Taobao General Transaction Timeout Guidelines

Taobao General Transaction Timeout Schedule

Transaction Status

Timeout Timeframe

Seller | Buyer

1. Awaiting Buyer Payment

Seller: /

Buyer: If the buyer fails to make payment within 24 hours of placing the order, the transaction will automatically close.

2. Buyer Has Paid, Awaiting Seller Shipment

Seller: If the seller does not click “Ship” within 365 days of the buyer’s payment, the transaction will automatically close, and Taobao will notify the payment institution to refund the buyer.

Buyer: /

3. Seller Has Shipped, Awaiting Buyer Confirmation of Receipt

Seller: /

Buyer: If the buyer does not actively confirm receipt or apply for a refund after the seller “ships” the order, the transaction status will change to “Transaction Successful” according to the following criteria:

(1) Logistics information shows delivery within 30 days:

• If logistics information shows delivery within 9 days of “shipment,” the transaction will be marked successful 10 days after shipment.
• If logistics information shows delivery 9 days after “shipment,” the transaction will be marked successful 24 hours after delivery.

(2) No logistics information or undelivered status shown within 30 days: The transaction will be marked successful 30 days after shipment.

(3) In any of the following cases, Taobao may extend the automatic confirmation period (up to 15 days, subject to product display):

1. Orders where the buyer reports non-receipt and applies to Taobao for an extension.
2. Orders identified as high-risk based on seller store data (e.g., historical after-sales complaints, logistics performance indicators) or logistics-related penalties.
3. Other exceptional cases requiring extension.

Notes:

1. The above general transaction timeouts exclude Taobao’s special transaction timeouts.
2. The seller shipment timeout for “Buyer Has Paid, Awaiting Seller Shipment” does not apply to the following order types:
   • Orders where the actual payment amount (for all items in the order) exceeds 2,000 yuan.
   • Orders for virtual goods, direct top-ups, funds, insurance, e-vouchers, cash-on-delivery, pre-sales, installment payments, custom-made items, lifestyle services, crowdfunding, live animals, real estate, top-up cards, auctions,haitao, travel, second-hand goods, and Taobao regional retail.
3. For certain orders between sellers with “Express Refund” or “Early Payment” services and buyers: After the seller ships, Taobao will notify the payment institution to disburse funds to the seller. For certain orders between sellers with “Fast Refund” services and buyers where the system shows delivery, Taobao will notify the payment institution to disburse funds to the seller within 7 days after shipment. After disbursement, before the buyer confirms receipt or the system automatically confirms receipt, a third-party provider of Express Refund/Fast Refund/Early Payment services will guarantee refunds to the buyer.