If tracking says delivered and the package isn't there, don't start with a chargeback. First work out whether it was misplaced, misdelivered, or stolen.

Check the delivery photo, mailroom, locker, household, neighbors, and delivery address. Refunds aren't automatic. The seller, carrier, shipping terms, and payment method decide which route may help.

This information is for U.S. consumers and is general information, not legal advice. Thing is, no reliable universal success rate exists for package-theft disputes, so ignore claims that 70 to 80 percent of these cases succeed.

Confirm the delivery problem first

A delivery scan can be early, wrong, or tied to another door. Start with the photo.

Look for a different entrance, unit number, porch, or building. Then check package rooms, carrier lockers, front desks, side doors, garages, and building offices. Ask household members and nearby neighbors whether someone accepted the package.

An empty porch doesn't prove theft. A photo showing the wrong property points more toward possible misdelivery.

Save screenshots before contacting anyone. Order pages and tracking details can change.

Follow this package theft dispute process

Use this order of operations. It keeps the facts clear and gives each party a chance to fix the problem.

1. Preserve the order record. Save the order confirmation, invoice, tracking number, delivery scan, delivery photo, promised delivery date, seller name, and total paid.

2. Search the likely delivery locations. Check lockers, mailrooms, side doors, garages, and building offices. Ask neighbors whether they accepted a package for you.

3. Contact the seller in writing. Say that you did not receive the order and ask for a refund, replacement, or delivery investigation. The seller may be the party authorized to pursue a carrier claim.

4. Open a carrier case. Use the carrier's current tracking or support tools. Keep the case number and upload only accurate information.

5. Report clear theft to local police. Include the delivery time, package value, tracking details, footage, and suspected location. A report documents the allegation, but it doesn't force a refund.

6. Use the right escalation route. Depending on the purchase, that may be a marketplace guarantee, credit card billing dispute, or insurance claim.

Use factual language throughout. If the photo points to the wrong door, call it possible misdelivery rather than confirmed theft.

Evidence that can support your claim

A useful claim connects the purchase, delivery event, and nonreceipt. Keep original files, not only edited clips or cropped screenshots.

• The order confirmation, invoice, and payment record
• Tracking history and the carrier's delivery photograph
• Doorbell or security footage covering the delivery window
• Written messages with the seller, carrier, building manager, or neighbors
• A police report number, if you filed one

Video helps most when it shows the full event, including the address or approach to the property. A still image of an empty porch is less useful by itself.

Be specific. Explain what the carrier photo shows, where the package should have been placed, and why the facts suggest misdelivery or theft.

Carrier claims: USPS, UPS, and FedEx

A carrier investigation and a refund are separate decisions. Coverage can depend on the service, declared value, sender, and who is allowed to file the claim.

USPS treats a Missing Mail Search and an insurance claim as different processes. Its Missing Mail guidance says a search can be submitted from seven days after the original mailing date through 365 days after mailing.

The USPS domestic claims guidance lists separate filing and appeal rules. That old chart saying 60 days for every USPS or FedEx problem and 30 days for every UPS dispute? It's too broad.

Use the current carrier process and the seller's instructions instead.

Retailer and marketplace refunds

Contact the retailer before disputing the charge. Turns out, a seller may offer a replacement or refund even when the carrier treats porch theft as outside its covered loss process.

For a third-party Amazon order, contact the seller through the order page and follow the order-specific escalation route. Amazon's A-to-z buyer guidance says a covered claim may qualify for up to $2,500 of the purchase price, including shipping charges, and gives 75 days to submit a claim in the circumstances described by its terms.

That isn't blanket porch-theft coverage. Amazon's terms exclude some loss or damage after delivery to the destination provided to the seller, including delivery to a freight forwarder. A package marked delivered and then stolen from a porch isn't automatically covered by A-to-z.

Shein, Wish, Temu, and other marketplaces set their own support windows and evidence rules. Use the order-help feature quickly, state that you didn't receive the package, and keep a copy of the conversation. One marketplace's deadline won't necessarily apply to another.

When a credit card dispute may help

A credit card billing dispute isn't the same as a carrier claim. It may help when the seller didn't provide the goods as agreed, but a delivered scan can make the facts contested.

For the federal billing-error process, send a written dispute so the issuer receives it within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. The FTC's guidance says to use the billing-dispute address on the statement, not necessarily the payment address.

Include the charge date, amount, merchant, order number, tracking record, written request to the seller, and reason you didn't receive the goods. Keep a copy and proof that the issuer received it.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days unless it has already resolved it. It must resolve the matter within two billing cycles and no later than 90 days under the CFPB billing-error regulation.

During the investigation, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges under that process. Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed, but don't assume an extension; ask the issuer.

Don't report the purchase as an unauthorized transaction if you made it yourself. That is a different type of dispute. The FTC credit card guidance explains the written-notice process.

These rules apply to credit card billing disputes. They don't automatically set the same deadline for a debit card, prepaid card, buy-now-pay-later account, payment app, or bank transfer.

If the first claim is denied

Read the denial carefully. It may cite a late claim, excluded service, lack of insurance, seller-only filing rights, or evidence that didn't show a covered loss.

For USPS, the official claims information permits an appeal within 30 days of the original decision. A second appeal can be filed within 30 days of the appeal denial. Add the missing evidence and explain why the denial doesn't fit the delivery facts.

For UPS and FedEx, ask the seller to escalate through its shipper account if you can't appeal directly. Keep the denial, case number, delivery photo, and every message in one folder.

To be honest, a carrier investigation can take longer than a credit card deadline. If that deadline is approaching, send accurate written notice to the issuer first and add the carrier result later.

Police reports and insurance

A police report documents suspected theft. It doesn't order a seller or carrier to issue a refund.

File one when the theft is clear, the package was expensive, footage identifies a person, or an insurer requests a report. Include the delivery time, value, tracking details, footage, and suspected location.

Homeowners or renters insurance may cover personal-property theft, but coverage, exclusions, and deductibles vary. Read the relevant provisions and ask the insurer whether reporting the loss makes sense before opening a claim.

A seller's denial doesn't decide insurance coverage. A carrier's denial doesn't decide it either.

Apartments, lockers, neighbors, and international orders

Apartment residents should check the package room, locker system, front desk, and building access records. A landlord isn't automatically responsible for every package left in a common area; the lease and delivery arrangements matter.

If a neighbor may have taken the package, preserve the footage and report facts rather than confronting the person. Stick to facts.

International orders can involve customs, a forwarding company, and a final-mile carrier. Ask the seller which company completed delivery. U.S. USPS claim deadlines won't necessarily control the whole shipment.

Reduce the chance of another theft

Use a carrier hold, pickup location, secure locker, or signature service when available. For expensive orders, avoid delivery instructions that put the package in an exposed spot.

A camera can document the event. It can't make an excluded claim payable.

Common package theft dispute questions

Does a delivered scan end the dispute?

No. It is evidence, not the final word. Compare the photo, location, and timestamp with your property.

Do I need a police report?

Not for every claim. Some sellers, carriers, and insurers may request one, while others investigate without it. File a report when the theft is clear, the value is high, or you need documentation.

Can I dispute the charge if the package was stolen?

Possibly, but a credit card dispute isn't an automatic theft refund. Explain that you didn't receive the merchandise and provide the seller and carrier records. The issuer will evaluate the billing-error claim.

What should I do today?

Screenshot the tracking page, write the seller a nonreceipt notice, and open the carrier case. If you paid by credit card, calendar the 60-day written-dispute deadline from the first statement containing the charge.