Two clocks are running the moment a package goes missing: the buyer's eBay Money Back Guarantee timer, and the seller's USPS claim window. The seller owns both. The playbook below walks the two paths together, with the windows from the USPS help page and the eBay MBG policy read on 2026-08-11.
Refund the buyer promptly; recover the money from USPS separately.
| Event | USPS clock | eBay clock |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel missing after estimated delivery | Not yet actionable; wait for the class window. | Buyer may open an item-not-received request as soon as the latest estimated delivery date has passed. |
| Seller's first response | Not applicable. | 3 business days to respond after the request opens. |
| Priority Mail / Ground Advantage lost claim | File after day 15; no later than day 60 after the mailing date. | Buyer may ask eBay to step in from the moment the 3-day seller window ends, and up to 21 business days after opening. |
| Priority Mail Express lost claim | File after day 7; no later than day 60. | Same MBG steps apply on the shorter service. |
| Damage or missing contents | File immediately, no later than day 60. | Buyer must report the item did not arrive as described within 30 calendar days of delivery. |
The pattern the two calendars force: refund the buyer within eBay's window so the account does not take a defect, then chase USPS on the seller side to recover the money. The USPS payout does not fund the eBay refund in time on Ground Advantage; the seller floats it.
USPS has spelled the list out on the claims help page:
For an eBay order, the second and third are things the buyer holds. The seller has the mailing receipt (or the label export from eBay Seller Hub); the buyer has the delivered box, the packing, and the item. Ask the buyer to send photos of the box exterior and interior, of the packing material, and of the damaged item before agreeing to a refund. Those photos are your USPS evidence; without them the claim goes nowhere.
1. If you bought the label inside eBay: open Seller Hub → Orders → Shipping Labels → find the label → More Actions → Create Claim. If ShipCover was on the label the form opens the ShipCover claim; if not, eBay routes you into the USPS site with the label reference already filled.
2. If you bought the label outside eBay: open usps.com/help/claims.htm, sign in, and click File a Domestic Claim. Enter the tracking number, attach mailing receipt, buyer's evidence and value proof. USPS accepts JPG or PDF; multiple photos go under one attachment slot.
3. If USPS denies the claim: an appeal is available under the same portal within 30 days of the denial letter. Attach the receipts again along with any new evidence and a note explaining why the denial was wrong — a wrong tracking status often accounts for the denial.
4. Meanwhile, on eBay: respond to the buyer inside three business days. If USPS shows the package still moving, ask the buyer to wait a couple more days before asking eBay to step in. If tracking has stopped, refund and start the USPS claim. The eBay defect that follows an unresolved case is worse than the float on the refund.
The seller. The USPS label was bought under the seller's account, so the payment card, mailing receipt and label records that USPS asks for are the seller's. The buyer runs the eBay Money Back Guarantee track in parallel; the two paths do not merge, but they need to.
USPS accepts a lost-item claim on Priority Mail and Ground Advantage after 15 days and no later than 60 days after the mailing date. A damage or missing-contents claim can be filed immediately, still with a 60-day ceiling. Priority Mail Express opens at 7 days.
The buyer opens an item-not-received request as soon as the latest estimated delivery date passes; the seller has 3 business days to respond; the buyer can then ask eBay to step in up to 21 business days after opening the case. eBay refunds the buyer and looks to the seller regardless of the USPS outcome.
For a damage claim, yes: the buyer should keep the box, the packing and take photos before touching anything. USPS asks for those photos on any damage or missing-contents claim, and only the buyer has them. Refuse and return only if USPS instructs you to.
ShipCover is offered on labels bought inside eBay; a claim is filed from Seller Hub under Orders > Shipping Labels > More Actions > Create Claim. Where ShipCover was purchased, it replaces the USPS-included coverage for that claim; you file with ShipCover, not with USPS.