Copy-and-paste WhatsApp templates for e-commerce support: where-is-my-order replies, delay notices, lost or damaged parcel intake, customs and duty explanations, address problems and redelivery, written for international customers
Cross-border e-commerce support is three questions asked a thousand ways: where is it, why is it late, and why am I being charged at the border. The replies that work are honest about what you know, specific about what happens next, and never promise a date you cannot keep.
Quick answer
Templates for the shipping lifecycle: where-is-my-order with tracking and a realistic window, a proactive delay notice, a stuck-in-transit reply with the carrier claim timeline, lost-parcel intake and resolution, damaged-item intake with photos, customs and duty explanations (who pays, how collected, no estimates), address correction, failed delivery and redelivery, and the refund-or-resend decision. The agent sends the informational ones from your shipping FAQ and tracking notes and collects intake; claims, refunds and resends are decided by a person. ReplyKit answers in the customer's language from your English FAQ.
Where is my order
Tracking available
Order {number} was dispatched on {date} by {carrier}. Latest scan: {status} on {date}. Track here: {link}. Delivery to {country} usually takes {range} working days from dispatch, so {expected window}. I'll flag it if it goes past that.
Not yet dispatched
Order {number} is being prepared and will dispatch by {date}. You'll get the tracking link here the moment it ships.
Proactive delay notice
Hi {name}, your order {number} is running late: {reason, e.g. carrier backlog in {hub}}. New expected window: {dates}. You don't need to do anything; I'll update you if it changes. Sorry for the wait.
Past the window
Your order is now beyond our usual delivery window and I'm sorry about that. Here's what happens: we've opened a trace with {carrier}, which takes up to {n} working days. If it isn't located by {date}, we {resend or refund}, your choice. I'll update you here either way.
Copy these into your quick replies or paste them into your AI agent's knowledge base as examples of tone; the agent then writes its own versions in the customer's language. Replace the curly-bracket fields. Never promise a date the carrier has not given; quote the range.
Lost and damaged
Lost parcel intake
Sorry about this. To open a claim I need: your order number, the delivery address as you entered it, and whether anyone at the address or a neighbour might have received it. Once I have those, the claim opens today and you'll hear from a person within {n} working days.
Damaged item intake
That's not how it should arrive; sorry. Please send photos of the damage, the item label and the outer box (including the shipping label). With those, a person will reply {today / within one business day} with a replacement or refund.
Resolution
Thanks for your patience. We've {resent your order, new tracking: {link} / refunded {amount} to your original payment method, which takes {n} working days to appear}. If there's anything else, reply here.
Customs and duties
Why am I being charged
Import duties and taxes are charged by your country's customs, not by us, and the carrier collects them before delivery. Our prices don't include them and we can't predict the amount, as it depends on local rules. Paying the carrier releases the parcel; refusing it sends it back to us, and return shipping is deducted from any refund.
Can you declare a lower value
We're not able to under-declare the value; customs forms must match the invoice. Sorry, I know that's not the answer you wanted.
Held at customs
Your parcel is at customs in {country}. This is usually a request for payment or ID: check for a message or email from {carrier}, and pay or respond there. If nothing arrives within {n} days, tell me and we'll contact the carrier.
Delivered duty paid
Good news: for {country} our prices include duties and taxes, so there's nothing to pay on delivery.
Put the duty policy in the FAQ the agent reads; the structure is in the international customer FAQ.
Address and redelivery
Wrong address, before dispatch
No problem, I've updated the address on order {number} to: {address}. Please confirm that's right and it'll ship to the new one.
Wrong address, after dispatch
The parcel has already shipped, so I can't change it from here. Please contact {carrier} with tracking {number} to redirect; some carriers allow it for a fee. If it comes back to us, we'll resend to the correct address; return shipping is {policy}.
Failed delivery
{Carrier} tried to deliver on {date} and couldn't. You can rebook or choose a pickup point here: {link}, or reply with a day that suits and I'll ask them. Parcels are held for {n} days before returning.
Frequently asked questions
Can the AI agent answer "where is my order"?
Yes, from the tracking note and your delivery windows, in the customer's language.
How should I explain customs charges?
Customs charges them, the carrier collects them, prices exclude them, and you cannot predict the amount. Say it plainly.
Who decides refunds and resends?
A person, after the agent collects the intake.
Should I promise a delivery date?
Quote the carrier's range, never a single date you cannot control.
The three shipping questions, answered in every language
Tracking, delays and customs explained from your FAQ; claims collected for your team. 7-day free trial, no card.
Sources and further reading
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.