Amazon ships over 1.5 million packages per day globally through its fulfillment centers and delivery partners. With such an incredibly high volume of orders, occasionally mixups can happen and you may receive someone else’s package on your doorstep. I’ve had this happen a few times myself, so I dug into the common reasons it occurs and what you should do if you get incorrectly delivered Amazon packages.
Why Did I Receive Someone Else’s Amazon Order?
There are a few root causes that can result in wrongly delivered Amazon orders:
Human Error – With so many packages to process each day, inevitable mistakes happen during sorting at fulfillment centers or by delivery drivers with hundreds of drops to make along their route.
Technical Issues – Computer glitches can very rarely assign an inaccurate shipping label on a package coming from Amazon warehouses.
Third-Party Seller Confusion – Amazon Marketplace allows over 5 million third-party sellers. International sellers may intentionally ship items directly to US consumers hoping for product reviews.
A recent survey found over 70% of consumers are satisfied with Amazon’s delivery services. So while very occasional mixups occur and may be annoying for customers, their overall package success rate remains impressive.
What Should I Do With Someone Else’s Package?
You might be curious what happens if you keep an incorrectly delivered Amazon package. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers are legally not obligated to pay for or return merchandise they receive unsolicited. You can technically keep the wrongfully shipped item.
However, many people prefer alerting Amazon whenever possible for ethical reasons and to provide the opportunity for correction. Some common reasons to notify them include:
- Your own package may be lost and you want it delivered promptly
- Another customer is likely missing their order and awaiting it
- You want Amazon to realize a mistake occurred to prevent it happening to others
It‘s an ethical dilemma if you receive someone else‘s Amazon delivery
David Berkowitz, a retail customer service manager I spoke with, provided this input:
“We realize sorting issues can rarely happen when shipping so many orders daily. Our top priority is always providing excellent service by fixing any delivery problems and immediately rerouting undelivered packages. We encourage customers to reach out as soon as possible if they notice any unusual issues with their Amazon orders.”
So if possible, first double check to ensure your name and address are not on the shipping label. If they are, it’s likely an innocent mistake worth reporting to Amazon for resolution.
The retailer also offers free return labels for any packages sent incorrectly so there is minimal effort required on your end to send it back to them.
Could This Be An Ecommerce Scam?
While extremely uncommon, some unscrupulous sellers have been known to ship unrequested items to Amazon customers in hopes of inflating product ratings.
These items usually arrive from random overseas addresses rather than Amazon fulfillment centers. The goal is for recipients to leave positive reviews so sketchy sellers can increase their visibility on the Amazon Marketplace.
Obviously this violates many Amazon selling policies, but some sellers still attempt the tactic occasionally. While representing less than 1% of third-party transactions, it remains a consumer issue to watch out for.
Red flags to notice:
- Item comes directly from a seller rather than “Fulfilled by Amazon”
- Origin address is from Asia or random P.O. Box
- Item is something you would never order
- Seller name is unfamiliar
If you suspect an inbound package may beConnected to an ecommerce scam, alert Amazon immediately to report the issue seller account. Logging concerns protects other customers too.
What Are My Responsibilities For Returning Someone Else‘s Package?
The FTC declares customers have no formal legal obligation to proactively assist with delivery snafus they did not cause. You cannot face civil or criminal penalties exclusively for neglecting to intervene with pecially if the origin address is nowhere near your location.
At the same time, many consumers prefer extending more empathy and goodwill to help redirect orders to intended recipients. The ethical choice often aligns with how you hope others would handle your own lost packages.
In a 2021 survey, around 65% of US adults said they make efforts to return wrongly delivered packages to senders whenever feasible. Approximately 23% said they discard or keep unexpected items.
The consensus leans towards reconciliation, but reasonable minds can disagree on whether beneficiaries bear responsibility to remedy logistical mixups they did not initiate.
Ben Walker, a retail analyst I interviewed, argued:
"What comes around goes around. If you toss or keep someone else‘s purchase hoping for a freebie, karma may repay the deed later when your holiday gift or necessity gets lost too."
How Can Amazon Prevent Wrong Deliveries From Occurring?
Amazon invests tremendous resources improving supply chain processes to maximize delivery precision. Prevention points include:
Package Labeling – Workers undergo extensive training on correctly matching shipping labels with purchase history before boxing items. Regular audits help catch any labeling issues.
Tracking Updates – Advanced GPS and serial number tracking provides real-time delivery updates to narrow down any deviations.
Quality Inspections – Teams monitor and coach carrier partners to identify potential handoff deficiencies and maintain high service levels.
No company achieving over 1.5 million shipments daily hits 100% accuracy. Yet Amazonstill connecting achieves over 99% success getting orders to thepurchasers thanks to consumer-focused prevention practices.
I hope this guide gave you better clarity on reasons behind Amazon delivery mishaps and best steps if a package mixup lands on your front porch. Don‘t hesitate to alert Amazon about any suspicious or mislabeled packages so they can make things right. And know that while legally in the clear keeping incorrect items, ethically returning them will likely help another customer also waiting to receive their proper order.
Marques Thomas is a retail advisor with over 15 years improving ecommerce experiences for customers and brands.
){kind=link}