If tracking says a package was delivered but you can't find it, start with a missing-delivery check rather than a theft accusation. The parcel may be inside, at a safe location, with a household member, or at a nearby address. If those possibilities don't fit, save the records and tell the seller what you can establish.

A delivery scan alone doesn't determine who must pay. The result may depend on the seller's policy, the shipping arrangement, the carrier's claim rules, the insurance contract, and the way you paid. The steps below are for U.S. consumers, although seller and marketplace procedures can vary by order.

What the scan tells you - and what it doesn't

A scan records what the carrier says happened. It doesn't necessarily prove that the parcel reached the correct spot, that the photo shows your property, or that someone stole it after delivery. That distinction matters when you contact the seller, carrier, police, insurer, or card issuer.

Ten common mistakes in package theft complaints

Mistake Why it causes trouble Better approach
1. Waiting too long Camera footage, tracking details, and claim windows may disappear. Start checking and documenting promptly.
2. Borrowing a deadline from another order Amazon, USPS, UPS, FedEx, insurers, and card issuers use different rules. Read the terms for this order and write down the applicable deadline.
3. Treating a delivery scan as proof of theft The parcel could be delayed, misdelivered, or accepted by someone in the household. Check the address, delivery photo, safe place, and nearby locations first.
4. Contacting only the carrier The seller or marketplace may control the replacement or refund decision. Notify the seller and ask whether the sender must open a carrier claim.
5. Naming a suspect without proof A guess can create a dispute and weaken your credibility. Describe the person, vehicle, timing, or footage without claiming to know the identity.
6. Sending edited or incomplete evidence Blurry images and missing timestamps make verification harder. Keep original files and send clear, relevant copies.
7. Sharing your whole camera account It can expose unrelated activity and other people's privacy. Export only the relevant clip through a secure channel.
8. Omitting order details A claims team needs to connect the loss to a particular shipment and item. Include the order number, tracking number, value, description, and serial number if available.
9. Filing an insurance claim without checking the policy A deductible or exclusion may make the claim ineligible or uneconomical. Check coverage, limits, exclusions, and reporting requirements first.
10. Calling an authorized purchase fraud or inventing facts An inaccurate police report or payment dispute can damage the claim. Use factual language and the payment provider's correct process.

First checks when a package is marked delivered

Do these checks before deciding how to describe the loss:

  1. Open the order and tracking pages. Confirm the delivery address, date, approximate time, carrier, delivery photograph, and any location note.
  2. Ask household members. Someone may have brought the package inside or accepted it for you.
  3. Search the likely delivery spots. Check side doors, garages, mailrooms, parcel lockers, leasing offices, back entrances, and other places a driver might use.
  4. Ask nearby neighbors neutrally. Ask whether a driver may have left the package at the wrong address. Don't accuse anyone of taking it.
  5. Record when you discovered the problem. Note when you last knew the package was not there and when you checked the delivery location.
  6. Save the records before they change. Download the order confirmation, receipt, tracking page, delivery photo, and relevant camera footage.
  7. Write to the seller or retailer. Say that the order is marked delivered but is missing, and ask whether it will investigate, replace the item, or issue a refund.
  8. Choose a report or claim route based on the facts. That could mean a carrier claim, a local police report, a Postal Inspection Service report for suspected mail theft, an insurance claim, or a payment dispute.

A short delay after a delivery scan can happen, but don't turn advice from a forum into a universal 48-hour rule. Follow the instructions attached to your order and submit a complaint as soon as you have checked the basic possibilities.

Deadlines come from the specific program

The word "delivered" doesn't create one deadline for every complaint. Look at the order terms, the carrier's rules, the insurance policy, and the payment agreement. A deadline copied from another shipment may not apply here.

Amazon and marketplace orders

An Amazon order may involve Amazon fulfillment, Amazon Logistics, or an independent marketplace seller. The support route can differ depending on who sold and shipped the item.

Start on the order page and follow the instructions shown there. Save the seller conversation and any escalation request. Amazon's published A-to-z Guarantee help page describes seller-contact and timing conditions, including a delivery confirmation or a period after the latest estimated delivery date. That page is for Amazon's EU marketplace, so its waiting period and eligibility rules aren't a blanket rule for every U.S. order.

USPS

A USPS compensation claim is separate from a theft report. The USPS domestic claims page says eligible claims may be filed immediately and no later than 60 days after the mailing date; it specifically discusses situations such as damaged items and missing contents. A partially paid or denied claim may generally be appealed within 30 days of the decision. The page also lists a second appeal within 30 days of the appeal denial.

Those rules apply to eligible USPS claims, not automatically to every package marked delivered and later taken from a porch. If you suspect mail theft, report the suspected crime separately through the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and notify the seller or sender.

UPS and FedEx

UPS and FedEx claim deadlines and eligibility can vary by service, shipment, account, and contract. The sender or account holder may also be required to open the claim.

