Amazon Delivered to the Wrong Address? Here’s What to Do

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You know how it is: You’ve ordered something on Amazon and can’t wait for it to reach your doorstep. 

You’re confident in the online retailer’s ability to get your goods to you quickly — after all, Amazon has a reputation for speedy delivery.

Sure enough, you get an email confirmation from Amazon telling you your package has arrived! Yay.

But when you check outside your door, there’s nothing there.

Huh? What gives?

It doesn’t take you long to crack the case: Amazon must have delivered the package to the wrong address.

Unfortunately, this happens. 

Amazon is the second-largest retailer in the United States after Walmart and delivered an estimated 4.2 billion packages in 2020.

That means Amazon drivers haul a lot of packages. 

With huge numbers like that, some deliveries are bound to get lost or be delivered to the wrong house or apartment number. 

So what can you do if your package ends up on someone else’s doorstep?

In this article, I’m going to explain what to do if your Amazon package was delivered to the wrong address and what to do if you get a package meant for someone else delivered to your home.

What to do if Amazon delivers your package to the wrong address

There are a few scenarios that could result in a package being delivered to the wrong address. Here are the most common situations and what you can do for each.

If the package is marked as delivered but not at your home 

Amazon usually sends an alert once it delivers a package. 

So, it can be pretty confusing to receive a confirmation email or text message that says the package has arrived when it hasn’t.

Don’t despair about your missing package just yet!

According to Amazon, its package delivery tracker can show that a package has been delivered even though it hasn’t “on very rare occasions.” 

In this case, Amazon recommends taking the following steps:

1. Double-check that you entered the correct address when filling out the shipping details. You can do this by logging into your Amazon account, clicking “Your Orders,” and selecting the order to view the shipping address.
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2. Check your front door and mailbox for a notification of attempted delivery. This is a note Amazon drivers leave behind if they tried to drop something off but couldn’t leave it because you weren’t there to sign or there wasn’t a secure drop-off location.
3. Look for the package at all home entryways and in your mailbox. You may also want to check with your neighbors (if you’re friendly with them) in case they’ve accepted a package for you.

Still no package? Amazon suggests waiting 48 hours. In some cases, packages might be marked as “delivered” up to 48 hours before they actually arrive.

Still no package 48 hours later? 

At this point, it’s time to contact an Amazon customer service representative. Amazon recommends doing this within 30 days of the expected delivery date.

Hint: If a third-party seller (not Amazon) sold and shipped the package, you should contact the seller directly. 

Get the seller’s contact info by logging into your Amazon account, clicking “Your Orders,” and select the order in question.

Learn more about contacting third-party Amazon sellers.

If you entered the incorrect delivery address 

The first thing you should do if you’re expecting a package that hasn’t arrived is check the shipping address. 

You can do this by logging into your Amazon account, going to “Your Orders,” and clicking the order for the order details.

Maybe you accidentally marked the wrong shipping address (for instance, if you use multiple addresses to accept Amazon orders). 

Having different billing and shipping addresses might also cause confusion.

Simple errors like a typo can also result in an incorrect shipping address. 

For example, the street name, house number, or ZIP code might include a single-digit or letter typo.

So, what do you do if you find out that you entered the wrong shipping address? 

In this case, it’s best to contact Amazon customer service by phone or online chat.

Reasons Amazon may deliver to the wrong address

Your package may end up at the wrong address for various reasons. Here are the most common reasons for wrongful deliveries:

Wrong apartment number 

If you live in an apartment complex, mix-ups with apartment numbers can happen. 

For example, the apartment number may not appear on the shipping label. Typos (like a “31” instead of a “13” in the house number) can also cause trouble.

Missing street directions

Incomplete street names are another common issue. 

For example, if you live on West Main Street but only enter “Main Street” as the address, the package may end up at the right address in terms of house number but on East Main Street.

Delivery driver errors

Hey, we all make mistakes — even Amazon delivery drivers. 

When drivers deliver multiple packages to an area or building at once, they might accidentally drop a package at the wrong location.

Theft

Unfortunately, you can’t ignore this possibility. Porch piracy — people stealing packages from others’ properties — is a real problem. 

It might be that the package was delivered and then snatched. Porch piracy can get especially bad around the holidays, when people receive a lot of pricey gifts.

Can you get a refund if Amazon delivers to the wrong address?

If you ordered something from Amazon and didn’t receive it, talk to Amazon customer support about the possibility of a refund. They may issue a refund or send you a replacement item for the one you didn’t get.

How long until you get your money?

Amazon has a list of refund timelines. For example, credit card refunds can take three to five business days, while an Amazon.com gift card refund takes just two to three hours.

Can you keep someone else’s Amazon package that was incorrectly delivered to you?

Above, I talked about what to do if your Amazon package is delivered to the wrong address and you don’t get it as a result. 

Now, you might wonder what happens if the tables turn and you get an Amazon package that isn’t yours.

Legally, you’re allowed to keep a mistaken delivery. Surprising, right?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has rules that allow you to keep merchandise that’s wrongly delivered — even if you didn’t pay for it. 

The logic is that sellers can’t just send you goods and demand money for them.

You aren’t even legally obligated to tell the seller that they’ve messed up the delivery. You don’t need to tell anyone about the wrongly delivered merchandise.

Now, that’s the legal argument. 

Morally, of course, you probably shouldn’t keep goods that were delivered to your doorstep, but you didn’t actually order.

Read on to find out what to do if you get a package that isn’t yours and want to get it to its rightful owner.

How to return an Amazon package that was delivered to you by mistake 

So, you’ve got someone else’s Amazon package. What now?

If it’s an easy fix — like a package ending up on your doorstep instead of your next-door neighbor’s — you might want to drop the package off at its intended destination.

However, you should only do this if you can be sure that it’s safe. 

If you know your neighbors well and are friendly with them, for example, it shouldn’t be an issue for you to drop off a package.

Otherwise, it’s best to let Amazon handle the issue. 

Their mistake isn’t your responsibility, and you don’t want to chase down other addresses or risk getting into confrontations with strangers when you’re trying to drop off a package.

Contact Amazon customer support for help. 

They might be able to arrange an Amazon delivery driver to pick up the package and get it to its rightful owner — or give you the information to drop off the package at a USPS post office location.

Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle, but look at it this way: If it was your package that ended up at the wrong location, wouldn’t you be grateful if the person who received it made sure it got to you?

Amazon delivered to the wrong address? Conclusion

Amazon delivers billions of packages every year. It’s no surprise that the delivery service makes the occasional mistake.

Your Amazon package can be delivered to the wrong address for various reasons, from entering the wrong delivery address to an error on the shipping label. 

The good news is that Amazon customer support can help you locate a lost package and may even issue a refund.