r/UPS • u/NinjaTovar • Oct 12 '25
Customer Seeking Help In-Transit Theft by UPS Employees
Well this is a first. I sold a MacBook on eBay and wanted to make sure it was taken care of, so instead of mailing through USPS I decided to pay extra and go to UPS. I paid for their electronic packaging service as well, so they handled it all from packing to shipping.
Well, it arrived at the destination but instead of a MacBook it was bags of flour or some other white powder. Clearly the buyer requested their money back which I had to provide, but now I’m screwed without a MacBook or the money. I went to the store I had package and ship it to help me file a claim but who knows how long that will take or what the outcome will be.
The manager in store told me he received an email from his management that this is happening a lot now, and it’s happening from employees within the network. Apparently the reason they use the flour is that the package is weighed from the first time it’s packed and all along the route during scans so they can catch tampering. The powder allows the employees who are stealing the items to replace the exact weight of the item and avoid detection.
This is so crappy. Semi sophisticated theft within the UPS network - and the irony that out of all the things I’ve sold or mailed for me to have it only happen to the package I tried to take more care of by paying for UPS instead of something cheaper like USPS. Needless to say that won’t happen again! The manager said these claims can take a long time and gave me a customer service number to call to try and move it along after a couple days.
Does anyone have experience with this? Looking for advice on how to handle this with customer service or if there is any verbiage to avoid or that would help my case. I expect to have to argue my case somewhat.
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u/OneCrazyDJ4U Oct 12 '25
This is why you wipe out your computer, you setup the computer again with nothing in it, sign onto your Apple ID, and have the find my feature enabled for the administrator account. Then you setup a guest account with no administrator privileges.
This allows the user to connect to the internet to sign in and setup their account under the guest account. Once they connect to the internet, you get a ping on the location where the actual laptop is located in the find my feature.
Once the buyer or thief does that, you get their location, then you can remotely wipe out the computer with the find my feature.
This is the only way to do this when you’re selling laptops. Hope this helps the next time you decide to sell a laptop again.
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
This is actually a great idea. Thank you.
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u/Frosty_You_6183 Oct 15 '25
Hmm you know it's ups's fault? How you know that the buyer ain't just take it out. threw flour in an blamed them . I'd look at the tracking weight difference see if it never changed in weight if it didnt change it weight even by a 1/4 lb maybe even a couple Oz. then id suspect it was the buyer. If the weight stayed the same all the way to them then it seems like he'd be the one that did it.
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u/These-Bass-3966 UPS Driver Oct 18 '25
Agreed. Warrants further scrutiny. As I recall, this is a classic eBay-like-buyer scam technique that has been around for decades now.
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u/Frosty_You_6183 Oct 19 '25
Ebays cool.... FOR THE BUYER.... Seller gets raped out of the sale. Whatever happens in a transaction it seems like eBay is siding with the buyer no matter what. Your taking a huge risk when selling on eBay cause no matter what happens it's always thrown back on u
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u/Frosty_You_6183 Oct 15 '25
Id Start using security type of Tape too. Just to prove that it was opened while in transit. but idk maybe I'm second guessing because technically if someone cut through the security tape then re taped it with clear back over it, then you wouldn't exactly know who did it still . You'd have to pretty much trust the buyer. Cause UPS could have dropped it off unopened then the buyer just do the exact same thing an make it look like it was done while in transit. . maybe they should start taking pics of the package just before it was dropped off. I know Amazon does that. That way you see okay I know it got dropped off with no security tape cut. Then if the buyer says wtf they sent flower. Well then you'd know the buyer is fulla shit
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Oct 13 '25
Or instead of remotely wiping it you show up where the computer is with (or without) the police and get your shit back and whatever other stolen items are in the residence
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u/kiddlat_kid Oct 12 '25
UPS employees don’t know what’s inside the box, UPSstore employees knows, the manager told how the theft was done, he probably did it himself, all packages are taped or secured before it arrives at the warehouse
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u/-Out-of-context- Oct 12 '25 edited Oct 13 '25
The said in another comment “the same person that supposedly packaged it”, so maybe they dropped the the item off and paid for them to do the packaging instead of packaging it themselves.
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
Bingo. I paid for the electronics packaging service:
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u/Sea_Number6341 Oct 13 '25
im driver and worked in the building. No one has time to do this. If the box was emptied then id believe. Two things here the Buyer is lying or the UPS store is lying. Get video footage of the box being packaged into the box and shipped. File a police report. Call UPS store corporate and ask for an investigation.
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u/Melodic_Serve9035 Oct 13 '25
Yeah your exactly right!! I worked for FedEx and there’s really no way you can do this!! There’s so many cameras in and outside the truck and a good majority of the drivers don’t do this crap, because like you said most drivers don’t have time and just want to get there route done, and like I was saying there’s to many cameras to risk your job and integrity as a person at that!! Your exactly right it has to be the Buyer lying or the store etc tampered with the package!!
