Think someone stole your package? Act quickly. Check your carrier’s real-time tracking information to determine whether your package was delivered. If the package was delivered but is nowhere to be found, check directly with the seller and carrier to learn their policies for reimbursing lost items. Then make a claim with whoever will more fully compensate your loss.
You can also contact the police to report the theft. However, the police might not pursue the porch pirates, especially if there are no leads. Your chances of recovering a stolen package increase if you have security camera footage. In any case, it might be beneficial to fill out a police report, especially since it can help with package insurance claims.
If you choose to pursue carrier reimbursement, the recovery process differs depending on the carrier. Below we’ve broken down the stolen package policies from the four biggest carriers in the US.
If an expected USPS shipment has been missing for seven business days, you can file a missing mail claim. USPS will want the sender and recipient addresses, package dimensions, tracking number, and a description of the package’s contents. And if you have any pictures of what’s inside, they’d like to see those too.
If you mail anything valuable using USPS as the shipping company, it’s worth insuring the package. That way, if your shipment is determined lost, you’ll be refunded the shipping costs and the insured package. For uninsured packages, you’ll be refunded the shipping cost only.
If you have a lost or stolen package, FedEx lets either you or the seller file a claim to cover your losses. The company typically covers up to $100 of the total value of the shipment or the full amount that you insured.2
As the intended recipient of a lost or stolen UPS package, you can contact the seller. The seller can either refund you or file a claim to recoup the missing shipment with UPS. (You need the seller’s contact information if you want to go this route.) You can now also file a claim as the package recipient.
Amazon offers one of the most customer-friendly policies for dealing with lost or stolen packages. Its A-to-z Guarantee covers a refund on lost, stolen, or damaged Amazon-bought items.
The A-to-z Guarantee first requires you to contact the Amazon seller to seek a refund. If the seller is unwilling to work with you or it’s been 48 hours with no response, you can file a claim. Claims must be filed within 90 days from the purchase date.