Seller says my China return was empty: what now?
Ask the seller to preserve the parcel and explain exactly what arrived. Save your original packing files, serial numbers and posting records, then request measured carrier weights and a written investigation. Submit the evidence through the original dispute channel. For help coordinating checks in China, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Ask the seller to preserve and identify the parcel
Reply through the original order channel. Ask whether the allegation concerns an empty parcel, missing accessories or a different product. Request photographs of the address label, every side of the carton, seals, internal packing and anything received. Ask for the receiving location, opening time and names or roles of the people who handled it. Request preservation of the carton, contents, opening footage and receiving records.
Compare the photographed tracking label and return reference with your booking. Ask whether the parcel was opened before the seller received it, whether its packaging was damaged and whether staff might have mixed it with another return. For return approval and dispatch preparation, use our personal purchase return guide.
Connect the product identity to your packing evidence
Preserve original photographs and video files, including their available timestamps and metadata. Match the product serial number, model, identifying marks and accessories against the purchase record and pre-return photographs. Distinguish the serial number on the product from a label on its retail box. For a wrong-item allegation, ask the seller for photographs of the received item's identifiers and compare them directly.
Create a file index linking the product, order, return approval, packing sequence, sealed carton and shipping label. Retain unedited originals alongside any annotated copies. A photograph before packing leaves a gap between the item and the sealed parcel; record that limitation honestly. If no packing footage exists, collect genuine warehouse logs, witness notes and dispatch records without reconstructing the event as original evidence.
Separate measured acceptance weight from booking weight
Ask the carrier or booking intermediary for the actual gross weight measured when it accepted the parcel, linked to the tracking reference. Request available later weighing records with their locations, times, units and measurement descriptions. Ask whether a displayed weight was measured, copied from your booking or calculated for charging. A declared weight or volumetric charging weight does not establish the contents.
Compare like measurements, including the carton, protective packing and accessories. Ask whether any weighing followed an inspection, repacking or removal of damaged packaging. A weight change can suggest where to investigate, but cannot identify who caused it. Matching weights cannot establish that the correct product was inside. Ask the seller to explain how and when it measured any reported arrival weight.
Request an investigation and preserve its written outcome
Contact the carrier and whoever booked the service promptly. Ask who should open the investigation or claim, what deadlines and evidence apply to that service, and whether the booking intermediary must submit it. Describe the allegation neutrally as missing contents or a disputed item identity. Request available handover scans, delivery records, damage reports, inspection notes and repacking records. Do not assume these records exist or will be released.
Keep the investigation reference, submitted attachments, acknowledgements, requests for further evidence and written findings. Ask the carrier to distinguish confirmed events from assumptions and identify any unexamined part of the journey. Request the reasons for closing or refusing the claim and any review route. Delivery confirmation establishes a recorded delivery event; it does not resolve what was inside.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Submit a clear dispute file and ask for a remedy
Send the seller a dated chronology, evidence index and direct comparison of the disputed identifiers and weights. Explain what remains unknown and ask for the remedy you want. Keep correspondence within the original order, marketplace or payment-provider channel where possible. Ask each provider about its applicable submission deadline and review process rather than assuming the carrier investigation pauses them. For repair returns, consult our warranty return guide.
For a business purchase, review the agreed return, acceptance and dispute wording using our UK seller supply terms guide. If the dispute remains unresolved, seek advice on the contract and suitable next steps. GOV.UK explains that mediation or conciliation can involve an impartial professional helping the parties reach agreement. Ask an adviser whether that approach suits your dispute; do not promise a refund or a particular outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Does tracking prove I returned the correct item?
Tracking records the parcel's journey and delivery events. Link it to product identifiers, original packing files, measured acceptance weight and the seller's receiving evidence.
What if I did not film packing my return?
Preserve the evidence you have: photographs, serial numbers, dispatch logs, witness notes and carrier records. Explain gaps honestly. Do not present a later reconstruction as footage of the original packing.
Can parcel weight prove the box was not empty?
A measured gross weight can support your account, but does not identify the contents. Establish whether the record is an actual measurement, a declared booking weight or a charging calculation.
What should I ask for if the seller says it was the wrong item?
Request photographs of the received product's serial number, model, identifying marks and packaging label. Compare them with your originals and ask the seller to check for mixed returns.