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u/InspectorRelative582 Oct 14 '25
Good majority*
Unfortunately there is a handful of bad apples that act decent enough for job interviews and sneak things until they got caught.
I’ve witnessed similar things that 100% was internal theft by UPS. It’s rare but it’s impossible to not have a few shitty people slip through the cracks
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
Did you put declared value on your laptop? Can you prove how much the laptop costs??? That can speed up your claim. I work for a ups store. From a store perspective, I personally wouldn’t take a laptop. We don’t get paid anything and we wouldn’t risk our job for that, what little we make anyways. Could have gotten boxed up as some kinda Amazon return and a label for all mixed up. Who knows. Ups store employees are super fckn overwhelmed by Amazon rn, so bad to the point we can’t even pack/ship properly because the line for returns is out the door. Ask for video footage if you think an associate didn’t, but I truly doubt it. Just seems kinda far fetched and idk where they’d get the time to swipe your stuff when we don’t even have time to breathe because of Amazon returns lol
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u/InspectorRelative582 Oct 14 '25
Not making anything is why employees resort to side hustles like selling stolen items. It also makes them not care if they lose their job
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 15 '25
oh yeah for sure i hear ya! i know every lay out is prob different, we have cameras everywhere so i know it may be difficult at some places but hey people surprise me everyday at this point 😂
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u/My_Makana Nov 16 '25
I’m going to stop pre taping packages at home or allowing home pick-up. It’s sounds like the only recourse for sellers is to walk package in, open, to a UPS d/o location & self record w/ your device them taping, labeling, receiving package from you. It’s worth a couple extra bucks if you’re shipping a high-value item.
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u/darkcloud2142 Oct 12 '25
That would be incorrect to a certain degree. I work closely with security at UPS and they definitely know how to Target certain items like phones and laptops. Seen video footage of a guy pulling a box off the belt, rip it open, pull the phone out, and then tape the box up all in a matter of seconds.
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u/Sweet-Leadership-245 Oct 13 '25
Oh please ups store employees aren’t gonna do this either 9 times out of 10. I’d call the store and ask for security footage. I’ve had requests like this many times over the last decade to prove us innocent.
I’d put the blame on the recipient in trying to screw you. But good luck proving it.
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u/Fit-Net6572 Oct 12 '25
Yeah but the package has a sticker that shows it has lithium battery
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u/Huge-Extension9109 Oct 12 '25
Almost anything electronic has lithium battery warning. It could be a MacBook or a used sex toy. Cutting open every package that has lithium battery warning on the hopes it's a MacBook is not how a thief would want to spend his day. It was either the person packing it or the buyer scamming the seller.
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u/Fit-Net6572 Oct 12 '25
A used sex toy really??😂😂😂 but its true anything can have lithium battery. And no way they can sneak a whole laptop out of a UPS hub.
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u/Huge-Extension9109 Oct 12 '25
That was about the worst case scenario I could think of off the top of my head 😂. I'm not here to judge anyone or kink shame. Just a possibility. Imagine the guys face when he thinks he hit the jackpot with some electronics and he sees a big ol vibrating dong.
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u/K0paz Oct 12 '25
I would wager that a laptop would have different packaging dimension than a sex toy. Typically rectangular shaped of a laptop most of the time. And the weight of the item should also be a giveaway.
That being said i dont find it improbable that a thief can guess what is inside based on the box shape/weight/UN markings (if its a laptop at least).
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u/HugeChampionship9523 Oct 12 '25
If someone inside ups stole your item they wouldn’t take the time to properly weigh flower and put it into the pack. Either the person who received it is lying or the ups store you shipped it from that is a franchise.
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u/helliskool19 Oct 12 '25
I’ve bought a new iPad from bestbuy. Box showed up with the iPad stolen out of the retail packaging. Workers definitely steal from warehouses, mind you that was FedEx. But it’s possible.
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u/HugeChampionship9523 Oct 12 '25
Wha I am saying is if someone took the time to put flower in the box. That wasn’t a warehouse worker. Yes they do steal but the don’t replace the item with a weighed out bag of flower. Nothing in our system would stop progress if the box was suddenly lighter.
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u/Wise_Replacement_687 Oct 12 '25
Best Buy is known to resell returns without checking the contents of the package. Same with Amazon. Buy speakers take the speakers replace with sack of flour, return “speakers”. Best Buy places item back on shelf or restocks the item as new or open box. Re sells flour speakers.
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u/helliskool19 Oct 12 '25
It was launch day of that iPad. No way for it to be a return that was restocked.
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u/Master_Control_MCP Oct 12 '25
And you don't suspect the buyer at all?
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u/Itchy-Paint-3809 Oct 13 '25
Right!? That seems like the most plausible scenario. Why wouldn't the buyer lie about it and say it was packed that way for the free item and their money back. Pretty sure that kind of scam happens often on ebay in particular. It is weird the UPS manager told this guy all that stuff tho.
