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If a tracking page says "delivered" but the package is gone, document two different facts: the carrier recorded a delivery, and the item later disappeared. Tracking proves the scan. It does not, by itself, prove porch theft.

Start quickly, but do not accuse anyone yet. Check likely delivery locations, save the tracking record, and preserve camera footage before it is overwritten. The strongest claim usually combines delivery evidence, proof of loss, and proof of the item's value.

What evidence actually proves

Your evidence should answer three questions: Was the package recorded as delivered? What happened afterward? What exactly was lost?

Question Useful evidence What it establishes
Was it delivered? Tracking history, delivery email, carrier photo, delivery timestamp, available scan or location history The carrier's recorded delivery event
Was it taken? Security footage, a firsthand witness, building access records, or tracker data A sequence connecting delivery with removal or movement
What was lost? Receipt, order confirmation, payment record, item description, serial number, or product photo Ownership and the amount you are claiming

A delivery photo showing a different doorway may support a misdelivery claim instead. A timestamped photo of an empty porch helps, but it rarely proves theft by itself.

Check for misdelivery first

Turns out, a delivered scan can still involve the wrong doorway, a package room, a front desk, or an early scan. Rule those possibilities out before describing the event as theft.

  1. Check the porch, side doors, garage, parcel locker, mailroom, front desk, and nearby hiding places.
  2. Ask household members, neighbors, building staff, and a concierge whether they accepted or moved the package.
  3. Compare the carrier's delivery photo with your address and note anything that does not match.
  4. Save screenshots of the tracking page, delivery photo, notification email, and order details.
  5. Contact the seller or carrier and ask for a delivered-but-not-received or possible misdelivery investigation.

If the evidence clearly shows someone taking the package, move to the police and claim steps without waiting for a routine support response. If the seller or carrier says the scan may have been premature, record that instruction and follow its stated time window.

Assemble one evidence packet

Keep everything in one folder. Use the same factual timeline for the police report, seller, carrier, and insurer.

Do not edit the original video. If you make a shorter clip for uploading, keep the full file too. Note the camera's displayed time, time zone, and any known clock difference.

It can feel like overkill. It is not. Screenshots get scattered, links expire, and the timeline gets fuzzy fast.

Make camera and witness evidence usable

Export enough footage to show the delivery and the relevant period afterward. A clip that shows only a person walking near the porch may not establish much; a clip showing the package arrive and then being removed is more useful.

Ask a neighbor or building manager for the original camera export rather than a phone recording of a screen. Preserve the file privately and provide it through the police, carrier, seller, or insurer's requested channel. Avoid posting an accused person's identity publicly.

A witness should describe what they personally saw, not what someone else told them. A simple statement can look like this:

I saw [what happened] at about [time] on [date] from [location]. I saw [description of person, vehicle, or package].

A tracker ping can help locate a parcel. It does not prove who took it. Do not confront someone or enter private property because an AirTag, Tile, or similar device shows a location.

File the police report with facts

For a U.S. report, use your local police department's non-emergency route unless the theft is happening or someone faces immediate danger. Give the exact address, delivery date and time, tracking number, package description, estimated value, and a clear timeline.

Say what you know. For example, you can report that the carrier marked the package delivered at 2:14 p.m., a camera showed it on the porch, and it was missing by 2:50 p.m. If the video shows a person or vehicle, describe what appears in the footage. Do not identify a suspect based only on a missing package or a vague resemblance.

Ask for the report or incident number and find out how to submit video. If USPS handled the item, mention that clearly and check the appropriate Postal Inspection Service or USPS reporting route for suspected mail theft.

A police report records your complaint and may help an investigation or claim. It does not decide whether a seller, carrier, or insurer must reimburse you.

Use the right carrier or seller route

A carrier investigation, an insurance claim, and a seller refund request are separate processes. Do not assume that filing one automatically starts the others.

Route What to do Deadline or limit to watch
USPS Check tracking first. For mail not delivered as expected, consider a Missing Mail search. For eligible domestic insured mail involving damage or missing contents, use the USPS claims process. USPS says a Missing Mail search can be submitted from seven days after the original mailing date through 365 days. Its domestic claims page says eligible damage or missing-contents claims must be filed no later than 60 days after mailing.
FedEx Report a delivered-but-not-received package or possible misdelivery through the carrier's official support or claims route. Include tracking, the delivery photo, and any video. Use the deadline for the particular service and shipment. Do not apply the USPS 60-day rule to FedEx.
UPS Request a package investigation or claim through the official UPS route shown for the shipment. Describe the delivery location and attach available evidence. Follow the shipment-specific filing window. UPS requirements can differ by service and claim type.
Seller or marketplace Contact the seller or platform promptly, especially when a third-party seller fulfilled the order. Ask for a replacement, refund review, or instructions on who must open the carrier claim. The seller's terms and marketplace process may have their own response or evidence requirements.

The USPS domestic claims page says a partially paid or denied claim can be appealed within 30 days of the decision. A second appeal can be filed within 30 days of the appeal denial. USPS also says claims decisions are usually sent within 5-10 days.

The USPS Missing Mail basics page describes a missing-mail search, which is different from an insurance claim. A search may help when the package was delayed, misrouted, or marked delivered in error. It does not establish that a porch theft occurred.

Submit an insurance claim carefully

Your policy controls coverage. The insurer may ask whether the item belonged to you, whether it was delivered, where the theft happened, what the item was worth, and whether the loss exceeds your deductible. Some policies treat a package that never reached you differently from property stolen after delivery.

Start with a short timeline, then attach the tracking record, receipt or order confirmation, item details, footage, witness information, police report number, and carrier or seller response. Send copies, not irreplaceable originals.

Thing is, a police report does not guarantee payment. An insurer may still apply a deductible, coverage limit, exclusion, or ownership requirement. Ask the insurer which documents it needs before sending a large file.

Describe the event precisely. If the carrier delivered to the wrong address, say that. If a camera shows removal from your porch, say that. Do not call an ordinary delivery theft an unauthorized card transaction just because the purchase is now missing. If you paid by credit card, ask whether the card includes a separate purchase-protection benefit; that benefit is different from disputing a charge you authorized.

If a claim is denied

Read the reason before sending an appeal. The issue may be insufficient proof, a delivery dispute, an excluded type of loss, a deductible, a value problem, or a missed filing window.

Reply with the missing document and a corrected timeline. Ask the insurer, carrier, or seller to identify the specific policy term or process rule supporting the decision, along with any appeal deadline. Keep the response factual and consistent.

If the seller says the carrier must handle it, ask whether the seller will open the investigation or provide the shipment owner's claim instructions. If the carrier says the seller must file, send that response to the seller and keep both case numbers.

Special situations that need extra records

Apartment residents should contact management or the package-room operator quickly and ask that relevant camera and access records be preserved. Front-desk logs, locker access times, and delivery-room footage can clarify whether the item was accepted before it disappeared.

For a locker or attended delivery point, save the pickup confirmation, locker number, access time, and operator ticket. An access log can show that a code was used, but it may not show who had the code.

For an expensive item, include the model, serial number, invoice, and payment record. A product listing alone is weaker proof of what you paid. If a drone or specialized delivery system was involved, preserve the app record, delivery notification, and any camera footage rather than relying on a tracking screenshot alone.

Your next move

Create one folder today with the delivery record, value documents, timeline, and original footage. Submit that factual packet through the seller or carrier route, make the police report if theft is supported, and record every case number and deadline.