaging is torn, opened or resealed, capture that from several angles.
- 2
Check the label for a despatch weight. If the label or the retailer's records show a despatch weight, compare it with the weight of what arrived; a mismatch is useful evidence.
- 3
Keep the packaging until the claim is closed. The retailer or InPost may ask to inspect it, and discarding it can weaken a claim.
- 4
Contact the retailer in writing, not InPost. Quote Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015: the missing items never came into your possession, so they were never delivered to you.
- 5
Ask the retailer for two specific records: what their warehouse logged as packed, and the despatch weight recorded when InPost collected the parcel. Ask them to send the missing items or refund them in full.
- 6
If they refuse, escalate via Section 75 (if you paid on credit and your purchase qualifies) or a chargeback (usually within 120 days; check with your bank). InPost's own claim window is 7 days after drop-off for a lost parcel where the label was bought through InPost's site or app (its retailer claim form allows 14 to 28 days), 14 days from delivery if tracking says delivered but it never arrived, and 30 days from delivery for damage (verify on the InPost website), and the retailer is the one who files it.
InPost compensation and escalation
- Claim window
- 7 days after drop-off for a lost parcel where the label was bought through InPost's site or app (its retailer claim form allows 14 to 28 days), 14 days from delivery if tracking says delivered but it never arrived, and 30 days from delivery for damage (verify on the InPost website)
- How to claim
- InPost's online claim form, which the sender who bought the label submits
- Escalation
- Citizens Advice for guidance, then a court claim against the retailer in the court that applies where you live
Frequently asked questions
Should I claim from InPost or the retailer?
Claim from the retailer. InPost's published windows are short: 7 days after drop-off for a lost parcel where the label was bought through its own site or app, and 14 to 28 days on its retailer claim form. Either way tell the retailer straight away, because the label buyer, usually the retailer rather than you, has to lodge the claim in time. Your contract is with the retailer, so it is the retailer's job to deal with InPost.
What is InPost's claim window for this issue?
7 days after drop-off for a lost parcel where the label was bought through InPost's site or app (its retailer claim form allows 14 to 28 days), 14 days from delivery if tracking says delivered but it never arrived, and 30 days from delivery for damage (verify on the InPost website). Always check the current terms on InPost's own website before relying on a deadline.
What if the retailer refuses to refund?
If you paid on credit, you may have a Section 75 claim against your card issuer or lender for a single item (or a set sold together) with a cash price over £100 and up to £30,000, paid for wholly or partly on credit, most often a credit card (some point-of-sale loans and store or catalogue credit also qualify; paying through PayPal or some marketplaces can rule it out). If not, or if you paid by debit card, ask your bank about a chargeback; the usual time limit is about 120 days, but check with your bank. You can also escalate via Citizens Advice for guidance, then a court claim against the retailer in the court that applies where you live.
InPost marked the parcel delivered — does that settle it?
No. A delivery scan records that a parcel arrived, not that the goods inside it did. Under Section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the retailer is responsible until the items themselves are in your possession.
Is a short-delivered parcel treated as a damaged item?
No, and the difference matters. Damaged goods are argued under satisfactory quality; missing items are argued under delivery, because they never reached you. Ask for the items or a refund rather than a repair or inspection.
What if the packaging was sealed and undamaged?
Then the likely cause is a picking or packing error rather than InPost. Ask the retailer for their packing record and the despatch weight — both sit with them, not the courier.