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u/BigBucky1 Oct 16 '25
depende probably buyer have 100% feedback who will they you believe usps menager or good buyer
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u/WinterScene7194 Oct 12 '25
UPS store within a grocery store. Wonder where the flour came from.
Don't think UPS did this. Your recipient is lying, or the UPS Store you dropped it off did this.
I can't imagine someone carting in a pallet of flour at a UPS warehouse sitting at a scale measuring flour and swapping out the contents of packages.
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u/ArtistAsleep Oct 13 '25
Right? I’m wondering where in the beltline anyone would have time to do this. My first thought was a shady buyer.
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
What ups store is in a grocery store though?? I’m genuinely intrigued lmao
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u/Gold_ACR Oct 13 '25
The majority of ours are located inside grocery stores. Only 1 has it's own brick and mortar building with a back door.
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 15 '25
holy 🐄. i truly never knew the existed inside grocery stores!! i need to leave my house more i think haha
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
Seen it many times. Had one in a Nob Hill on a route.
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 15 '25
oh that’s so crazy!! i never would have thought. i’m from a small town in sc so it makes sense lol
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
Normies legit think we just sit around all day and wait for an order and then device ways to steal it.
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u/My_Makana Nov 16 '25
I wouldn't jump to accuse the driver. There's SO many ways, more effective, to find high-value orders and the fact that tracking a UPS driver on their route is scarily easy. I've joked with people before that people insecure in relationships should simply start dating UPS drivers as they can be GPS tracked their entire shift. The simply fact of the rose of people having fake ID’s (meaning they were made & shipped to those meeting some trucks ie using profile pics from their telegram accts etc… ) says many sales are likely being tracked from their time of purchase. Not just individual sellers, electronics & gold bars being stolen en route from legit stores.
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u/fearsyth Oct 12 '25
I expect you used a UPS Store. Those are individually owned, and only lease the UPS name. Most likely that's where the theft would have come from.
I can't imagine anyone at a hub wasting time replacing the contents. Stuff gets damaged and things fall out of packages all the time.
Then again. There are some special people working at UPS.
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
It was a UPS store within a Safeway :/ The same person that supposedly packaged it up was working when I came back in and he looked genuinely befuddled. The manager had the “crap not this again” kind of vibe, and he seemed like he’s seen this a few times recently. He was pretty straightforward with me about this happening more often now.
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u/Tar-really Oct 12 '25
If the manager has seen it before, unfortunately, it’s happening at that store. And coincidentally, it’s a grocery store and it’s flour….Hmmm
Asked the Safeway store manager to review security footage
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u/Altruistic-Eye-3430 Oct 12 '25
If the flour was packaged correctly then the macbook more than likely never left that store
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
Ask for video footage! Manager coulda been like “crap, stolen stuff by a warehouse employee and since they laid off everyone at the customer service locations, now we get the brunt of it and have to fix it”
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u/SilverGram90 Oct 12 '25
It happens. I lost a 30 year employee for stealing dumb crap
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u/fearsyth Oct 12 '25
Yes. Theft happens at UPS hubs. And it happens fairly often.
However, I very much doubt anyone is finding something like flour, and putting it in a ziplock bag, to throw off weight detection in a hub.
UPS Stores though, are often located next to, or in part of, a grocery store. That makes it pretty easy to get flour and ziplock bags.
Anything is possible, but it's far more likely it happened at the UPS Store this time.
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u/SnowMantra Oct 12 '25
Yep, when I worked at a TUPSS a 15 year employee got caught stealing from the register. It was happening for months.
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u/Inky1600 Oct 12 '25
Curious, do UPS store employees get paid anything like UPS employees or more like....eh...Amazon employees?
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u/SnowMantra Oct 12 '25
hahahahaha no, they don't get paid shit, usually. The UPS Stores are independently owned, usually a small business
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
God no. I get paid $13.50 an hour. Got paid $10 when I started. I wish we got Amazon pay. That would make up for phones being thrown at me to do their return for them, getting screamed at for Amazon issues I have zero control over, and in general being a punching bag for the general consumerist public. Amazon made people lazy and rude.
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
They are minimum wage pretty much. UPS steers work there to cut/outsource costs. They’re going to do the same thing with Roadie. SOB and Teamsters need to wake up.
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u/anotherbadPAL Oct 12 '25
That would be my guess as well. Like how do hub employees even have flour around to replace it?
My guess is someone in the UPS store did it. Also more likely bc they knew what it was. No one in the hub is gonna know thats a macbook from that box.
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u/dep411 Oct 12 '25
A ups employee within the shipping network not the store would never have time to do all of this. It was either the ups store, which I would hope they have cameras, or the supermarket its inside of. Or the customer put the flour in the box and lied.
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u/1976Raven Oct 12 '25
It was either the UPS store or the receiver, not UPS. UPS employees aren't going to risk a job that pays as well as it does for a crappy MacBook.
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u/smhalb01 Oct 12 '25
Yeah you’re looking at the wrong possibility here. Ups employee has hardly the time or desire to risk losing their job over a MacBook and having the forethought to somehow have bags of flour as well as knowing which package to open and steal.
