Seller Guide
What Is NDR? Non-Delivery Report Explained for Indian D2C Sellers
OrderMatrix Team · Published September 2026 · Updated October 2026
When a courier cannot complete delivery on the first attempt, they issue an NDR (Non-Delivery Report) to the seller. This is your signal that the delivery failed and action is needed.
Couriers typically allow 1–3 re-attempts. After all attempts fail, the order is marked RTO (Return to Origin) and shipped back to you. Acting quickly on an NDR — contacting the buyer to confirm their address and availability — gives you the best chance of a successful delivery.
Common NDR reasons: buyer not available or not answering phone; address not found or incomplete; buyer refused delivery (usually COD); delivery attempted outside working hours.
When you receive an NDR, contact your buyer immediately. Confirm their address and let them know the delivery is coming. Relay any address corrections to the courier as soon as possible. If the buyer cannot be reached after reasonable attempts, the order will proceed to RTO.
Frequently asked questions
What does NDR mean?
NDR stands for Non-Delivery Report. It is a notification from a courier that they were unable to complete delivery on a particular attempt.
What happens after an NDR?
The courier usually makes 1–3 more delivery attempts. If all attempts fail, the order is marked RTO (Return to Origin) and sent back to the seller.
How should I respond to an NDR?
Contact your buyer to verify their address and ask them to be available for the next delivery attempt. Relay address corrections to the courier as quickly as possible.
What is the difference between NDR and RTO?
NDR is a single failed delivery attempt — the order is still in transit and can be reattempted. RTO is the final outcome after all attempts fail: the parcel is being sent back to you.
Does OrderMatrix track NDR status?
You can manually update an order's status in OrderMatrix to reflect NDR or reattempt. Since OrderMatrix does not integrate with courier APIs, you update the status yourself when the courier informs you.
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