An item not received (INR) case is eBay's formal process for a buyer who claims their order never arrived. The buyer can open one starting the day after the estimated delivery date passes, you get 3 business days to resolve it, and if eBay steps in and refunds the buyer, your account takes a defect.
For dropshippers, INR cases are the most common account killer after intellectual property claims, because your delivery promise depends on a supplier you do not control. This guide explains exactly how the process works in 2026 and how to keep cases from ever opening.
How the eBay INR Process Works
The timeline is strict, and knowing it keeps you from losing winnable cases by missing a deadline:
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer reports item not received | Day after latest estimated delivery, up to 30 days after | You get an email and a case in Seller Hub |
| Seller response window | 3 business days | Provide tracking, refund, or resolve with the buyer |
| Buyer asks eBay to step in | After day 3 with no resolution | eBay reviews the evidence |
| eBay decision | Usually within 48 hours | Refund from your funds plus a defect, or case closed in your favor |
Two details sellers miss. First, the estimated delivery date is what eBay showed the buyer at checkout, which is your handling time plus the shipping service window. If your real supplier is slower than your settings claim, every order is a future INR case. Second, eBay pulls the refund from your payouts automatically when it steps in, so ignoring cases does not make them cheaper. It makes them a defect plus a refund.
What Wins a Case: Tracking, Tracking, Tracking
eBay's decision logic in INR cases is nearly mechanical:
- Tracking shows delivered to the address on the order: you win.
- Order total $750 or more: you also need signature confirmation.
- Tracking shows the package still in transit within a reasonable window: eBay may give it more time.
- No tracking, dead tracking, or delivery to a different zip code: buyer wins.
That is the whole game. A carrier scan trail from a recognized carrier is the only evidence that matters. Screenshots of supplier order confirmations, chat logs, and receipts do not count as proof of delivery.
The Risks Dropshippers Underestimate
The estimated delivery date is set by your settings, not your supplier. If you list with 1-day handling but your supplier takes 4 days to hand a package to a carrier, buyers see a delivery promise you cannot keep. Set handling time to cover your supplier's real dispatch speed, and use shipping services whose windows match reality. Our guide to eBay shipping times for dropshippers covers the exact settings.
Late tracking upload is a silent killer. Even when the package arrives on time, uploading tracking after your handling time hurts your seller standards and removes your protection in disputes. Tracking should hit the order the moment your supplier ships.
Fake tracking ends accounts. Some suppliers, especially on retail arbitrage sources, provide recycled or pre-generated tracking numbers. eBay validates tracking against carrier data and address zones. A pattern of mismatched tracking reads as fraud, and that is a permanent suspension, not a defect.
INR defects compound. One eBay-resolved case is survivable. A cluster of them in a 3-month window drops you to Below Standard, which buries your listings in search, adds payout holds, and can freeze your selling limits right when you are trying to scale.
How to Handle an Open INR Request, Step by Step
- Check tracking first. Open the case in Seller Hub and pull up the carrier scan history before replying.
- Package delivered? Reply with the tracking number, carrier, and delivery scan details. eBay will close the case in your favor.
- Package moving normally? Reply with tracking, give the buyer a realistic arrival estimate, and ask them to wait. Set yourself a reminder for the day before the 3-business-day deadline.
- Package lost or stalled? Refund the buyer yourself before eBay steps in. You lose the money either way, but a self-issued refund avoids the defect. Then claim the loss from your supplier.
- Never let a case age past day 3 unanswered. An unanswered case is an automatic loss plus a defect, even if the package was delivered.
Preventing INR Cases Before They Open
Prevention is mostly automation discipline:
- Sync tracking automatically. Manually copying tracking numbers from supplier dashboards to eBay orders is where delays and typos come from. Automated order sync moves supplier tracking to eBay the moment it exists, which protects every order with evidence from day one.
- Message before the buyer worries. A short shipping confirmation with the tracking link cuts INR requests dramatically, because most cases are anxiety, not theft. Ready-made customer service templates make this a 10-second task.
- Pad estimates honestly. Set handling time to your supplier's 90th percentile dispatch speed, not the best case.
- Watch supplier stock. Out-of-stock items that suppliers ship late are an INR factory. A price and stock monitor pulls listings before you sell something that cannot ship on time.
- Track your case rate per supplier. If one supplier generates most of your INR requests, replace them. The supplier vetting checklist shows what to check before trusting a new one.
Your INR Defense Checklist
- Handling time covers your supplier's real dispatch speed
- Tracking uploads automatically on every order
- Shipping confirmation message goes out with tracking
- Open cases get a reply within 24 hours, never past day 3
- Dead-tracking orders get refunded before eBay steps in
- Signature confirmation on every order over $750
- Supplier INR rates reviewed monthly
INR cases are not random bad luck. They are the direct output of the gap between what your listings promise and what your suppliers deliver. Close that gap with honest settings and automated tracking through SuperDS, and cases become rare enough that the occasional one is just a refund, not a trend.