Buying From an International Pharmacy

Your ED Order Never Arrived: Reship, Refund, or Walk Away

Our customs post explains the normal path. This one is for when the path breaks: tracking goes quiet, a notice shows up, or the seller stops answering.

Playbook · 6 min read · Published October 14, 2026

Our customs and shipping explainer describes the usual path of an international order and is honest that packages can be held or returned. This post picks up where that one stops. It's a practical sequence, not legal advice, and it applies whether you ordered from the catalog this site compares or from somewhere else.

Step 1: Is It Actually Late?

Before anything else, compare today's date against the seller's published delivery estimate, not against what you'd expect from a domestic retailer. International shipments add processing, international transit, customs clearance and a domestic handoff. Each stage can stall for days without anything being wrong.

Step 2: Contact the Seller, in Writing

Email or use the seller's ticket system rather than a phone call, so you have a record. Include:

1. Your order number and date.
2. The tracking number and a screenshot of the latest status.
3. What you're asking for: a reship, or a refund. Be specific.
4. A reference to their published shipping or refund policy, if they have one.

Many international sellers publish a reship policy for orders that don't arrive within a stated window, sometimes with conditions such as waiting a set number of days or confirming your address. Read it before writing so your request matches it. That's also a reason to read the policy before ordering, as our pre-order checklist suggests.

Step 3: If You Receive a Customs or FDA Notice

Sometimes the first sign of trouble is a letter. The FDA's personal importation page states plainly that, in most circumstances, it is illegal for individuals to import drugs into the U.S. for personal use, because those products often haven't been FDA-approved. It also describes limited situations where FDA staff may use discretion, and reasons a personal import may be refused, including when a product appears to present a serious health risk or appears to be health fraud.

If you receive a notice:

• Read it fully and note any response deadline and the options it lists.
• Don't ignore it. Missing a deadline usually means the package is refused or destroyed by default.
• Tell the seller and send them a copy; their reship or refund policy may treat seized packages differently from lost ones.
• Get proper advice if you have legal questions. We can't tell you how a notice applies to you.

Step 4: Payment Disputes

If the seller doesn't respond or refuses a reasonable request, your payment method decides what happens next.

Credit cards

The Federal Trade Commission explains that the Fair Credit Billing Act covers billing errors on credit cards and revolving charge accounts, including charges for goods that weren't delivered as agreed. Key points from the FTC:

• Your written dispute should reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you.
• Send it to the billing-inquiries address, not the payment address, and keep a copy.
• The issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days.
• You can withhold payment on the disputed amount while it's investigated.

Many issuers also accept disputes by phone or online; the written process is what protects your rights under the law.

Debit cards and other methods

The FCBA process the FTC describes is for credit, not debit. Debit card disputes go through your bank under different rules, so call your bank promptly. Payments by wire transfer, peer-to-peer apps or cryptocurrency are much harder to reverse, which is why NABP lists crypto-only or peer-to-peer-only payment as a red flag for online pharmacies.

Step 5: When to Walk Away

Sometimes the right move is to stop pursuing a reship and stop ordering from that seller:

• The seller stops responding or gives inconsistent answers about tracking.
• You receive a notice and don't want the package released.
• A replacement arrives that doesn't match what you ordered. Our counterfeit-spotting guide covers what to check.
• You need the medication on a reliable timeline. A U.S. route removes customs from the picture; our mail-order vs. local pharmacy comparison lays out the domestic options.

Making the Next Order Less Painful

• Use a credit card where possible, for the dispute protections above.
• Screenshot the shipping and refund policy on the day you order.
• Order with lead time so a delay doesn't leave you without options.
• Start small. Our first-order guide explains why a small first order limits what's at stake.

Frequently Asked Questions