When you dropship, your supplier sends the order, but your customer bought it from you. So when it is late, or lost on the way, the law looks to you. Knowing the rules helps you decide what delivery time to put on your website, and what to do when a parcel doesn't turn up.
You have 30 days, unless you say otherwise
The Consumer Rights Act says that unless you agree a delivery time with the customer, you must deliver without undue delay and within 30 days of the order. gov.uk also says you must tell customers before they buy how you deliver, what it costs and how long it will take.
So the delivery time on your website matters: it is what you have agreed. Order a sample to your own address and write down how long it really took, then use that, not the supplier's best case.
What your customer can do if it's late
If you miss the delivery time, the law gives your customer two routes:
- If the date was essential, for example a birthday present they told you about, or you refused to deliver, they can treat the order as cancelled straight away.
- Otherwise, they can give you a new, reasonable deadline. If you miss that too, they can treat the order as cancelled.
When an order is cancelled this way, you must refund everything they paid, without undue delay.
A lost parcel is your problem
The law says goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in the customer's hands, or the hands of someone they named. The only exception is a courier the customer chose themselves, not one you offered. So if your supplier's courier loses the parcel, it is up to you to put it right, by sending another or refunding. Then take it up with your supplier.
Before you choose a supplier, find out what they do about lost and late parcels, and whether they will send a replacement.
Keep your customer in the loop
Most complaints about late orders start with silence. Pass the tracking number on as soon as you get it, check on orders that haven't moved, and tell customers before they have to ask. A customer who knows where their parcel is will usually wait.
Faster delivery from the UK
Suppliers who send from inside the UK can deliver in days rather than weeks. Our guide to UK suppliers or AliExpress compares what each kind of supplier says about delivery times.
