Amazon Sent Me a $339 Item I Didn’t Order…What Happened Next is Crazy

August 18, 2015 by Kyle James
Updated: June 12, 2024

Have you ever had something show up at your door from Amazon.com, or another site, that you didn’t order? If you have, it can be a bit of head-scratcher. This happened to me last week when we received an item that Amazon sells for a whooping $339.

I knew I couldn’t just keep it without contacting Amazon first as I figured someone had paid for it and was wondering when it would be showing at their front door. Here is how the whole thing went down and what Amazon told me to do with the expensive item…

Amazon Sent Me a $339 Item I Didn't Order...What Happened Next is Crazy

Huge Box Shows Up at My Door

So last week, a big ol’ Amazon box shows up at our front door and my son tears it open thinking it’s his new school backpack.

To his surprise, and disappointment, the box contained a VERY expensive BIG brown comforter set for a full-sized bed.

We all scratched our heads and tried to figure out if my wife ordered it, or maybe it was a gift from someone?

We don’t have a full-sized bed in our home so we were quite perplexed. Once my wife got home, she was equally confused and had no idea why it showed up.

See Also: 6 Brilliantly Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

Amazon Has No Record of the Order

So I took to the inter-webs and logged into our Amazon account to see if there was any record of the comforter set. Nada.

So I hit up Amazon live chat and explained the situation to the operator.

The only record of the order I had was the UPS sticker on the front of the box as it showed up without a packing slip.

After snapping a pic of the label and getting it to the Amazon rep, she could not find any record of the order anywhere in their system.

What Amazon Told Me To Do

“Keep it.”

Yes, Amazon told me to keep the $339 comforter set.

Since they had no record of the order, and thus couldn’t create a return label so I could return it, they simply told me it was mine.

But I was like, “I didn’t pay for it” and they were like, “Nothing for you to worry about, I will going to leave a note on your account” in case someone claims the bedding set at which point they’ll offer a refund or replacement.

I figured they’d thank me for my honesty and politely ask me to return it.

I guess that’s more of a pain-in-the-ass for them than it’s worth.

I wonder at what price point they’d ask me to return the item? $500, maybe $1,000? Anyone know?

The most amazing part of this whole dealio? A quick Amazon search shows this comforter set is being sold for $339. I guess I’ll put it up for sale on eBay unless you know someone who may be interested?

I plan to donate the money earned from the sale to charity.

Below is the transcript of my chat session with Amazon and details how the whole thing went down…

Amazon Chat Session

(Update 1/11/20) – According to this LifeHacker article, scammers could be sending you stuff you didn’t order as a way to steal Amazon boxes from your porch once they get delivered.

Apparently they use your old credit cards on your Amazon account to make it happen then swipe the stuff before you get home from work or brazenly take them while you’re home.

This could be worth a look if you think your account has been hacked recently.

See Also: Did Your Amazon Account Get Hacked? 6 Things To Do Immediately

Ask the Reader: Have you ever had a package show up at your front door that you didn’t order? How did you handle it, and if you contacted the company, what was their response?


By Kyle James

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Jaclyn

I was sent over $250 worth of baby formula and bottle cleaner… I don’t have a baby! I started a chat with Amazon about it and they were a real pain about it….
“10:19 AM PST Amit: Jaclyn, I can’t find any information about this order from our system.
10:20 AM PST Amit: In this case what the best I can suggest for you is that you can return it to the given address.
172 Trade St, Lexington, KY 40511, USA
10:22 AM PST Jaclyn: I really don’t want to pay for return shipping on this item. I did not order it and it will be expensive for me to ship back because it is so heavy.
10:22 AM PST Amit: Okay Jaclyn.
10:23 AM PST Amit: In this case you can keep this item with you or can donate it to someone you want.
10:23 AM PST Jaclyn: Okay thank you.”
Why would I pay return shipping on something I didn’t order??? I’d have to be crazy to do that. Now I have formula for a baby I don’t have. I’ll probably donate it to a woman’s shelter or sell it and give the money to a charity.

Toe

It is illegal for them to ask you to send it back! See the rules here: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/business-guide-ftcs-mail-internet-or-telephone-order

Jesse Kendall

Same thing happened today. We order our pet food and cat litter from them. Got a message saying that the last bag of puppy food arrived we did get a package but it was a $400 laptop. My wife tried to call and figure it out but got someone she couldn’t understand and was on hold for forever so she hung up.

