A delivery scan isn't proof that you personally received a package. It may have gone to the wrong entrance, a shared package room, or an exposed doorstep before someone took it.
For a U.S. delivery, check the drop location and tracking record first. Contact the seller next. If the evidence points to theft, use your local police department's non-emergency reporting route.
A police report documents the suspected loss. It doesn't order a refund. The result may depend on the seller's policy, shipping terms, insurance contract, and payment method, and a carrier investigation alone doesn't promise reimbursement.
1. Check for a misdelivery before reporting theft
Turns out, a delivery scan records a carrier event, not your personal receipt. Rule out a misdelivery before calling the package stolen.
Start with the tracking page and delivery photo:
- Look for another entrance, garage, side gate, parcel locker, or other drop spot.
- Walk around the property without moving or disturbing anything. Check covered areas and shared delivery spaces.
- Ask household members, nearby neighbors, building staff, and the front desk whether someone accepted it.
- If the package is still missing, contact the retailer and carrier promptly. Ask whether the driver can verify the drop location or the shipment can be traced.
That first search can feel repetitive. Check the side door, locker, desk, then the photo again.
Save video while you look. Doorbell and building-camera footage may be overwritten quickly.
2. Preserve evidence before it disappears
Good records should show what you ordered, where it belonged, and what happened afterward. Keep the originals; a screenshot shouldn't replace an original video or email.
| Evidence | Save | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking record | Tracking number, delivery time, scan history, and delivery photo | Shows the carrier's recorded event |
| Order record | Confirmation email, invoice, item description, and price | Shows the purchase, contents, and value |
| Video | Original camera file and a separate exported copy with its timestamp | May show a misdelivery, suspect, vehicle, or theft |
| Scene photos | Doorstep, mailbox, parcel locker, packaging, or empty delivery area | Records what the location looked like when you found the package missing |
| Witness information | Name, contact details, and what the person actually saw | Gives a report something factual to rely on |
| Communications | Messages to the seller, carrier, property manager, and insurer | Shows when you reported the problem and what each party said |
Do not edit or overwrite the original video. Make a working copy if an upload requires a shorter clip.
Record when you discovered the package was missing, not only when tracking showed delivery. Note the places you checked and the people you asked.
You can use this format:
On [date], tracking number [number] was marked delivered by [carrier] at [time]. I checked [locations] and asked [people or building staff]. The package was not found. The order contained [item], valued at [$amount]. I have [video, photos, or other evidence].
Keep accusations off social media. Give the evidence to the seller, carrier, insurer, or police instead.
3. File a local police report
A police report records suspected theft. No universal U.S. rule requires one for every missing delivery, but a retailer, carrier, or insurer may ask for it.
Use the department's non-emergency number or online reporting portal when available. Call 911 only for an active crime, immediate danger, or a suspect who remains present.
Include:
- Your name, address, and a safe way to contact you.
- The delivery date, the time you noticed the loss, tracking number, retailer, and carrier.
- A neutral description of the package, its contents, value, and delivery location.
- Video, photos, witness details, and any vehicle or plate information captured lawfully.
- The people or businesses you already contacted.
Save the report number and a copy of the submission. Ask how to send more video if the online form could not accept the file.
Use careful wording. Say the package was marked delivered and was missing when you checked. Don't identify a person as the thief unless the evidence clearly establishes that.
If the package involved a mailbox or suspected theft of USPS mail, ask local police or USPS where a separate Postal Inspection Service report should go. A Missing Mail search is a different process.
4. Contact the retailer or seller
Tell the seller even if you plan to contact the carrier. The seller may have bought the shipping label or control the marketplace transaction, making it the most practical place to request a replacement or refund.
For a third-party marketplace order, contact the seller first if the platform requires that step. If the seller doesn't resolve the issue, use the order-help or buyer-protection process before its deadline.
Keep the request short and written:
Subject: Order [number] marked delivered but not received
Tracking shows delivery on [date] at [time], but I did not receive the package. I checked the delivery area, nearby locations, and with [neighbors or building staff]. I reported the suspected theft to [police department], report number [number]. Please confirm whether you will issue a replacement or refund, or tell me the next review step.
Ask for the decision in writing. Save the response, including a refusal.
5. Use the right carrier process
Thing is, a carrier claim, a Missing Mail search, and a theft report do different jobs. Shipping terms may also determine whether the seller, shipper, or recipient can start a claim.
| Service or route | Practical first step | Confirm before filing |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Use the official Missing Mail process when mail has not arrived. For eligible damage or missing contents, review the domestic claims process. | Whether the item qualifies for a claim after a completed delivery scan |
| UPS | Ask the retailer or shipper to open a claim or trace through the official UPS process. | Who must file and which service deadline applies |
| FedEx | Report a possible misdelivery through FedEx support or its claims process, and notify the seller. | Whether FedEx will investigate the delivery scan and who can seek payment |
| Amazon | Use the order's help or problem-reporting option. For a third-party order, contact the seller and then use Amazon's escalation route if needed. | Which marketplace process covers that order |
| DHL | Start with the seller and DHL shipment support. International shipments may use different terms. | The destination country's process, claimant rules, and deadline |
USPS deadlines don't automatically apply to UPS, FedEx, DHL, or a marketplace order.
