If someone steals a package off your porch, contact the seller first, file a police report, and then work outward to the shipping carrier, your credit card company, and your home insurance as needed. Each of those options has its own deadline, and missing one can close off your best route to a refund. The steps you take in the first day or two usually decide whether you recover the money or absorb the loss.
Confirm the Package Is Actually Gone
Before you assume theft, rule out the ordinary explanations. Pull up the tracking information and confirm the status reads “delivered,” along with the exact date and time. Packages marked “out for delivery” may still be on the truck, and carriers sometimes scan shipments as delivered a few hours before they actually arrive.
If tracking says delivered, walk the whole property. Drivers routinely tuck boxes behind planters, inside screen doors, under patio furniture, or near side entrances. Check gates, outbuildings, and any spot a driver might have used. Ask everyone in your household if they brought something inside, and knock on the closest neighbors’ doors in case a driver left it at the wrong address.
Amazon and some other retailers take a photo at drop-off, which you can view in your order history. That image shows exactly where the driver left the box. It narrows your search, and if the package really was stolen, it becomes evidence.
Gather Documentation Before You Call Anyone
Once you’re sure the package is gone, pull everything together before making any calls. The same documents support every claim you’ll file:
- The order confirmation showing what you bought, when, and for how much.
- A screenshot of the tracking page with the delivery date, time, and any delivery photo.
- A line-by-line list of the items in the package and their purchase prices.
- Any security camera or video doorbell footage of the delivery and the theft, backed up to cloud storage so it doesn’t get overwritten.
The seller needs this for a refund, the police need it for the report, and the carrier needs it for an insurance claim. Collecting it once at the start saves scrambling later when an adjuster asks for proof of value.
Contact the Seller First
The seller is almost always your fastest resolution. Large online retailers deal with stolen-package reports constantly and have streamlined refund and replacement processes. Amazon covers packages that tracking shows as delivered but that you never received under its A-to-z Guarantee, and you can request a refund directly through your order history.1Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee Most retailers ask you to wait 48 hours after the marked delivery date before filing, since packages occasionally turn up. After that, use the seller’s chat or phone line. For Amazon, you generally need to report within 30 days of delivery.
If you bought from a third-party seller through a marketplace, the platform’s buyer protection program typically backs you up when the seller refuses to cooperate.1Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee
File a Police Report
A police report creates the official record that unlocks almost every other reimbursement option. Credit card issuers ask for the report number. Insurance companies require one. Sellers may request it for higher-value claims.
Call the non-emergency line for your local police department, or check the department’s website for an online reporting portal. Give them the delivery date and time, a description of the package, its value, and any camera footage. Write down the report number and the name of the officer or detective assigned. Police rarely investigate individual package thefts without clear video of the person, but the report itself is the document that matters for your financial recovery.
File a Claim With the Shipping Carrier
If the seller won’t resolve it quickly, or if you shipped the item yourself, go to the carrier. Each has its own deadline:
- USPS: start with a Missing Mail search request, which you can submit beginning seven days after the mailing date. If the package was insured, file a separate indemnity claim at usps.com. For most domestic insured mail, the window is no sooner than 15 days and no later than 60 days from the mailing date.2USPS. Missing Mail and Lost Packages3USPS. 609 Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
- UPS: file within 60 days of the scheduled delivery date through the online claims portal.4UPS. File a UPS Claim
- FedEx: for a package that never arrived, you have up to nine months from the shipment date. For damaged or missing contents, the deadline tightens to 60 calendar days from the shipment date for domestic packages.5FedEx. File a Claim
Carrier insurance pays out when the carrier’s own process confirms the package is lost. USPS Priority Mail Express includes insurance up to $100 automatically. If you or the seller bought additional coverage, the carrier will reimburse up to the insured value after you file a claim and provide proof of the item’s worth. For USPS, you can file online or by mailing a completed PS Form 1000.3USPS. 609 Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
If the Package Came Through USPS, Report to Postal Inspectors
Most people miss this one. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is a federal law enforcement agency that investigates mail theft, and it takes these cases more seriously than local police typically can. Report online at mailtheft.uspis.gov or by calling 1-877-876-2455.6United States Postal Inspection Service. Report Postal Inspectors enforce over 200 federal statutes tied to crimes involving the mail and work with local and state agencies on investigations.7United States Postal Inspection Service. What We Do
Check Your Credit Card’s Purchase Protection
If the seller won’t help, check whether your credit card offers purchase protection. Many cards cover theft of items bought with the card, typically within 90 to 120 days of the purchase date. Coverage limits commonly run around $500 per item and $50,000 per year, though these vary by issuer. You’ll generally need to notify the benefit administrator within 90 days of the theft and submit supporting documentation, including the police report number, within 120 days.