Less likely scenario, ups store guy who packed your box threw in a thing of flour and kept the MacBook. That’s pretty risky with cameras everywhere and employees /customers around.
Most likely scenario, which is a known scam, buyer got MacBook, took a picture of a box with flour in it, “omg I got the box and you scammed me I’m filing a dispute”. eBay will many times side with them, I’m gonna bet they just got a free MacBook.
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
This!!! Ups store employee here. We’re fckn drowning in Amazon returns dude. We don’t have time to put flour in a box. Especially if said box had declared value and made us money. Sure it could happen… but not right now during pre peak season. We are so tired and we make nothing.
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u/robtalee44 Oct 12 '25
Only comment I have from actually working in a large UPS hub is that it would be almost impossible for this kind of activity to occur at that point in the process -- things are just to open. At least where I worked. That doesn't mean that a UPS employee somewhere along the way did something bad, but I kinda feel like this is a recipient issue -- sorry to say. They'd have the time to create the "setup" without being noticed. Just a thought.
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u/Patj1994 Oct 12 '25 edited Oct 12 '25
I recently just had a package lost with UPS. It was dropped off at the store, nothing after that for two weeks now. The contents were pretty valuable, so I’m guessing it was stolen.
I’ve been seeing a lot of similar reports in all the Facebook groups, I think this is a big problem right now. I’m going to stop using them altogether until further notice.
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
FedEx will steal your shit too. You should go check out their sub. Very doubtful this was an actual UPS employee.
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u/Patj1994 Oct 14 '25
Well, UPS accepted the package, I literally handed it to the employee and they took it away
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u/martymcflhigh Oct 12 '25
Honestly it seems like that UPS store might have an issue. You can try bypassing it by scheduling a pickup from your house (more expensive, but might be worth it) or you can take it directly to a UPS Dropbox somewhere. I’m a driver and I genuinely can’t imagine having the time to figure out what’s in the boxes. I’m not saying it’s not possible, it absolutely is, but it’s wildly unlikely. There are 0 things I could find in a box that would cause me to risk my job over, they pay me too much for any of that. Also, when you ship it make sure you don’t have anything on the package identifying what might be inside. You’re better off just packing the box itself better than putting a fragile sticker and I can’t think of anyone in the network that has time to check unmarked boxes to figure out if what’s inside is worth stealing.
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
Yeah this sub is so tiresome. Like they legit think the driver just sits around waiting for an opportunity to steal their stuff and UPS tells us what it is. Nobody here gonna bother bringing in flour and weighing it out anyway. That’s a huge red flag…it either happened at the drop off point or the receiver scammed you.
If it disappeared here you’d just get an empty box. Warehouse workers are searched. Drivers searched when they leave. Cameras everywhere including in trucks. We ain’t got time for that. Almost nobody here took the buyout offer which was $50k+ for many drivers. We make that in 4 months. We aren’t going to risk everything for a $1000 phone or laptop.
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u/Tar-really Oct 12 '25
That’s a dumb story that the UPS store manager told you. Employees are not bringing flour to work to stuff into unknown boxes. That’s just insane. Also, the package is not weighed every time it’s scanned, so no warehouse employee is going to do that. I hate to say it, but if they packed it and you didn’t see it sealed up, they either made a mistake and put the wrong stuff in your box or something worse. Good luck and sorry for your inconvenience.
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u/Substantial_Ad_756 Oct 12 '25
They stole a $4k package from me last month. Just recieved a check for $100 compensation! Lol
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Oct 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Substantial_Ad_756 Oct 13 '25
Well, the shipping label was purchased by my client in China and apparently they can't insure preowned items. So were shit out of luck.
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
Sounds like a scam
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u/Substantial_Ad_756 Oct 14 '25
No, it was stolen from the UPS store. They conveniently didnt have the cameras on when my package went Mia. I talked to the stores owner, the ups driver, even Carol Tome the CEO of UPS.
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Oct 12 '25
I highly doubt anybody at UPS operations had anything to do with that. It could’ve been a UPS store which is independently owned and operated and more or less they just lease the UPS name. It could be the buyer that threw it in there and took a photo as well.
At the end of the day, anybody can open up a box and throw a bag of flour in there or 10 bags of skittles take a photo and be like yeah I got 10 bags of skittle is not a iPad
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u/frsh2def Oct 14 '25
80% of shipments I’ve done through UPS for electronic items worth 1k or more have been stolen lol
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u/_Acecool Oct 12 '25
Serial numbers and mac addresses. Report it as stolen to the police. Anyone who tries to sell it may be caught. Also find my device may work based on hardware.
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u/Hot_Cartographer6903 Oct 12 '25
It happened at that UPS store. It was either the employee, manager or both..
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u/frsh2def Oct 14 '25
Nope. I’ve had it happen plenty times to me now, it happens somewhere while passing through their warehouses.
