Posted 16 December 2023

UPS delivered with photo, but not located

Hello everyone!

I recently I won an eBay auction for an item worth approximately £100, which was dispatched via UPS. The tracking status indicates "delivered," and a photo was snapped outside my closed front door with the parcel in the middle. Although the tracking shows delivery around noon, upon my return home just before 17:00, the parcel was missing. Spoke to my neighbors, and none of them claimed to have taken it in. I live on my own in a terraced house. 

As the buyer/bidder, should I reach out to UPS first or directly approach the seller? What steps would be advisable in this situation?
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  1. thetreelogger's avatar
    this one is on you (the buyer) for not being in to the accept the delivery. Best and only thing you can do is contact the police
    AndyRoyd's avatar
    Passing of risk has not occurred from trader to consumer,
    so if the trader wishes to contact the police to report its missing goods it is free to do so.
  2. bozo007's avatar
    UPS will show it was delivered, so your inquiry isn't going to go anywhere. Someone probably stole it. (edited)
    Dyslexic_Dog's avatar
    I totally understand what you mean and unfortunately I think you are 100% correct, but how does this work as surely a courier company just dumping someone's parcel outside their front door on a busy road can't be classed as delivered, surely they must have some responsibility to ensure that it is safe?
  3. noseley's avatar
    Reason we have a video doorbell, captures everything. Definitely worth the money 100 times over. We have a eufy one.
  4. rev6's avatar
    Contact the seller. Seller will contact UPS
    Azwipe's avatar
    I wouldn't, what's the point? Assuming the item was sent to the buyers ebay registered address they are 100% covered, any dispute will close in the sellers favour and feedback is automatically removed.
  5. freakstyler's avatar
    In this situation I would approach the seller and ask them to contact UPS on your behalf, explain what's happened and ask the seller for their assistance though I wouldn't blame them or go down the route of disputes or claims or even the threat of them as you'd likely lose due to tracking showing as delivered.

    If UPS have literally just dumped your parcel on your doorstep in full view of a busy street, or even worse, if they've dumped it at your front door and it opens up directly onto the street, it's a very poor show from UPS and total lack of judgment from a courier that clearly doesn't care.
    Pilsbury12's avatar
    Unfortunately if u r expecting a delivery and you know you aren’t going to be home then the safest option is to reschedule or have it delivered to a neighbour or collect point. Couriers at this time of year probably have about 150 drops to deliver a day. Most of these drops there is no one home. As stated earlier in the post there are apps where you can change delivery date.
    Sadly it’s the world we now live in where people will steal from your doorstep. They follow couriers like Amazon etc around and nick all doorstep stuff.
  6. jco83's avatar
    Seeing as other couriers do not do this, surely it is the fault of the courier.
    Pilsbury12's avatar
    In my area all couriers do this. Evri are the worst. Dump it and run. Don’t even ring doorbell
  7. WWhite's avatar
    Youtube is plenty of videos of postmans taking a photo of the parcel... and then picking it again to their car/van. Technology has just provide a tool to dishonest people to steal a package and show it was "delivered", so it has must been stoled by a pirate porch...

    The only solution is go back to the old times before pandemic when they only delivered on hands.
    If they currently do that with alcohol and minor age restricted items, that should be an available option for anything when booking a delivery. I would gladly pay an extre fee for that.
  8. AndyRoyd's avatar
    UPS will show it was delivered, so your inquiry isn't going to go anywhere. Someone probably stole it.

    ...go down the route of disputes or claims or even the threat of them as you'd likely lose due to tracking showing as delivered

    Fortunately, but reasonably, legislation sides with the victim of the seller's (agent's) failure to perform,
    as legislation states:
    29 Passing of risk...
    (2) The goods remain at the trader's risk until they come into the physical possession of —
    (a) the consumer...
    where a delivery through the consumer's letterbox is deemed ppotC, and excludes possible interference from others otherwise preventing it coming into tppotC,
    but a doorstep dump does not meet ppotC as:
    a doorstep is not the consumer (!), and
    nor does a doorstep dump exclude possible interference from others preventing it from coming into tppotC
    (and is additionally borderline reckless).

    Whether it is worthwhile to attempt to enforce the legislation is debatable,
    but I have received favourable appropriate response from sellers just by simply mentioning passing-of-risk legislation not being satisfied by doorstep dumps - but maybe my choice of language prompted sympathetic responses in my favour
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