Package theft reimbursement isn't automatic. The right next step depends on what the tracking record shows:

• The parcel was never delivered.
• It was delivered to the wrong address or location.
• It was marked delivered but can't be found.
• It was delivered and later taken.

For U.S. consumers, the controlling terms may come from the seller, marketplace, carrier, shipping insurance, homeowners or renters insurance, or payment method. A police report documents your report of the incident; it doesn't by itself create a right to reimbursement.

8-step package theft reimbursement checklist

1. Confirm the delivery details. Check the shipping address, tracking history, delivery time, and delivery photo. Look at side doors, garages, mailrooms, parcel lockers, and other places where the parcel might have been left. Ask household members and nearby neighbors. Amazon says a package can sometimes be scanned as delivered up to 48 hours before it arrives, so a new "delivered" scan doesn't always prove theft. Follow Amazon's missing-package guidance for its recommended checks.

2. Save evidence immediately. Screenshot the order page, tracking events, delivery photo, shipping address, and purchase amount. Download the original doorbell or security-camera footage and preserve its timestamp. Photograph the delivery area, including any place where the parcel should have been left.

3. Classify the problem accurately. Record whether the package was never scanned as delivered, delivered to the wrong place, marked delivered but missing, or captured on video being taken after delivery. A carrier investigation for a misdelivery is different from a reimbursement request for suspected theft after delivery.

4. Create a short timeline. Note the order date, expected delivery date, delivery scan, time you searched, people you contacted, and each response. A clear timeline is often more useful than a long explanation.

5. File a police report if theft is suspected. Use the local non-emergency reporting route and keep the report number. A police report isn't a universal requirement for every seller or carrier request, but an insurer, seller, or carrier may request one, particularly for a high-value item. Don't claim that the report proves who took the package; it records your report of the incident.

6. Contact the seller or marketplace. Start with the company that charged you. Ask for a replacement, refund, or instructions for its delivery-protection process. Include the order number and relevant evidence. Ask whether the seller or shipper must open a carrier claim, and keep the request and response in writing when possible.

7. Report the issue to the carrier. Use the carrier's official tracking or claims process to report a possible misdelivery, missing parcel, or delivery scan that doesn't match the address. Coverage can depend on the service, declared value, insurance, and whether the parcel had already been marked delivered.

8. Use a backup route before its deadline. If the seller denies the request, check your homeowners or renters policy and any card benefit. If the goods were never received, a credit-card billing-error process may apply. Keep following up with claim numbers, and ask for a written reason if a claim is denied.

What controls whether you get reimbursed?

There is no single refund rule for every stolen delivery. These are the main possible routes:

A carrier claim isn't the same as a retailer refund, and a credit-card dispute isn't a guaranteed chargeback. Don't submit contradictory claims or accept more than one reimbursement for the same loss without telling the parties involved.

Carrier and marketplace steps

Amazon

Open Your Orders and use the missing-package or problem-with-order options. The linked Amazon help page says that an Amazon-shipped order should be reported to Customer Service within 30 days of the expected delivery date. Check the deadline displayed in your U.S. account because terms can vary by order and marketplace.

For a seller-fulfilled order, message the seller through the order page and keep the response. If the order page offers an A-to-z Guarantee claim, follow the instructions and deadline shown there. Amazon's published A-to-z information lists marketplace-specific conditions, so don't rely on a generic deadline from an unrelated website.

Submit the tracking screenshot, delivery photo, police report number if available, and a factual explanation. If Amazon or the seller denies the request, ask which policy condition caused the denial and whether an appeal or marketplace claim is available.

FedEx

If tracking shows delivered but you can't find the parcel, check the address and all likely drop-off locations first. FedEx says customers can use Manage Delivery and select Report Missing Package, or provide contact information so FedEx can help locate it. Follow FedEx's missing-package instructions.

Save the case number. Ask whether FedEx is treating the problem as a wrong-location delivery, a missing package, or theft after delivery. Those descriptions may lead to different investigations. Confirm the claim deadline for your specific service instead of assuming that a deadline for another FedEx shipment applies.

USPS

For a USPS parcel that may be lost or delayed, use the USPS Missing Mail search process. Include the tracking number, sender and recipient addresses, mailing date, package description, and other information requested by USPS.

An insurance claim is a separate process. USPS says certain domestic claims for items that arrive damaged or with missing contents can be filed immediately, but no later than 60 days after the mailing date. A package taken from a porch after a delivery scan may be evaluated differently from mail lost or damaged while in the postal system, so check whether the service and facts qualify.

USPS says claims decisions are usually sent within 5-10 days. Its USPS domestic claims page also says a partially paid or denied claim can be appealed within 30 days, with a second appeal available within 30 days of the appeal denial.

UPS

Use the claim or support option connected to the tracking record and confirm the deadline for the specific service. The filing window can depend on the shipment, declared value, and whether you're the sender or recipient. If the system won't let you file as the recipient, ask the seller or shipper whether it must open the claim. Save the claim number and send the seller a copy of the carrier's response.

Credit-card disputes: the deadline many shoppers miss

The Federal Trade Commission says a credit-card charge for goods you never received can be challenged as a billing error. To use the law's written-dispute protections, send a letter that reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent. Use the billing-dispute address in the card agreement or on the issuer's instructions rather than relying only on a telephone call.

Keep a copy of the letter, delivery proof, order confirmation, tracking history, and seller correspondence. The FTC's credit-card dispute instructions say the issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue, and resolve the dispute within 90 days.