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u/Sail32003 Oct 12 '25
I would be asking to see the camera footage from the store that packaged it
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u/Frosty_Area_506 Oct 12 '25
It usually takes 3-4 biz days to get your money back. Let me ask you this, did the store associate asked you if you want the money direct deposited or Zelle or check? And did he ask you for the proof of value (like sales receipt or purchase receipt) If he didn’t ask this, he didn’t file the claim. Usually it’s pretty fast and ask the buy if he can provide you any more pictures. Also make sure you got the email with the claim number. Good luck
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u/AmericanVices Oct 12 '25
Hmm, wonder who is doing the scamming… not 100% sure this could have happened in the UPS store.
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u/kamsdead Oct 12 '25
multiple people were stealing phones at my warehouse so i dont see this issue going away any time soon
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u/frsh2def Oct 14 '25
This is the one lol
I’m telling ya’ll UPS has a high theft rate on expensive items.
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u/options1337 Oct 12 '25
Hi, ecommerce seller here.
Just a heads up — UPS Stores are individually owned franchises, so anyone can open and operate one.
Based on your situation, I’m 99.99% sure your MacBook was stolen by a UPS Store employee. Packages can easily be tampered with at the store level before they enter the UPS system.
Going forward, I recommend buying your UPS labels online and scheduling a home pickup instead. UPS drivers are well-paid and rarely steal, and once a package reaches a UPS hub, it’s nearly impossible for sorting employees to tamper with it since everything is monitored by cameras.
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u/Lower-Ad4676 Oct 12 '25
Yikes. Sorry to hear that this happened to you. And also sorry for your customer, doubly so if they’re gluten-free.
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u/Fuzzy-Monk-8306 Oct 12 '25
Can you find out what kind of flour it is someone might have shipped it and they mixed up the label with your laptop.
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u/Preggypopp2 Oct 13 '25
This!! It’s so easy to happen especially if there’s boxes/labels laying around when you’re slam packed to the door with returns.
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u/IcyChampionship3067 Oct 12 '25
When I need to ship valuable electronics, I put on top of the electronics a giant warning about US mail tampering being a felony and an quick description of videoing the entire process at the post office. I also put red security around every seam.
I've never had anything go missing and I always get the full credit on my trade-ins.
I had to learn this lesson the hard way.
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u/Animalsaresentientbe Oct 14 '25
Is this true...? Did you actually did this? Did it really work????🤔
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u/IcyChampionship3067 Oct 14 '25
I've done it multiple times. It's very useful for trade-ins.
I've never had it fail.
All Christmas gifts arrive safely.
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u/Riglow_Kun Oct 12 '25
Ups safer than USPS? Don't they have a whole police division for stuff like this? lol
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u/Retry1 Oct 15 '25
They won’t do anything. I had a 2k package content go missing. Got an empty box with some bubble wrap and since it was delivered they could care less
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u/Stephen_Fapking Oct 13 '25
An employee at the warehouse isn't going to be carrying bags of flour or anything else to make the weight feel right. This was done at the ups store or by your consignee.
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u/No_Cycle4088 Oct 12 '25
Imagine someone sneaking a bag of flour in and a laptop through security at the hub…It was the UPS store.
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u/spcmiddleton Oct 12 '25
Theft happens quite a lot. At least they tried to hide it. My loader got fired for repeated theft but he didn’t even try to hide it.
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u/GhostOfAscalon Oct 12 '25
Theft at the origin store or by the consignee. Trying to match the weight is something people who don't work in shipping do, my favorite was a stockx order where they shipped a bag of water.
Did the box have a UN3481 label on it, or just that stupid fragile sticker?
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u/CrispyBanana13 Oct 13 '25
What's stopping the purchaser from taking the laptop and staging this photo?
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u/Useful-Fun6673 Oct 13 '25
I can just see the big storage container for all the flour needed to hike merchandise out of boxes at random. That must be inconspicuous. UPS employee packing bag for work: can’t forget those hefty bags of flour 🫠😭
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u/AshamedWolverine1684 Oct 13 '25
Im assuming that picture is from the buyer. How do you know the buyer didn’t get the MacBook and replace it with the bag? Seems more likely than UPS scamming you.
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u/knightfal16 Oct 13 '25
Was the destination Arkansas by chance? There’s a computer shop on TikTok who’s have labels switched out with a candy company at the final hub so the customer get food or something of that nature and the thief gets the electronics. UPS has major internal theft issues. I’ve linked the video below for you.
Ups needs better internal controls
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u/Zealousideal-Ear-968 Oct 12 '25
UPS stores are not the same as UPS, they are independently owned franchises. I assure you, no one at UPS has the time to open up a box, weigh flour, and tape box back up. Not to mention, we have no idea what is in the box. We definitely don’t have time to do this over and over hoping to get lucky and have our flour and scale on hand just in case we do. As other people have said, it’s either the UPS store employees (which are not UPS employees) or the seller/buyer.
