# Wrong, Missing and Damaged Orders > Wrong, missing and damaged items each require a different resolution path, but all three should be resolved quickly and the root cause recorded. Treating each issue separately prevents a single fulfillment complaint from masking distinct picking, packing or carrier problems. - Type: Merchant guide - Level: Intermediate - Reading time: About 6 minutes - Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores. - Last updated: 2026-11-04 - Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/wrong-missing-and-damaged-orders/ - Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy --- ## What you need to know ### What should happen when a customer receives the wrong product? Apologize, verify the affected item and offer a correct replacement or refund under the policy and law. Record the picking or labeling cause and any return instructions. ### What should happen when an item is missing from an order? Confirm shipped quantities, packing records and split shipments, then send the missing item or refund it. Do not assume carrier loss if the item was never packed. ### What should happen when a product arrives damaged? Make the product safe to handle, collect useful evidence, and offer the lawful replacement, refund or repair. Record whether damage came from product, packing or carrier handling. ### Should damaged products always be returned? No. A return may be unsafe or cost more than the item's recovery value. Preserve sufficient evidence and use returnless refund or disposal only under a controlled rule. ### When should merchants replace rather than refund? Replace when the customer still wants the product, stock exists and the cost and timing are reasonable. Refund when replacement is unavailable, unwanted or legally required. ### How should damaged-order evidence be collected? Request focused photos of the item, damage, internal packaging, outer box and shipping label when relevant. Record the order, item, quantity, date and customer's description. ### How should fulfillment errors be tracked? Use reason codes tied to the item and fulfillment location, such as wrong pick, short pack, damage, address or carrier loss. Review trends by product, worker, location and carrier. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### Must every damaged item be mailed back? No. The decision can depend on safety, item value, evidence, salvage value, carrier claims and local consumer rules. ### What evidence is reasonable? Ask only for evidence that helps verify and resolve the issue, such as photos of the item, packaging and shipping label. Do not make legitimate claims unnecessarily difficult. --- ## Related learning path - **Ecommerce Refund Workflows** - **Preventing Ecommerce Return Fraud** - **Delayed, Lost and Damaged Packages** - [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)