Mark Daiker

My wife and I got a package from Amazon made out to me and her. We didn’t order… an Irumba! Vacuum cleaner.. came with a gift receipt saying “a gift for you, enjoy your gift! From Robert P. Gray CPA.. ONLY THING IS, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE HELL HE IS!?!?. I DID GOOGLE THESE IRUMBAS ABOUT A MONTH AGO JUST TO SEE HOW MUCH THEY COST… and low and behold I get one in the mail as a gift from someone I have never heard of or met… i scanned the gift receipt that was in the box and it says I can return or exchange it. I am at a loss.. my account hasn’t been charged either.. but how did they know my name and address and who is this guy that just sends a $450 gift to a stranger???

Grace Flower

I’m having the same issue from Target. I ordered a gift for my son from Amazon (I had shopped all over online to get the best price) and it came last week. Yesterday, the same item came from Target with my name and address but billed to a woman in Maryland??

Amanda

If you have public wishlist he may have looked at it and decided be generous soul and send it to you. Idk why he chose this item for you but he did.

Frances

This is so weird! Today I had a box from Amazon that arrived addressed to me… with a mini billiards table! I tried contacting Amazon and they told me to keep it. I have no idea what I am going to do with a $70 mini pool table and no idea where it came from. The label seems to have come from a third party distributor. The rep said it’s possible the company sent it to me as a gift but I have never browsed for this item or anything similar before so it makes little sense that they would send it to me?

Joanne

When Fed Ex delivers an item to the wrong house on mistake they are required to pay the seller for the cost of the lost item. That’s probably why Amazon didn’t care.

Some Guy

I had this happen with an expensive microwave that showed up at my front door. As with your situation, Amazon told me to keep it. I was amazed but hey, that’s pretty cool, right?

Well, to my surprise the next day FEDex showed up looking for the package. I told them Amazon told me to keep it but they said they weren’t leaving until I handed it over and that they were going to call the cops if I didn’t. My point is that just because Amazon tells you to keep something doesn’t mean that some delivery truck driver who made a mistake won’t come around looking for it.

Kate

I would have called 911 and told them that I was being harassed by a FedEx driver. The law says you may keep something that you did not order that was delivered to your home, unless it’s an illegal substance and in that case you should call 911. But you called Amazon and they told you to keep this item, and you could have easily given it away by the time FedEx showed up looking for it. There is no way a cop can enter your home to look for the package without a warrant. That would violate your civil rights. The FedEx guy made a mistake and tried to turn the tables on you. I hope you stood your ground.

Cathy

I have a similar situation with a slight twist. I came home the other day and found that Amazon’s own delivery service had dropped off a package I didn’t order. Neither the name nor address on the package was mine. As far as I know the package was addressed correctly, and this was purely the delivery person’s mistake for leaving it at the wrong place.

If this happened with any other delivery service, I’d contact them and expect that they’d pick it up and redeliver it correctly, so I logged into my Amazon account and chatted with a CS rep and explained the situation. She used the tracking # to find the original order and she scheduled a UPS pickup for the next day (even though this was originally an Amazon delivery), and sure enough, the brown truck came and got the package.

I thought that was the end of it, until today when I got an email from Amazon telling me that my return of item x had been processed and I now have a gift card balance of $23.68! At this point, I don’t know if it’s even worth trying to explain to Amazon that they didn’t owe me this money.

bob

i ordered an item but was sent the better, more expensive version – like i ordered the $175 item and got the $375 item instead. they told me that i can send it back for the one i ordered or keep the one i got and then they said happy Hanukkah.

sprale

We got a fridge delivered that we didn’t order, then a Bluetooth speaker, and a series of other things that have made no sense. Naturally, it’s while we’re trying to reduce what we own to make moving easier. Thanks, Internet.

Jon

I’m reading this thread because I received a BT speaker I didn’t order. was yours the best selling model?

Anj

I have been receiving random Amazon packages I did not order for weeks now! I’m so confused — but so glad to see this post and the comments, so I know that it’s not just me! So far, I’ve received a cheap polyester XXL men’s sport coat, a wireless security camera, a bike light, and a gaming headset. It’s so strange. Every time I think “this must be the last one,” I get another one!

