If your Amazon package was stolen, report it through Your Orders in the Amazon app or website and Amazon will usually issue a refund or send a replacement, especially for items it shipped directly. If Amazon denies the claim or a third-party seller stalls, a police report unlocks two backup options: credit card purchase protection and, for expensive items, a homeowner’s or renter’s insurance claim.
Rule Out the Simple Explanations First
Packages get marked “delivered” hours before they actually arrive, and drivers leave them in odd spots. Before you report anything as stolen, check your order’s tracking page for the delivery photo Amazon captures at drop-off and use it to identify exactly where the driver placed the package. Walk the full perimeter of your home: behind planters, inside screen doors, in the garage, and at side entrances. Ask neighbors whether it was left at the wrong address.
Give it a full day. Misrouted packages frequently turn up within 24 hours. Also open the order and confirm the shipping address itself. A typo or an outdated default address is a more common cause of missing packages than most people realize.
Report It to Amazon
Once you’re confident the package is gone, open the Amazon app or website, go to Your Orders, select the order, and choose “Problem with order” or “Where’s my stuff?” Follow the prompts to indicate the package was not received. Have your order number, tracking number, and expected delivery date ready.
What happens next depends on who sold and shipped the item:
- Items sold and shipped by Amazon: Amazon usually processes a refund or ships a replacement quickly.
- Items sold by a third-party seller but fulfilled by Amazon: the process is the same, because Amazon handles the shipping.
- Items sold and shipped entirely by a third-party seller: message the seller first through Amazon’s system. If the seller doesn’t resolve it, file an A-to-z Guarantee claim from the order details page. If Amazon denies the claim, you have 30 calendar days to appeal with additional information.1Amazon. A-to-z Guarantee – Amazon Customer Service
File a Police Report
Officers are unlikely to investigate a single stolen package, but the report itself is the document that unlocks your other recovery paths. Credit card purchase protection claims almost always require one, and your insurance company will want it if you file a homeowner’s or renter’s claim.
Many police departments accept non-emergency theft reports online. Include the delivery date, a description and approximate value of the item, your Amazon order details, and any doorbell camera footage you have. Even without footage, the report is what you need.
One boundary worth knowing: if the stolen package was delivered by USPS, you can also report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report or 1-877-876-2455.2United States Postal Inspection Service. Report – United States Postal Inspection Service That option doesn’t apply to packages delivered by UPS, FedEx, or Amazon’s own drivers.
Carrier Claims
Amazon ships through USPS, UPS, FedEx, and its own delivery network. For packages Amazon ships and sells, the report through Your Orders is normally enough and Amazon deals with the carrier. If you need to open a carrier claim yourself, each has its own window:
- USPS: for insured packages, a lost-mail claim can be filed starting 7 days after the mailing date for Priority Mail Express or 15 days for most other services, and all claims must be filed within 60 days of the mailing date.3USPS. File a USPS Claim: Domestic
- UPS: claims must be started within 60 days of the scheduled delivery date.4UPS – United States. File a UPS Claim
- FedEx: keep your tracking info and shipping receipts, and be ready to prove the item’s value with an invoice or appraisal. The online claim form lets you upload documents immediately and add more later.5FedEx. What To Do About Stolen Packages
Packages delivered by Amazon’s own drivers don’t have a separate carrier claim path. The report through Amazon covers it.
Credit Card Purchase Protection
If Amazon denies your claim, the card you paid with may cover you. Purchase protection covers stolen and damaged purchases for a set window after the purchase date. American Express provides coverage for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.6American Express. How the Purchase Protection Benefit Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company Works Mastercard extends coverage up to 120 days on some cards. Not every card has this benefit, so check your card’s benefits guide or call the number on the back.
A purchase protection claim typically requires a completed claim form, a receipt showing the purchase, a police report listing the stolen item, and a copy of your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance declarations page if you have one. Items reported stolen without a police report are generally not covered.7American Express. Purchase Protection – Guide to Benefits
One catch: the entire purchase must have been made on that card. If you split payment between a credit card and a gift card balance, the card’s protection may not apply.
Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance
Your homeowner’s or renter’s policy usually covers stolen packages under personal property protection. The obstacle is the deductible. If the stolen item was worth $80 and your deductible is $1,000, filing doesn’t make sense. Deductibles on these policies commonly fall between $500 and $2,000.
Even when the value clears your deductible, weigh it against your premium. Filing can push renewal costs up, and if you’ve filed other claims recently the increase can outweigh what you’d recover from a single package. This route makes the most sense for high-value items where the loss is real money.
Preventing the Next One
Repeated theft reports on the same account will eventually draw scrutiny, so prevention is where you get the most leverage.
Ship to a Locker or Hub
Amazon Locker and Amazon Hub are free pickup locations at grocery stores, convenience stores, and apartment buildings. You select one as your delivery address at checkout, receive a pickup code when the package arrives, and grab it at your convenience. The package never sits unattended, which makes this the single most reliable prevention step.
In-Garage Delivery
Prime members can use Amazon Key to have drivers place packages inside a closed garage. It requires a compatible smart garage opener from myQ or Aladdin Connect linked to the Amazon app, and retrofit kits exist if you don’t already have one.8About Amazon. Everything You Need to Know About Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery The service is limited to specific zip codes, so check eligibility in the Amazon app before buying hardware.
Delivery Instructions and Timing
Use the delivery instructions field on your Amazon account to point drivers to a spot out of view: behind a porch column, inside a screen door, near a side entrance. Turn on delivery notifications so you can bring packages in as soon as they land. If you’ll be away for a stretch, ship to your workplace, hold packages at a carrier facility, or ask a trusted neighbor to collect them.
Cameras and Lights
A visible doorbell camera deters casual thieves and gives you footage to share with police and Amazon if theft happens anyway. Motion-activated lights help for evening deliveries. Neither guarantees prevention, but together they make your home a less attractive target than the one next door.