Order failed to deliver
If the carrier isn’t able to deliver the items because of the wrong address, or if the package was unclaimed by your customer, it’ll be returned to the default return address.
For Printful orders, this means that they’ll be sent back to the facility that sent them out. When that happens, you’ll get an email from us that your order arrived back at our facility. We’ll then hold on the order for 28 days at no cost. During this time, contact your customer.
What to tell your customers if their order couldn’t be delivered
Reach out to your customer with this message:
We were notified that your order is being returned by the shipping carrier because [reason]. If you want us to reship the order, please confirm your address.
Printful charges shipping costs for reshipments. Decide if you’ll cover those costs yourself or ask your customer to pay extra, and include that in your policy.
What to write:
If your order has not been fulfilled because the wrong address was inserted or there was a failure to deliver the product it will automatically be sent back to our distributors facility at that point they will reach out to us. Please be patient we will reach out to you if this is the case.
Order was lost in transit
Now that we’ve covered Printful’s return policies, let’s talk about lost orders. All of Printful’s shipping methods have tracking, although the accuracy may differ for some carriers. If it’s past the estimated delivery date and your customer still hasn’t received their order, the package might be lost in transit.
What to tell your customers about an order that’s lost in transit
Step 1: Make sure that the order is actually lost in transit
Find the tracking link in one of our order notification emails and look at the tracking log.
If you see limited or no entries in the tracking log, the package was most likely lost in transit (jump to Step 2).
If you do see entries in the tracking log, then advise your customer to wait a little longer:
We just checked that your package is still being tracked and it’s supposed to arrive by [date]. According to tracking, it might just be stuck at some point during the delivery. Please give a couple of more days for the package to show up. If the package still hasn’t arrived, let us know no later than 4 weeks after the estimated delivery date.
Be mindful of the events that may impact shipping times and communicate any delays customers should expect. You can take a look at how Printful communicated potential delays due to Covid-19.
Step 2: Confirm the shipping address if it’s past the estimated delivery time
Reach out to your customer to check that they entered the correct shipping address:
May we please ask you to double-check the shipping address you used for this order? Let us know if it was correct or send us the updated address.
If the address was correct, then reply with:
We’re glad that the address was correct. If your package still hasn’t arrived, then we recommend getting in touch with your local post office to see if your order is there. You can also check in with your neighbors to ask if they might have seen your package.
If the address was incorrect, then the package will be sent back to the return address and we’ll contact you for an updated address when we receive the returned package. If we don’t receive the package, then you’ll have to submit a new order to replace the original. Let your customer know:
We’re sorry to hear that the address was incorrect. The package should be sent back to us and we’ll update the shipping address and reship it for you. Please note that you’d be responsible for the shipping costs, so let us know how you’d like to proceed.
Step 3: Submit a problem report
If the customer’s shipping address was correct and the order still hasn’t arrived, submit a problem report and our customer support will find a resolution for you. We usually cover the costs of reprinting and shipping replacement orders.
What to tell your customers if their package is marked as delivered but they haven’t received it yet
If the shipment’s tracking states that it was delivered, but your customer hasn’t received it, Printful won’t cover the cost of reshipping or refunding the order.
Sometimes packages can be left in an unexpected location at the customer’s address so it’s worth checking up on.
Reach out to your customer:
We’re sad to hear that you haven’t received your order yet. Our team checked the shipment’s status and we see that the carrier has marked it as delivered. We recommend you to inquire if any additional details were left by the delivery staff. Please note that we don’t cover refunds due to carrier errors.
If your customer can’t locate the package, you can place a new manual order to have it reshipped at your expense.
How to minimize customer frustration with lost in transit orders
Set your customers’ expectations by sharing how your products are made. Let your customers know that your products are made on-demand and that shipping times should be added on top of the fulfillment.
Address any possible shipping delays from the get-go. Should there be anything that might impact shipping (postal strikes, etc.), let your customers know about it via a banner on your storefront, for example:
Due to [reason], order fulfillment and shipping may take longer but your order is on its way!Create an FAQ section on your storefront that addresses order fulfillment and shipping questions. Get texts for the FAQ section form the downloadable content at the end of the article.