For USPS, the Missing Mail basics page says the earliest a search request can be submitted is seven days after the original mailing date. The latest is 365 days after that mailing date. That is a search window for mail that has not arrived, not a blanket deadline for every delivered-package theft report.
The USPS domestic claims page says an eligible item that arrives damaged or has missing contents may be claimed immediately, but no later than 60 days after the mailing date. A package taken after a completed delivery scan may not fit that category, so don't assume a USPS payment claim is available.
USPS says claims decisions usually take 5 to 10 days. If a claim is denied or only partly paid, the page describes an appeal within 30 days of receiving the decision. A second appeal can be filed within 30 days of receiving the appeal denial.
Ask the carrier or seller for the claim number and exact deadline. Save that answer.
6. Check insurance and payment options
Homeowners and renters insurance may cover theft. The deductible, policy limits, exclusions, and claim history can make a small claim unhelpful.
Check the declarations page or call the insurer. Ask whether the policy covers the item at the delivery location, what proof it needs, and how a seller replacement or refund would affect the claim.
Gather the police report, purchase record, tracking history, photos, and video before you call. Ask about the deductible and any personal-property or valuable-item limit. Tell the insurer if the seller or carrier has already paid or replaced the order. Report any reimbursement to each party; don't seek payment twice for the same loss.
Shipping insurance has its own terms. A carrier denial doesn't automatically decide whether a homeowners or renters policy will pay.
If the seller won't resolve a credit card purchase, contact the card issuer promptly and ask whether it accepts a billing dispute for goods not received. That process is separate from a carrier claim. Debit and prepaid card protections can differ, so don't assume they offer the same remedy.
7. Respond to a denial or stalled claim
Read the denial reason before sending the same request again. The problem may be the wrong claimant, missing proof of value, a missed service deadline, or an exclusion in the applicable terms.
Send the missing document and request a written review. For USPS, use the appeal deadlines on its claims page. For a marketplace, follow the order's stated escalation route instead of opening unrelated support tickets.
To be honest, a manager, claims supervisor, or formal appeal may fix a documentation problem. It won't remove an exclusion that actually applies.
Small claims court may be available for some disputes. The proper defendant, filing limit, service rules, and contract terms depend on the state and facts. A delivery scan alone doesn't establish who is legally responsible, and a judgment doesn't guarantee collection.
For an apartment delivery, ask management to preserve camera footage and check package-room records. Report recurring access or security problems promptly. The building's responsibility depends on the lease, building policies, and what happened.
8. Reduce the chance of another theft
Choose a delivery option that moves the package out of an unattended doorway. Small changes can matter.
| Risk | Practical change |
|---|---|
| High-value order | Use a staffed pickup point, parcel locker, or signature service when available |
| You will not be home | Schedule delivery for a time you can receive it or use a secure alternate address |
| Apartment deliveries | Use the building's package room or locker and report access problems promptly |
| Camera footage gets overwritten | Check storage settings and aim cameras at the approach and delivery area |
| Repeated thefts | Share factual information with neighbors, property management, and police |
| Visible packages | Ask whether plain packaging or a less exposed drop location is available |
A camera can document an incident. It can't guarantee prevention or reimbursement.
Common questions
Is a police report required for a stolen package?
Not always. The retailer, carrier, insurer, or payment provider may set that requirement, and their policies vary.
A report is still useful evidence when theft appears likely.
What if the carrier's photo shows my porch?
Send the photo to the retailer and carrier, then explain that you didn't receive the package. The image may support the delivery record, but it doesn't identify who took the package.
If it shows the wrong location, describe that as a possible misdelivery.
Should I wait before reporting a package marked delivered?
Check the delivery area, neighbors, building staff, and the retailer's instructions first. There is no universal waiting period for every carrier or seller.
USPS's seven-day timing applies to its Missing Mail search process, not every delivered-package theft complaint.
Can I get a refund from the carrier?
Maybe, but not automatically. Payment usually depends on the service terms, insurance, claimant rules, evidence, and whether the loss happened before or after delivery.
The seller may be the better refund contact.
Put the tracking screenshot, invoice, original video, report number, and messages in one folder today. Send the written request to the seller now, then set reminders for every response, claim, and appeal deadline.