For a qualifying billing-error investigation, FTC guidance says you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges while the investigation is pending. Continue paying the undisputed portion of the bill and follow the issuer's instructions.

Describe the facts precisely:

• If the seller never delivered the goods, explain that the goods were not received.
• If tracking says the package was delivered and someone later took it, say that clearly. Don't describe a post-delivery theft as a non-delivery just to fit a billing-error category.
• Ask whether the issuer is reviewing a billing error, a card-network purchase-protection benefit, or another merchant dispute. These are separate routes with different terms.
• Don't assume the FTC's 60-day credit-card process applies to a debit card, prepaid card, payment app, or bank transfer. The FTC guidance on goods you never got addresses credit-card billing errors.

If your card advertises purchase protection, request the benefit guide from the issuer. Check its exclusions, filing period, covered items, and required evidence. A retailer's denial doesn't automatically mean that the card benefit applies.

Home, renters, and shipping insurance

Check your homeowners or renters policy for theft coverage before filing. Ask the insurer:

• Is a package taken from the insured residence covered?
• What proof is required?
• What deductible and coverage limit apply?
• Does the policy exclude unattended deliveries?
• What is the claim deadline?
• Would a claim affect your policy or renewal?

Shipping insurance and declared value are also policy-specific. Ask the seller, carrier, or shipping service whether the parcel was insured, who may file, and whether a delivery scan affects eligibility. Don't assume that standard carrier coverage pays for every item stolen from a porch.

If a seller tells you to deal with the carrier, ask the seller to confirm in writing whether it is denying the refund or asking you to assist with a claim. Also ask who is authorized to receive any carrier payment. That can prevent the seller and carrier from sending you back and forth.

Evidence packet for a stolen-package claim

Put these items in one folder:

• Order confirmation, invoice, and item description
• Tracking number and screenshots of every status change
• Delivery photo, GPS or location details if available, and delivery timestamp
• Original doorbell or security-camera footage
• Photos of the delivery area
• Shipping address confirmation
• Police report number, if you filed one
• Messages with the seller, carrier, insurer, and card issuer
• Card statement showing the charge
• Proof of the item's value and any shipping or insurance charge
• Claim numbers and written denial notices

Redact full card numbers, passwords, and unrelated personal information. Don't edit or crop video in a way that removes the timestamp or surrounding context. If you send a clip, keep the original file.

A concise claim message is usually enough:

Order number: [number]. Tracking shows delivery at [date and time] to [address]. I checked the delivery area, household locations, and with nearby neighbors. The package has not been located. [If applicable: I reported suspected theft to [agency], report number [number].] Please confirm whether you will replace or refund the order, or identify the applicable claim process and deadline.

If the seller, carrier, or insurer denies the claim

Ask for the denial in writing and request the specific policy term or evidence issue behind it. Then use the appeal that matches the decision:

1. Seller or marketplace: Ask for a supervisor review and use the marketplace guarantee shown in the order account, if available.
2. Carrier: Follow the carrier's appeal process and keep the original claim number. USPS provides a 30-day appeal period for certain partial or denied claims.
3. Insurer: Ask how to appeal and whether additional proof, a police report, or an adjuster review is available.
4. Credit-card issuer: Preserve the written-dispute deadline even while negotiating with the merchant. Send additional documents through the issuer's stated channel.
5. Business-practice complaint: If a company misrepresents its refund or claims process, you can file a complaint with the FTC. A complaint is separate from a refund request and doesn't replace a carrier, insurance, or card deadline.

Don't close a claim until the money or replacement has actually arrived. If a refund is issued after a card dispute begins, notify the issuer so the account is corrected accurately.

Common questions

Does a "delivered" scan prevent a refund?

No, but it can make the claim harder. First rule out an early scan, wrong delivery location, or package left with a neighbor. Then ask the seller and carrier how they handle a confirmed delivery followed by theft. No single delivered-scan rule guarantees approval or denial.

Do I need a police report?

Not for every seller or carrier request. An insurer or high-value claim may require one, and other companies may ask for it as supporting evidence. File a report if theft is suspected and keep the report number, but don't treat it as a universal reimbursement requirement.

Can I dispute the charge if my package was stolen?

Possibly, but the facts matter. The FTC's written billing-error process is aimed at charges for goods not received and has a 60-day statement deadline. A package delivered to your address and then stolen may be evaluated under different card terms. Tell the issuer exactly what happened and ask which process applies.

How long do I have to file a USPS claim?

USPS says certain domestic claims must be filed no later than 60 days after the mailing date. That deadline doesn't mean every porch-theft claim is covered. USPS says eligible claim decisions usually take 5-10 days, and qualifying denials or partial payments can be appealed within 30 days.

Should I wait 24 hours before reporting a missing package?

There is no universal 24-hour rule. A recently delivered scan may be early, so check the address, nearby locations, neighbors, and carrier records. Report promptly if camera footage or other evidence shows theft, and don't delay a credit-card written dispute while waiting for a seller response.

Reducing the chance of another porch theft

For expensive or time-sensitive orders, use a staffed pickup location, carrier hold, parcel locker, signature requirement, workplace address, or trusted neighbor. Turn on delivery alerts and provide precise instructions for a less visible drop-off spot. A camera can document what happened, but a controlled delivery location may prevent the loss in the first place.

For the current loss, save the tracking and delivery evidence now, send the seller a factual request, and record the deadline for any carrier, insurance, or card process you may need.