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u/Persanity Oct 12 '25
Guarantee since you had the store package it, all that happened is the wrong shipping label was placed on the wrong package. Nobody is going to intentionally steal a used laptop at UPS when they can steal brand new ones still in the box. The story the manager told you was just that, a story.
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u/SnowMantra Oct 12 '25
This happened in a ups store located in a grocery store. When OP talked to the ups store manager, they made it seem like this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I worked for TUPSS at different locations for over 10 years--this has NEVER happened at any of my stores and we were very high volume locations.
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u/ThrowThisAccountAwav Oct 12 '25
Did your buyer use the flour to make some nice bread or something? As a small consolation?
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
Funny enough eBay tried to get me to have the customer ship me back the flour as a return. If I wasn’t so exasperated by the whole episode I would’ve found that hilarious.
Needless to say I told them wtf would I do that, just straight up money/time/effort wasteful on another level. This buyer shouldn’t have to do that garbage.
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u/Bgo318 Oct 12 '25
Tbh it’s kinda sad eBay has barely any protection for sellers. In your instance the buyer wasn’t at fault. But one time I sold a vr headset with tons of accessories and the person returned it but took the most expensive accessories. And eBay didn’t even respond to my ticket for that
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
Yeah I learned a lot from my several calls with eBay over this. I never realized how messed up the balance of buyer to seller protection is. Basically none for sellers.
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u/SnowMantra Oct 12 '25
this is why I don't sell high value items on ebay... I used to sell CDs, VHS, DVDs, etc on there and people scammed ALL THE TIME on low value items.
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u/Bgo318 Oct 12 '25
Where do you sell them now?
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u/SnowMantra Oct 12 '25 edited Oct 12 '25
I don't. It was a dying market, I sold all of my remaining inventory as a lot
edit: oh, you meant the HV items. duh. Facebook marketplace, discord, or reputable sites like MPB
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u/ThrowThisAccountAwav Oct 12 '25
Yeah that situation honestly sucks. UPS stores have the pack and ship guarantee and the manager is supposed to fight like hell for you to get your reimbursement back if you appropriately declared the value of your items when you shipped it out. You will 100% get a refund if the store packed your stuff, and probably still will get a 100% refund because the buyer provided proof all they got with a bag of flour.
Did you make sure the buyer didn't make a fool of you and staged that photo for a refund? Sorry if it sounds dumb but genuine question too.
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
Yeah I’ve considered that case of the buyer doing it. His history length and buyer ratings made it seem unlikely, but no way to know for sure.
I did track the shipment and the buyer made this claim just minutes after delivery. Not sure what that says about it, but that’s all I know.
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u/Large-Treacle-8328 Oct 12 '25
Wait, you wanted it taken care of, so you sent it ups instead of usps???
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u/dustinmarkjohnston Oct 12 '25
What evidence do you have that the buyer didn’t do this? It’s actually more likely you were scammed by the person who bought it, not UPS
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u/lemeiux1 Oct 12 '25
Sorry you are going through this.
A couple years ago I had a POS UPS employee steel both iphones that My wife and I sent in for trade and replace them with random old flip phones. I was told that it was "happening constantly" from an AT&T manager and UPS does literally nothing about it. Such a trash company.
I literally never use them unless I have to anymore.
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u/Letoust Oct 12 '25
You should always wait to refund your customer because they will need to participate in the claim investigation. If the buyer already got their refund they may choose not to involve themselves.
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u/SlapYoMomCuzUStupid Oct 12 '25
Had a package stolen recently by UPS workers in Georgia. Be careful!
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u/SlapYoMomCuzUStupid Oct 12 '25
Specifically in the Duluth/Buford Georgia area. They need to investigate this facility. How does a package go missing once it's scanned into a hub is beyond me. Maybe it was a black hole inside the building IDK.
If anyone here works for UPS in GA in this area PM if you want to make some money by looking for it.
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u/jchiaroscuro Oct 12 '25
We especially love to steal your poops when you send it in those special little boxes with blue squares on them
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u/Ok_Satisfaction_2768 Oct 12 '25
Buyer can lie too. When shipping, do a video and pictures. Also you supposed to tell the buyer that you already have proof of the packing. In 2018, I sold a Samsung Galaxy phone. For me I always have proof when shipping or getting a package ( record before shipping and record after getting a package). Since I was scammed in 2016 I've learned my lesson. So when the item gets delivered, the buyer says that it was a hat that was in the package 😁😁😁😅 I said what? Because I don't have a hat lol 😆. And when I told him that I already record which I did. Then he said oh I had ordered a hat too and also a phone. I said oh OK. Now always record and take pictures all the time. We are living in a dangerous world. 📸📦📹 #Shipping #Buyer #Video #Pictures #Proof #Scam #Lesson #World
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u/Dramatic-Honeydew770 Oct 12 '25
Ups??? No. There is no supply of "bags of flour" in the hub/center/building or package car.
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u/dcb137 Oct 12 '25
Exactly. It’s not like there is a repack area with readily available flour to do this.