Ask the retailer who must file, use the carrier's official tracking or claims page, and keep the claim number. Don't rely on a statement such as "FedEx always gives you 21 days" unless that deadline appears in the terms for this shipment.

Police and insurance

Use the reporting instructions of the local police department and the terms of the insurance policy. A general 24- or 48-hour tip is not a substitute for either one. Report promptly because footage and memories can fade, even if you're still waiting for the seller or carrier to respond.

Write the police report around facts

A police report documents suspected criminal conduct. It doesn't guarantee an arrest, an investigation, a carrier payment, or an insurance reimbursement. When there is no immediate danger, the department may direct you to an online or non-emergency reporting system.

Include:

If you don't know an answer, say that it is unknown or approximate. Don't fill the gap with a theory.

For example:

Tracking shows the package delivered to my address at 2:15 p.m. on March 4. I checked the front porch at approximately 2:30 p.m.; it was not there. I checked with household members and two nearby neighbors. The delivery photograph shows the front porch. Doorbell footage shows an unidentified person removing a package at approximately 2:24 p.m. I have the order confirmation, tracking screenshot, delivery photograph, and original video file.

If the department doesn't dispatch an officer, ask whether you can report the matter online or by phone. Request the incident number and keep it for the seller, insurer, or payment provider.

Preserve evidence before sending it

A useful complaint connects four things: what you bought, where it was supposed to go, when delivery was recorded, and what happened afterward.

Save:

Export the original camera file if possible. Keep a copy that shows the camera's date and time, and note if the camera clock is inaccurate. Don't crop out information that could help establish when the clip was recorded. Preserve the unedited original even if you blur bystanders in a copy.

Send only relevant footage. A short clip showing the removal is more useful than hours of unrelated recordings. Don't publish it on social media or give a company unrestricted access to your camera account. Use the company's secure upload portal or an official support channel instead.

Contact the seller, then use the route that fits

For many online orders, the seller or retailer is the practical first contact because it controls the order and may offer a replacement or refund under its policy. That doesn't necessarily settle legal responsibility. Keep the request in writing and state:

Then consider the other routes:

If a carrier denies a claim because its records show delivery, ask for the reason in writing. The denial doesn't prove that your complaint was false, but it may tell you whether the issue is being treated as a delivery dispute, an ineligible claim, or a matter for the seller.

Check the insurance policy before filing

Homeowners and renters policies differ. Before opening a claim, look for:

For a low-value package, the deductible may be greater than the possible reimbursement. For a high-value item, notify the insurer promptly even if you're still waiting for the retailer or carrier. Give the insurer the same timeline you gave everyone else and keep any written carrier denial.

Whether a police report is required depends on the policy. Filing a report doesn't guarantee payment; the policy language, coverage limits, deductible, and exclusions still control the decision.

A credit card dispute isn't an unauthorized-transaction claim

If the seller doesn't resolve a genuine non-delivery or billing problem, ask your credit card issuer whether it should be handled as a billing error. Don't call an authorized purchase "fraud" or report it as an unauthorized transaction simply because the delivered package was later stolen.

The Federal Trade Commission's credit card dispute guidance says that, to use the federal billing-error protections, your written dispute generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent. The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the matter, and must resolve it within two billing cycles, no later than 90 days.

Keep a copy of the letter and proof that the issuer received it. During the investigation, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges, but you must keep paying the part of the bill that you aren't disputing. An issuer may have an extension for a delayed shipment, but ask about that rather than waiting.

A merchant's failure to deliver is not the same fact pattern as a package stolen after a confirmed delivery. Tell the issuer exactly what happened and ask how it classifies the dispute. Debit cards, bank transfers, prepaid cards, peer-to-peer payments, and other payment methods follow different procedures and don't automatically receive the federal credit card protections described above.

Before you submit a complaint or claim

Use this checklist:

Use the same facts in each complaint. Differences between a police report, seller message, insurance form, and card dispute can lead to unnecessary questions.

If someone denies the claim

Ask for the denial in writing and identify the exact reason. Check whether it cites:

Provide missing information and appeal within the stated period. For USPS, use the appeal process on its official claims page. For a marketplace or retailer, reply through the order's official support channel. For an insurer, follow the policy's internal appeal or complaint procedure.

Never create a police report, receipt, photograph, or video to satisfy a refund request. If a seller asks for a police report, ask whether it will accept an incident number or online report confirmation and what other evidence it needs.

Reduce the chance of another loss

Parcel lockers and staffed pickup locations remove many porch-delivery problems. For valuable orders, scheduling delivery when someone is home or requiring a signature may help. Avoid leaving packages visible from the street.

Review carrier delivery instructions carefully. A requested safe place may affect how a later claim is assessed, depending on the applicable terms.

For the current loss, download the tracking record and camera footage, send the seller a short factual message with the order number and discovery time, and keep every claim or incident number in one file.