Late online orders: the FTC shipping rule

Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of Federal Trade Commission. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by Federal Trade Commission.

Late online orders: the FTC shipping rule

Summary

If a seller can't ship a mail, phone or online order on time, the FTC rule says it must tell you, offer a new date, and let you cancel for a full prompt refund. With no stated time, the default is 30 days.

Draft. License: public domain (US government work). Sources: [S1] Federal Trade Commission, "Business Guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule"; [S2] eCFR (National Archives), "16 CFR 435.2: Mail, Internet, or telephone order sales".

Facts

id: F1 claim: A seller must have a reasonable basis to ship within the time it states. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F2 claim: If no time is stated, it must ship within 30 days of the order, or 50 days if you are applying for credit from the seller. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F3 claim: If it cannot ship on time, it must promptly send a delay notice with a revised date and the option to cancel for a full refund. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F4 claim: For long or indefinite delays, the seller needs your consent to continue; otherwise it must cancel and refund. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F5 claim: Refunds are due promptly, generally within seven working days for cash or check payments, or one billing cycle for credit charges. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02

Source: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/business-guide-ftcs-mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule · License: public-domain · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of Federal Trade Commission. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by Federal Trade Commission.

Cite this

Permanent ID: iil:note:d4a55vp1

iinventedlight Library. 2026. "Late online orders: the FTC shipping rule." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:d4a55vp1, version of 2026-11-02. https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/online-order-shipping-rule/. License: public-domain. Summary of https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/business-guide-ftcs-mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule.

@misc{iil_note_d4a55vp1,
  author = {{iinventedlight Library}},
  title = {{Late online orders: the FTC shipping rule}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-02},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/online-order-shipping-rule/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:d4a55vp1. License: public-domain. Summary of https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/business-guide-ftcs-mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule.},
}

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/online-order-shipping-rule.md.