Tell the seller and the marketplace immediately, and do not use the item until you get instructions. The main risk is a double-refund problem: the refund may be paid while the parcel has already arrived, or the seller may later ask you to return it.
Act in this order:
- Check whether the refund is only requested, already approved, or already paid.
- If the refund is still pending, send a message right away saying the item arrived after your refund request.
- If the refund has already been issued, tell them the parcel arrived and ask whether you should return it or keep it.
- If the marketplace has an open dispute or claim, update that case too so the timeline matches the delivery.
- Keep the item unused and complete.
Do not open, test, install, or throw away the packaging if you can avoid it. If you later need to return it, the seller may expect the item to be in the same condition as received.
- Save the key proof.
Keep:
- the order number
- the refund request date
- the tracking status showing delivery
- any delivery message, photo, or signature record if available
- your messages with the seller or marketplace
These details matter because the seller or platform needs to see that the item arrived after the refund request, not before it. The delivery date and the refund-request date are the most important facts.
When you contact the seller or platform, ask for a clear instruction:
- “The item arrived after my refund request. Please confirm whether you want me to return it, keep it, or wait for further steps.”
- Include the order number and the delivery date.
- If the item was already refunded, ask whether they will provide a return label or another return reference, if a return is required.
If the seller says to keep the item, ask for that confirmation in writing. That helps if there is later a payment dispute. If they ask for a return, do not send it back until you know who pays the return cost and where to send it.
If the seller or marketplace does not respond, use the case record or help channel tied to the order and attach the same proof. The point is to make sure the refund status and delivery status are connected in one place.
One fact changes the next step most: whether the refund is only requested or already completed. If it is only requested, you mainly need to update the seller/platform before they process it. If it is already completed, you need written instructions about keeping or returning the item.
Practical tip: take one screenshot showing the refund request and one showing the delivery status, so you can prove the item arrived after you asked for the refund.
