# First-reply templates for buyer disputes

The first response decides most outcomes. Speed and tone beat argument, and a
case closed without seller resolution is the expensive kind — it counts heavily
against account standing on most platforms.

Keep these somewhere you can paste from in under two minutes. Adapt the wording
so it sounds like you; the structure is what matters.

Reasoning: /guides/returns-and-buyer-disputes

---

## 1. Item not received — tracking shows in transit

> Hi [name], thanks for letting me know, and sorry for the wait.
>
> I've checked the tracking and it shows the parcel as [status] as of [date],
> reference [number]. That usually means [plain-English explanation].
>
> I'll chase the carrier today. If it hasn't moved by [specific date], I'll
> refund you in full without you needing to ask again — you don't have to keep
> checking.

**Why it works:** it gives a fact, an action, and a deadline. The buyer stops
needing to escalate because you have already committed to the outcome they want.

---

## 2. Item not received — tracking shows delivered

> Hi [name], sorry about this — I can see why that's alarming.
>
> The carrier has it as delivered on [date] at [time], to [location detail if
> shown]. Before I do anything else, could you check [safe place / neighbour /
> anyone else at the address]? That accounts for most of these.
>
> If it doesn't turn up by [date], let me know and I'll [your stated resolution].

**Why it works:** it asks for one specific check without implying the buyer is
lying, and it still ends with a resolution and a date.

---

## 3. Not as described

> Hi [name], thank you for the photo — I can see the problem and I'm sorry.
>
> [If they are right:] That's my error in the description. I'd like to sort it
> out the way that's least inconvenient for you: [full refund on return / partial
> refund to keep it / replacement]. Tell me which you'd prefer.

**Why it works:** no defence, no negotiation, and an immediate choice. Contesting
costs postage in both directions, your time, the account risk, and the review —
usually more than the item.

---

## 4. Arrived damaged

> Hi [name], I'm sorry — that shouldn't have happened.
>
> [Refund / replacement] is on its way now. Two things that would really help me
> with the carrier claim, if you don't mind: a photo of the outer box including
> any damage to it, and one of the packing material inside. No rush, and it
> doesn't affect your refund either way.

**Why it works:** the buyer is resolved first and the carrier claim is pursued
separately. Coupling the two makes the buyer wait on a process they are not part
of, which is how a resolved problem becomes an escalated case.

---

## 5. Remorse return ("no longer needed")

> Hi [name], no problem at all. Here's how to send it back: [instructions].
>
> Once it arrives I'll refund [amount] — that's [explain any deduction, or say
> there isn't one]. Thanks for letting me know quickly.

**Why it works:** arguing about a remorse return you are likely to lose costs
more than accepting one you were entitled to refuse.

---

## The habit that matters more than any of these

Write down the cause of every dispute in one line. Patterns become obvious after
two months and are invisible in individual incidents — and the pattern is the
thing you can actually fix.