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Your tracking page says delivered. The porch is empty. That mismatch is the usual stolen-package mess. A letter can put the facts in one place. It won't, by itself, force USPS, UPS, FedEx, or Amazon to pay.

Do you mail a letter today, or file online first? File the official claim or marketplace case first. Send the letter after that filing, as a dated copy of the same story.

Sample dispute letter for a stolen package

Copy this. Fill in only what you can prove.

[Your name]
[Your street address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Date]

Claims or Customer Service
[USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, or the seller]

Re: Package marked delivered but not received
Tracking: [number]
Order or invoice: [number]
Claim or case number: [number, if you already filed]

I did not receive the package that tracking shows as delivered to [address] on [date and time]. I searched the drop area, checked with neighbors, and found no shipment.

Package details:
- Tracking number: [number]
- Seller or shipper: [name]
- Delivery scan: [date, time, and any "left at" note]
- Contents and price paid: [short description], $[amount]

I reported the loss to [police department] on [date], report [number], because the item appears stolen after the delivery scan. Attached are the tracking screenshot, receipt, photos of the empty drop spot, and the police report number.

Please investigate whether this was a misdelivery or a completed delivery that went missing, and send a written update on a refund or replacement. I filed the online claim on [date].

Sincerely,
[Your name]

You'll still need the online claim number. Keep a copy of whatever you send. Certified mail is optional for most carrier claims. It matters more when a card issuer wants a written billing-error notice.

What the letter cannot do

Thing is, a polished letter doesn't rewrite carrier delivery rules. After a "delivered" scan, many files are treated as finished deliveries, not lost-in-transit shipments. Extra coverage often stops at that scan too.

If you already spent twenty minutes on hold, then another twenty photographing an empty stoop, and then you still have a tracking page that looks like a completed delivery, a formal letter can at least freeze that timeline in writing so a later card dispute or seller appeal is not just a messy chat log.

If a retailer shipped the order, that company may be the only party who can file with UPS or FedEx. You still gather proof. You just may not control the carrier file.

A letter helps when you need a paper trail for a landlord, a second appeal, or a card dispute. It's a poor first step if you haven't checked the side of the house, behind plants, a garage, or the building's package room.

Claim clocks that actually matter

These are help-page windows, not courtroom guarantees. Read the live form. USPS warns that its public claim instructions do not include every exception in the Domestic Mail Manual.

Channel First move Window to take seriously
USPS paid claim File at the USPS domestic claims page No later than 60 days after the mailing date; appeal within 30 days of the decision; a second appeal within 30 days of an appeal denial
USPS locate request Missing Mail search 7 to 365 days after mailing
UPS Loss investigation in your UPS tools UPS has told customers to open it within 30 days of the expected delivery date; damage claims are often started within 30 days of receiving the package
FedEx Claim tied to the waybill Check FedEx's form; international clocks can be shorter
Amazon Delivery issue on the order Account tools control this; a mailed letter is extra

Use the full tracking number on USPS filings. Those numbers run 13 to 34 characters. USPS says it usually sends claim decisions within 5-10 days. A Missing Mail search tries to find the piece. It is not a refund.

File in this order

Don't draft stationery while a clock runs out.

  1. Photograph the empty drop spot the same day, plus nearby hiding places a driver might use.
  2. Screenshot tracking, including the scan time and any "left at" note.
  3. Ask neighbors and building staff. Wrong-unit drops happen a lot.
  4. Contact the seller from the order. Retailers often reship or refund faster than a carrier file.
  5. Open the USPS, UPS, or FedEx claim if you or the shipper can.
  6. Get a police report number if your local department will take a theft report.
  7. Send the letter as a cover packet with those attachments.
  8. If you paid with a credit card and still have no goods, ask the issuer about an item-not-received dispute.

What to attach

Bring a thin file. Claims staff skim.

Paying by card is a different track

to be honest, a lot of people skip the seller and jump to a legal-sounding letter. Start with the store. If the purchase was on a credit card and the goods never arrived, the issuer may treat it as a billing problem, not a postal one.

Banks and card networks run that process. The Domestic Mail Manual does not. Written notice is often expected soon after the charge hits a statement. Debit cards, prepaid cards, and buy-now-pay-later plans follow other rules. Don't assume a chargeback is automatic, and don't claim theft if the box later turns up.

If you live in an apartment

Check the package room and the front desk before you call it porch piracy. A landlord letter about lockers is a building issue, so don't stuff it into the carrier packet.

If the first claim is denied

Turns out the police report is not a secret code that unlocks every refund. It's just cleaner evidence that you treated the loss as theft. Some departments take the report online. Some won't bother with a low-value porch case.

Don't wait because a chat agent asked you to wait. Don't wait. If a printed window is 30 or 60 days, that window still counts.

Open tracking now. Save the screenshot. File the seller or carrier claim while you're still inside the window, and use the letter as the cover sheet, not the whole plan. This page is general U.S. consumer information, not legal advice.