Taobao General Refund Timeout Schedule
Transaction Status
Refund Type (Goods Status) | Refund Status | Timeout Timeframe
Seller | Buyer
1. Buyer Has Paid, Awaiting Seller Shipment
Refund Type: Full refund for unshipped goods (no receipt)
Refund Status: Refund application pending seller confirmation
Seller:
1. If the seller does not click “Ship” or reject the refund within 24 hours of the buyer’s refund application, Taobao will notify the payment institution to refund the buyer. If the seller clicks “Ship” within 24 hours, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
2. Except for special product orders (e.g., virtual, custom-made), Taobao will execute “instant refund for unshipped orders” (immediate refund via payment institution) based on the buyer’s transaction integrity records and identity, subject to product display.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Seller rejects refund application, awaiting buyer revision
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not revise the refund application or request Taobao intervention within 5 days of the seller’s rejection, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
2. Seller Has Shipped, Awaiting Buyer Confirmation
Refund Type: Refund only for unreceived goods (no receipt)
Refund Status: Refund application pending seller confirmation
Seller:
1. If the seller does not respond to the refund application within 36 hours of submission, the refund is automatically approved, and funds are disbursed as per the application.
2. For buyer-initiated refunds for unreceived goods, Taobao will assess transaction category, buyer/seller status, and logistics info to attempt courier interception. If intercepted, the refund is supported, subject to product display.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Seller intercepts delivery
Seller: For buyers with good transaction integrity, if the seller does not respond within 3 days of initiating delivery interception, the refund is automatically approved as per the application.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Seller rejects application, awaiting buyer revision
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not revise the refund application, request intervention, or confirm receipt within 5 days (5 days for physical goods, 3 days for virtual goods) of the seller’s rejection, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Refund Status: Seller proposes return-and-refund, awaiting buyer confirmation
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not confirm the return-and-refund within 5 days, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Refund Type: Refund only (received goods, no return)
Refund Status: Refund application pending seller confirmation
Seller: If the seller does not respond to the refund application within 36 hours of submission, the refund is automatically approved as per the application.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Seller rejects application, awaiting buyer revision
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not revise the refund application, request intervention, or confirm receipt within 5 days of the seller’s rejection, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Refund Type: Return-and-refund (received goods)
Refund Status: Refund application pending seller confirmation
Seller:
1. If the seller does not respond to the refund application within 36 hours of submission, the refund is automatically approved, and the return process begins.
2. For goods eligible for 7-day no-reason returns, buyers with good transaction integrity who request returns for subjective reasons (e.g., wrong size, dislike) enjoy “instant return” benefits: the system automatically approves the refund application, initiating the return process.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Seller rejects application, awaiting buyer revision
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not revise the refund application, request intervention, or confirm receipt within 5 days of the seller’s rejection, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Refund Status: Refund approved, awaiting buyer return
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not click “Return” within 7 days, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Refund Status: Buyer has returned goods, awaiting seller confirmation
Seller:
– If no logistics records or undelivered status (and seller has not enabled “Extend Receipt Time”), seller confirmation period is 7 days.
– If logistics shows delivery, seller confirmation period is 48 hours after delivery, but no longer than 7 days after buyer’s return.
Buyer: /
Refund Status: Buyer has returned goods, seller rejects refund, awaiting buyer revision
Seller: /
Buyer: If the buyer does not revise the refund application, request intervention, or confirm receipt within 5 days of the seller’s rejection, the refund process closes, and the transaction proceeds normally.
Notes:
- Buyers may apply for refunds from the time of payment.
- The seller shipment timeout for “Buyer Has Paid, Awaiting Seller Shipment” does not apply to:
- Life/entertainment top-ups, financial products, insurance, renovation design, custom-made items, lifestyle services, crowdfunding, real estate, auctions, travel, second-hand goods, Taobao distribution, live animals.
- Products under subcategories: Platinum/PT (new), gold jewelry (new), K-gold jewelry.
Subject to product implementation.
- For “Buyer Has Paid, Awaiting Seller Shipment” refund orders, sellers may reject refunds only for:daigou (with daigou labels), custom-made orders (phased rollout).
- (1) When “Buyer has returned goods, awaiting seller confirmation,” sellers may reject refunds, but cannot click “Reject Refund” within 5 days of the buyer uploading the return tracking number if no delivery/return refusal is detected.
(2) If logistics still shows no delivery/return refusal 5-7 days after the buyer uploads the tracking number, sellers may enable “Extend Receipt Time” (once only), extending the refund processing timeout by up to 7 days. - Taobao reserves the right to shorten seller processing timelines based on buyer applications, complaints, or store after-sales performance.