Purchase protection has blind spots. Common exclusions include vehicles and their parts, large household fixtures like appliances, cash and gift cards, perishable goods, and plants or animals.8Mastercard. Purchase Protection This coverage is also typically secondary, meaning you need to exhaust the seller and carrier options first. Read your card’s benefits guide for the exact terms before filing.
Consider Homeowners or Renters Insurance Only for Expensive Items
Both homeowners and renters policies generally cover theft of personal property, including packages taken from your porch. The math is the catch: typical deductibles run from $500 to $2,500. If your stolen package held a $60 pair of shoes, filing makes no financial sense. You’d pay more in deductible than you’d recover, and the claim could raise your premiums at renewal.
Insurance becomes worth considering when the item is genuinely expensive and other avenues have failed. If a $2,000 laptop disappeared and the seller, carrier, and credit card company all declined your claim, a policy with a $500 deductible could recover most of the loss. You’ll need the police report number, your insurer will likely ask you to complete a proof-of-loss form describing the circumstances and value under oath, and the payout will be reduced by your deductible.
What the Law Says About Package Theft
Stealing a package delivered by the U.S. Postal Service is a federal crime. Under federal law, anyone who steals mail from a mailbox, porch, or any other authorized delivery location faces up to five years in prison.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1708 – Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally Because this is a felony, the maximum fine reaches $250,000 under the general federal sentencing statute.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine
Packages delivered by UPS, FedEx, or Amazon’s own drivers fall under state theft laws rather than federal mail statutes. In most states, the charge depends on the value of what was stolen. Lower-value thefts are typically misdemeanors, while higher-value packages can be a felony carrying prison time. A growing number of states have also enacted specific “porch piracy” statutes that treat package theft as a distinct offense with enhanced penalties beyond ordinary shoplifting or petty theft, even when the dollar amount is relatively low.
Catching the thief is a separate question. If your security camera captured a clear image, share it with police and include it in your report. Some departments will act on good video evidence, particularly when the same person is tied to multiple thefts in a neighborhood. Without footage, arrests for individual package thefts remain uncommon.
Reduce the Chance It Happens Again
The most reliable fix is removing the porch from the equation. All three major carriers offer free alternatives to home delivery:
- Amazon Hub Lockers. Pick a locker at checkout, and Amazon delivers directly to it. You get a pickup code and have three calendar days to collect the package before it’s returned for a refund.
- UPS Access Points. Through UPS My Choice, you can redirect packages to retail partners like CVS, local grocery stores, and The UPS Store. Packages are held for up to seven calendar days at no charge.11UPS. View and Track All Shipments With UPS My Choice
- FedEx Delivery Manager. Redirect shipments to thousands of retail locations, including Walgreens, Dollar General, and FedEx Office stores, where packages are held for up to seven days.12FedEx. FedEx Delivery Manager
If you prefer home delivery, use carrier accounts to leave specific placement instructions. UPS My Choice lets free members tell the driver exactly where to leave a package or ask a neighbor to accept it. Premium members can reroute packages to a different address entirely.11UPS. View and Track All Shipments With UPS My Choice FedEx Delivery Manager offers similar options, including requesting that a package be held at a nearby retail location if no one is home to sign for it.12FedEx. FedEx Delivery Manager Requiring a signature at delivery is another straightforward option. It won’t stop a determined thief, but it keeps a package from sitting on your porch for hours, and it’s worth the minor inconvenience for high-value orders.
A video doorbell won’t physically stop someone from grabbing a box, but it does two useful things. It gives you footage for the police report and insurance claim, and a visible camera deters casual opportunists. Position cameras to capture the face of anyone approaching your door, not just the top of their head.