So I had this happen before. Ordered a 4Runner part, USPS said they delivered it but I didn't get it. I told the vendor I never received it. Not sure what they would have done if I never got it but about a week later a person from another street brought me the package that the USPS contract mailman delivered to the WRONG STREET but the right number. The homeowner on the other street didn't immediately bring it by because they were on vacation for a week. At least I finally got it.

So now it has happened again. No package yet USPS said it was delivered on December 13th. So what if I don't ever receive the package. It's my word against the USPS. Does the vendor have any responsibility?

Any chance it was delivered, but stolen by porch pirates? Cameras? Seems to be a lot of that going on these days.

As a vendor I feel I have some limited responsibility to help the customer resolve delivery issues, or at least try and help them figure out what happened to their order. For that reason everything I ship generally has tracking and insurance so I can cover issues like this. The vendor would most likely have to file a claim with the shipper for any sort of reimbursement.

Sometimes these issues are not even vendor related. I have had an Amazon shipper leave something on my door and just make up a name for the person who signed for it. I would start by calling the vendor and asking for their assistance and see where that takes you. You might have to reach out to the shipper as well if the vendor takes the “it shows delivered” stance.

Based on the USPS tracking, they delivered it to a "In/At Mailbox". My neighborhood has a metal mailbox distributed evenly around the neighborhood with about 10 houses per mailbox and it has one lockbox big enough for the package I ordered. They will usually put the box in the lockbox and then put a key in my mailbox to open it with. Unfortunately the last package they put in the lockbox was placed in the mailbox on an entirely different street.

So I don't think they put it on my doorstep which would mean nobody would have walked away with it. This is the only package I have so far never received in the 13 years I have lived there. At least the value was only $40.

I ordered a package from Rad Rubber Designs in December and not only did I get the package but I got a "Click-N-Ship" notification in my email box from USPS. I didn't get that notification from this particular vendor I shall not mention until I see what their response will be.

any way to verify the delivery address? if that is correct, I don't see how the vendor would be liable for anything.
assuming you had input the correct address, and they have the correct address on the label.


I recently had an order, where *I* put in the wrong address. I transposed 2 of the numbers. my mistake. luckily, that put my package across the street. I contacted them( its a business) and told them to expect a package. the 2nd item on that order was caught by the driver. he noticed the address was wrong, but recognized the name, and brought it the correct place.


I had another package go to my correct address, except it was WEST, and mine is EAST. completely the drivers fault. the package had ALL the correct info on it.
I had to personally go to the west address and talk to the people to get my package. luckily, they just gave it to me without much issue. upon talking to them, they even thought they were sitting at the EAST location....

According to the tracking link that the vendor sent me after I told them I didn't get my package it was delivered to the correct address.

I am not sure that a vendor should assume it's all the customer's responsibility once it leave's their door into the deliverer's hands. You can either save money and not insure it and re-send the product if the customer didn't get it or insure it and sell the product for more money. I like the way Amazon takes a picture of the package on your doorstep once they deliver it. USPS apparently doesn't do that.

IF it was stolen, how is that the vendors responsibility?


as far as amazon delivering stuff...is that a thing? ive ordered quite a bit from amazon, and have never had anything delivered BY them.

The vendor has a choice as to whom and how to deliver the product. If they are ok with a delivery service dropping it off on your front porch without any signature from someone at the house, how is that the purchaser's fault if someone walks up and takes it from the front porch?

And yes, Amazon has it's own delivery service.

I get what you are saying, but you are asking a vendor to be responsible for the actions of a 3rd party. Unless you pay for signature confirmation service, UPS or USPS leaving a package on your doorstep is at their discretion.

Traditionally the vendors responsibility stops once the shipping company accepts the package. The shipping company, a 3rd party carrier, is then responsible for your material and final delivery.

As a buyer, I am also aware of what I am buying, and what might happen on that final leg of delivery. I ship most valuable items to my office where someone is there to receive it, or I spend the extra for signature confirmation because I don’t want expensive goods sitting around. To a degree, I feel like I am also responsible for the security at the receiving destination. I am saying this as a victim of package theft because it has happened to me. These days I don’t make it that easy for thieves.

How did you know it was stolen? In my case, someone is home every day. There is a community mailbox that has a key so nobody needs to be home. It is secure but in the past even though the tracking said it was delivered it wasn't. 100% fact.

There were no shipping options other than USPS. So I just eat the cost? Doesn't seem right. If they are going to do nothing and wash their hands as soon as the product leaves their hands, then they should have an option for a signature upon delivery. If I don't choose that option then my bad. If they don't have that option then the least they should do is inquire with the carrier and offer to re-send at cost.

I lived in a townhome for many years and my mail situation sounds near identical to yours. The problem we had with our community mailbox is that there was too much package volume. There was only one large parcel locker per group of homes and everyone was getting packages. The USPS person would often times just leave the overflow or oversized packages on the doorsteps of each resident. Both USPS and UPS rarely if ever knock and wait for me to open the door. They would generally just drop and go or ring the doorbell once and speed off to continue work.

You would figure it would be a non-issue in a nice gated community but we still had unauthorized people coming in. I know my package was stolen because my neighbor found a box with my address on it just outside the gates and brought it to my attention. These days I have a security camera which provides that insight. After that I actually took the time to talk to my mail carrier and UPS person and nicely ask they leave stuff inside my BBQ grill on my patio to keep packages safer, and they gladly obliged.

I’m not telling you this because it’s a license for a vendor to “wash their hands” of the situation so to speak, but the reality of the world we live in and the challenges that come with it.

I don’t think you should eat the cost, but I also don’t think the vendor is responsible for it either. That said, most good vendors would probably be open to a reasonable discussion about it, may just take care of it at no cost to you. Perhaps it’s a risk they are willing to take to keep shipping rates low as product isn’t expensive and easy to replace if there is an issue. This will vary from vendor to vendor. The best thing to do it pick up the phone and see how they can help.

If the package wasn’t stolen, the blame should fall on the carrier as they failed to complete their task. The hard reality is that it’s a massive inconvenience for all parties involved. You need to work with both the vendor and the shipping company to come to a resolution.

Over half my Amazon orders are delivered by a Amazon truck or Amazon contract employee.

I am not far from the future Amazon HQ in Va.

I live right by a distribution center and they have lockers as an option too. So if I don't want it delivered to my doorstep I just go by and get it at a locker.

I know this may not help much but....I've had an Amazon delivery sent to a neighbor, with a pic confirming, only to have them deny they ever got it. They suck anyway, so no surprise. I was out $12, eh.

A Fedex sub contractor scanned a delivery early, blocks from our house, just to avoid doing it later. All of a sudden I'm contacting them to see what's going on? It was delivered while I was in mid conversation with customer service. $300 item, and it was damaged anyway, I discovered later.

I don't really have much faith anymore in these services. Kind of hit or miss. I'm a stay at home dad, so I try to plan delivery days around that stuff. Still, things happen.

I send everything to my work.

Thankfully small business and no one cares. Guaranteed to get it in my hands.

I had this happen in Austin. We used the large central location for mailboxes with a larger box for USPS put it in the wrong box and gave me the wrong key. They refused to correct it - I guess they felt any lockbox was good enough even if the key was wrong. I finally got the postmaster for the area to get the master key and meet me to open all the package boxes until we found my package