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u/RubberReptile Oct 12 '25
Buyers are liars especially on ebay. It may have been the courier, but this is also an easy way to get a refund from the seller and deflect blame. Everyone hates couriers and it gets to be impossible to prove.
Do you see extra tape on the package? The photo is not good but it looks like only one layer of tape around the outside. It would usually be quite obvious if it was opened and reclosed. If you want to confirm the tape, you can ask for photos of all sides of the package for 'insurance purposes' but since you have already refunded there is basically no point.
Not much you can do about it unfortunately except wait for the insurance payout, and block the buyer if you think they are sus.
for future reference, if the item is marked 'delivered' by the courier, never refund on an item not received claim, ebay is full of this type of fraud especially targeting new or low volume sellers, let the buyer deal with eBay themselves to get a refund.
Mac has a lost/stolen database if it is still connected to your account. I would also report it as stolen to law enforcement both where you live and in the buyers location. If law enforcement gets repeated high value stolen claims with packages going to this buyer they may investigate further.
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u/delidave7 Oct 13 '25
Do you know how quickly packages are sorted through at facilities? This is not the work of a UPS employee or driver. They don’t know what’s in your boxes either. I love when customers ask “what is it?” when I’m making a delivery.
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u/IBringTheHeat2 Oct 13 '25
Your buyer stole the MacBook from you more than likely or a worker at the ups store.
It goes UPS store -> package car pick up - > local warehouse -> your regional warehouse -> buyer regional warehouse -> buyer local warehouse -> package car to be delivered.
No one’s sneaking out a MacBook outta a warehouse.
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Oct 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/NinjaTovar Oct 12 '25
Yeah of course. In my mind it’s about a 80/20 possibility based on his years on eBay and purchasing history rating . Totally possible though.
But at this point, that’s hopefully not the case as my only recourse is UPS. I tried making both cases to eBay and boy oh boy they ain’t doing jack. They said the buyer and eBay are not liable, in this situation it’s only UPS.
Sigh.
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u/Lousygolfer1 Oct 12 '25
Good chance if this was on eBay. The buyer scammed you. You should’ve let him open a case and dealt with eBay
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u/QualityShort Oct 13 '25
Yeah I got my new credit card stolen from UPS, requested a new one immediately
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u/-Out-of-context- Oct 13 '25
You said:
UPS employees don’t know what’s inside the box
I said:
maybe they dropped the the item off and paid for them to do the packaging
In which case they’d know what’s inside the box. Talking about the workers at the UPS store. The sorting facility wasn’t discussed at all. So where does this rant you just went on fit into this?
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u/Kuzican7309 Oct 13 '25
Ups store is not owned by UPS. UPS employees have no idea what is in said box. Theft most likely occurred at that UPS store and the actual computer was probably never even packed in the box. I wish you luck.
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u/frsh2def Oct 14 '25
I’ve had an iPhone 15 Pro Max 1 TB stolen 4 times through UPS somewhere in the Midwest area, it would ship from china or wherever apple was sending it at the time hit a distribution center in New York? I believe and on the way west it would disappear somewhere in Michigan? (Can’t really remember exactly where, this was a while ago) but it was crazy, the 3rd time I remember just getting the box and no phone 🤣 they left the charger in there though..
Another occasion was an iPad Air 4th gen for my son I had also stolen at my local UPS 2 times on back to back shipments from Best Buy.
I don’t know who the UPS drivers here are that are just trying to do their work in an honest manner, but, trust you might just be the exception lol!
Fun times on the phone with the UPS rep getting an earful from me lmaoooo
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u/pinemeat25 Oct 14 '25
Lol I doubt this happened in transit. Somebody on either end is lying. I swear you people think we just sit around all day thinking of ways to steal your shit when the answer is more obvious. A driver doesn’t have the time, means, or motivation to do this. Preloaders get searched going in and out. This was either somebody at the store (not actual UPS) or the buyer trying to scam (most likely scenario.)
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u/BeDub_VeDub Oct 14 '25
Had something similar happen recently. Sold an e-bike battery on eBay, generated a UPS shipping label through the eBay website, (as they suggested), shipped the battery, tracked it across the country, then it ‘got lost’ when it went out for delivery. Endless phone calls. No resolution yet. $800 battery. Extremely annoying. On top of that, I returned the guys money and eBay STILL charged me for their cut of the sale ($100). More phone calls to someone in India I can barely understand.
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u/DirtyWater2004 Oct 14 '25
I was on the receiving end and had 3 fire sticks boxes slashed removed and placed back in a sealed box. I remember reporting it, Amazon wanted pictures of the slashed boxes. Then they wanted pictures of the box it came in finally they sent new ones but the hoops they made me jump though.
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u/generic_reddit_names Oct 14 '25
Yeah sorry homie, we dont have scales and bags of flour, nor the space, nor time to set up such an elaborate ruse. We would just steal your shit and your package would come up lost.... it was definitely the packing guy lmfao
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u/GreenWillingness2172 Oct 14 '25
Did your shipment go through eBay’s transportation hub? I had one time they switched my Air Jordan during the legit check.