Roman Randy

I’ve had two similar experiences. The first time, around Christmas, I was looking at a bunch of toys on Amazon in preparation for Christmas. I received some toys in the mail which I had looked at but not ordered. Weird!
And it just happened again today. And each time my cc was charged without my knowledge.
I am starting to wonder if Amazon’s use of Artificial intelligence has created a sort of “rogue Alexa” inside the system, that is placing orders for people.

Amanda Stevens

I have an amazon package due to arrive today in the mail…but didnt order anything….nothing in my orders or anything…no gifts being sent…that i know of….and no idea what the heck its going to be!

Hurricane Sandy

I was sent a fifth gen iPod with the largest FB available. It was a godsend. There was no shipping no receipt no nothing. I had ordered a $17 case of canned chili and it hadn’t showed up. It was not marked as delivered. They sent my chili and I got to keep the iPod. There were so many severe reasons I needed it. I have low vision and wasn’t able to see my surroundings or screen I was stuck in a hotel in Jersey during hurricane Sandy. Yes it came to me at a hotel. I was marooned and had filled up the hard drive ignored my other device and I needed to continue working on a video and writing project in order to survive. I will never forget that moment. I thought it was a phone case at first. Amazon angels.

dozenfaun

i do a lot of online purchase but i keep tracking of all transaction on my paypal and credit card. 2 weeks ago i received a 150$ heavy duty good quality inflatable unicorn shipped with first class expedited 2day shipping.. no packing slip, and the address was a forwarding company.. so useless.
today i received a bunch of hdmi cable , with expedited 2-3 day shipping , no packingslip, address is a business tower that rent to various business type,

these 2 parcel came addressed to my name and address, no transaction were made my postal service cant trace them. i posted on facebook and gave them to people needed it the most for free since nobody claimed it

Jarod

Man oh man…

Starting last month, I had all of these problems that you guys are commenting about.

Instead of a camera that was ordered off of my linked card, it was a watch. I have yet to receive my refund and I keep getting items that I didn’t order, nor do they show up in my order history. Heres the crazy thing, I’m not getting charged for these items (aside from the watch) AND items that ive ordered in the past (that I’m currently using), I’m starting to get refunds for them when I didn’t ask for refunds. And they are going onto an Amazon gift card that is linked to my account that I cant remove.

So suffice to say, this is extremely confusing. Aside from the refund for the watch taking forever, I’m not not out any money for the items but I still feel violated/stalked. (poor choice of words I’m sure)

Anyone else having these problems?

Debbie

I am not sure if it’s generated from Amazon or not, I just assumed as I buy almost weekly on there, but the past six months, almost weekly a package comes and it’s usually weird things, a couple I could use but most are just weird. A bath tub mat, plastic straws with a straw cleaner, a cellphone case for a cellphone I don’t own, tempered glass for a Kindle I don’t own, 2 Medium swimsuits on two different days (I’m a large), 2 different Fitbit watch bands on two different days for specific off-brands and I don’t own one, a large printer cartridge not for my printer, a package of sticks for crafting, a fidget spinner, a hikers sleeping bag, a set of elbow-length black ladies gloves like you’d wear to a ball (I’m saving those for Halloween) a cell phone case that actually did fit my phone, bicycle tire reflectors, a beard trim measurer (I’m a girl) , a set of artist paintbrushes, and the list goes on and on. I have absolutely no idea but it’s kind of fun now to open the package and see how weird it will be this time. There’s never been anything else in the package and if there even is a return address, it’s never the same place, sometimes China, and the address doesn’t give me any clue. The envelopes are usually those yellow padded ones and have never said eBay or Amazon on them, or any company for that matter. I’d guess if they wanted me to “test” their product and give a rating they’d include a link to it or put some type of note in the package, but never, never a clue. I’ve gotten probably 30 things now. Since I buy so much on Amazon, I have to assume it’s generated from there but I’m never charged. Oh and lately it will be addressed to me with the first name of Jeff, or Lucy above my name. I live alone and have lived here 19 years so beats me what’s going on but oh well, it’s kind of fun!