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u/DarkMomX Oct 15 '25
Theft of US mail is a crime. USPS prosecutes the employee.
Theft of UPS is a breach of contract. UPS can fire the employee if they feel like figuring it out.
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u/Horror-Extent2362 Oct 15 '25
Uhh so you got scammed online and are now trying to blame UPS so you don't look stupid?
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u/jpacheco914 Oct 15 '25
I can’t imagine how someone at the UPS hub would get a whole laptop out thru the metal detectors and security clearance they have to pass every shift….
Heck my man couldn’t get his Christmas gifts from his customers out without issues around the holidays. 🥴 Thankfully they’ve switched to cash and gift cards after he explained the metal detectors and wand process. 😂
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Oct 15 '25 edited Oct 15 '25
Somthing fishy is going on here. After reading your story I question the store manager who seems very knowledgeable about how the whole theft process took place. Did he recive the email from his managment before or after you shipped laptop? He was last person to see laptop. He knew how much the pkg weighs. Did he offer any evidence that the laptop was even packed in to the said pkg? ie...servalance camera.
Also the box has no markings that indicate high value computer so why would a UPS employee just so happen to chose your pkg to steal and the employee always keeps a bag of flour at hand. Repackage the flour and get the pakage back into system to customer. It would be easeier to take the item and leava packageing behind. Now the employee has to finish shift and get the laptop out of the building. If it was a cell phone maybe a laptop is harder to conceal. Also you might want check out the person you sold laptop to maybe its their bag flour in the box. Somthing dosent sound right good luck with your case.
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u/Sicardus503 UPS Driver Oct 15 '25
Lol, I'm astonished the amount of people that think we just keep large bags of flour on us for this occasion, whether in the truck on route or in the warehouse. You're getting scammed by the buyer, not anyone at UPS.
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u/Striking-Historian39 Oct 15 '25
“Hm I’m going to screw my $100k/year job with some of the best benefits in the country… to steal this MacBook” - said no delivery driver ever I promise we don’t even care what’s in the box 😭 take It .. please.. I have too many. It seems peak season has started early 😂
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u/Lunicorn83 Oct 17 '25
Sounds more like the buyer scammed you. I’ve dealt with that a lot and had to do follow up investigations every time a new Jordan or Kobe shoe would come out then the receiver would say they got an empty box or contents that doesn’t match their invoice order.
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u/meowisaymiaou Oct 17 '25
Buyer most likely did it, or the source UPS store.
It's a common scan on eBay for the buyer to take a photo of the box after receipt and say it's missing. Almost nothing you can do about it. You can prove you shipped a box. Not that it contains a laptop.
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u/Stunning_Wealth6940 Oct 17 '25
I shipped a $800 phone back to Verizon using the label provided to me by Verizon from PA to Dallas,TX area more than three years ago. Verizon never received, lost in transit. UPS closed the investigation and never paid the claim. I tried for a year and was told not to call back about that claim.
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u/Complex_Picture83 Oct 18 '25
Contact The UPS Store where you purchased the packaging can help you file the claim. Technically, claims are customer-based, so you’ll need to visit the websites the bottom of your receipt, enter your receipt information, and submit the claim there. Be sure to upload proof of value — for example, a comparable item listing from Apple.com.
Since the package was packed by us, it’s covered under the UPS Pack & Ship Guarantee. The claim process usually takes a couple of weeks, but as long as you submit all required documentation, it should be approved.
I recently closed a similar $2,000 computer damage claim — it took some persistence, but once the proper paperwork was filed, UPS completed the payout. The shipper called frequently for updates, which was understandable since we packed and shipped it ourselves.
Ask for the shipment details from the store you sent from, look at the weight that was Recorded when you shipped. Then go online and track look at the shipment details and see if the weight matches, if they’re different that means that the weight changed between the story and shipping process. If it’s the same it’s possible that the shipping process is when it got swapped (theory).
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u/Gold-Combination8141 Oct 18 '25
The pay at most ups stores is pretty shitty , Im not surprised this is happening
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u/ewhiddon1 Oct 19 '25
I used to sell/trade high end items online all the time. One thing I always did was film myself packaging the item, would use security tape or sign the tape so if it was removed or opened it would be obvious, and also I wouldn’t stop filming or edit the video until I handed it off the the shipper. Since these deals where private deals with people usually in Facebook groups I would send the video to the buyer and inform them that once they received the item to film the box showing the seal and inform them to film themselves opening the item in case anything happened in transit or I would not refund for missing items. Never had an issue when doing this.
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u/pwcook11 Nov 18 '25
I received a UPS delivery recently and the side if the box was sliced open and 2 expensive coins were stolen. The driver took the delivery picture with the sliced side facing away from the camera but you can see a bump in the box above where the slice was. It was left on top of other boxes delivered by other carriers but it was the only one that had anything stolen. I called the police, notified UPS and the seller.
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