No, you generally cannot keep someone else’s package that was delivered to you. If the shipping label shows another person’s name and address, that item belongs to whoever ordered it, and federal law treats knowingly keeping misdelivered mail as a crime. The rule people sometimes hear about — that you can keep anything that shows up at your door — applies only to genuinely unordered merchandise a company sent you as a marketing tactic, not to a package meant for a real customer that ended up at the wrong address.
The Legal Line Between Unordered and Misdelivered
Two very different situations get confused here.
Unordered merchandise is a product a company ships to you without your request. Under 39 U.S.C. § 3009, you can treat those items as a gift and owe the sender nothing.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 39 USC 3009 Mailing of Unordered Merchandise The FTC says the same: you never have to pay for things you receive but didn’t order.2Federal Trade Commission. What To Do if You’re Billed for Things You Never Got, or You Get Unordered Products
A misdelivered package is the opposite. Someone ordered it, paid for it, and is waiting for it. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1708, anyone who knowingly receives or conceals stolen or misdelivered mail faces up to five years in prison.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1708 Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally The statute turns on the word “knowingly.” Once you look at the label and see it isn’t for you, the decision to keep it is the crime.
The quick check: whose name is on the label? If it’s yours and you never placed the order, it may be unordered merchandise (or a brushing scam, discussed below). If it’s someone else’s, it’s a misdelivery and you have to return it.
How to Return a Misdelivered Package
Check the label for the intended recipient’s name and address, and note which carrier delivered it. The process depends on the carrier.
USPS
Write “Return to Sender” or “Not at This Address” on the package without covering the original label, then put it back in your mailbox with the flag up or drop it in a USPS collection box. If it’s too big for your mailbox, take it to your local post office.
UPS
Call UPS at 1-800-743-5877, tell them you received a package that isn’t yours, and they’ll arrange pickup or direct you to a drop-off point.4United Parcel Service of America, Inc. Support Fragment – Incorrect Address Contact Have the tracking number from the label ready.
FedEx
Call FedEx customer service at 1-800-463-3339 with the tracking number. They’ll either send a driver or point you to the nearest drop-off location.
Amazon
Amazon shipments arrive through USPS, UPS, or Amazon’s own drivers. If a third-party carrier delivered it, follow that carrier’s process. If Amazon’s own network delivered it, report the issue through Amazon customer service or the online help portal with any identifying details from the label.
Food Delivery Apps
A misdelivered restaurant order is a different situation because the food itself isn’t recoverable. For Uber Eats, report the error through the app within 48 hours; you may qualify for a refund.5Uber Help. My Order Is Wrong Other delivery apps work similarly: report in-app, upload a photo of what you received, and let the platform handle it.
Do Not Open the Package
Opening someone else’s mail is a separate federal offense. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1702, taking a piece of mail and opening it with intent to pry into another person’s business or interfere with their correspondence carries up to five years in prison.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1702 Obstruction of Correspondence The statute turns on intent, so accidentally tearing open a padded envelope you assumed was your online order is not the same as deliberately opening mail you knew wasn’t yours. Still, check the name on the label before you reach for a box cutter.
If you already opened it before noticing, don’t panic. Seal it back up, write “Opened by mistake — Return to Sender” on the outside, and hand it back to the carrier. Accidental opening isn’t a crime. What creates a problem is reading the contents, keeping anything inside, or using any personal information you happened to see.
A few other things to avoid:
- Don’t use or sell the contents. Keeping the item once you know it isn’t yours can be treated as theft under federal mail statutes.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1708 Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally
- Don’t deliver it yourself to the address on the label. Walking it over sounds neighborly, but it removes the carrier’s accountability if the package later goes missing.
- Don’t throw it away. Destroying someone else’s mail carries the same penalties as keeping it.
Packages Addressed to a Previous Resident
The most common version of this problem is mail for someone who used to live at your address. For USPS items, mark each one “Return to Sender — Person No Longer at This Address” and put it back in your mailbox. A note inside your mailbox asking the carrier to deliver only mail addressed to current residents can help. If the returns keep coming after a few weeks, contact your local post office and ask them to update the delivery records for your address.
Private carriers work differently because the shipper controls the address, not UPS or FedEx. Call the carrier for each package, and if you can see which retailer keeps sending the shipments, contact that retailer directly. Fixing the address in their database is what actually stops the problem.
Brushing Scams: The One Case Where You Can Keep It
If you start receiving packages you didn’t order that are addressed to you — often cheap, lightweight items — you may be caught up in a brushing scam. A third-party seller, frequently overseas, has your name and address and is shipping you low-value merchandise so they can post fake verified-purchase reviews in your name to inflate their ratings.7United States Postal Inspection Service. Brushing Scam
Because the items are unordered and addressed to you, you’re legally entitled to keep them.2Federal Trade Commission. What To Do if You’re Billed for Things You Never Got, or You Get Unordered Products The real concern is that someone has your personal information. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service warns that scammers who obtain your data for brushing may use it for more harmful fraud later.7United States Postal Inspection Service. Brushing Scam
If you think you’re being brushed:
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.8Federal Trade Commission. Got a Package You Didn’t Order? It’s Probably a Scam
- Change your passwords on retail accounts, email, and financial services.
- Check your credit reports. Free weekly reports from all three bureaus are available at AnnualCreditReport.com.9Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Reports
- Consider a credit freeze. It’s free under federal law and blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion individually.10Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Freezes Are Here
- Notify the retailer if you can identify where the package came from, so they can flag the seller.
Perishables and Prescriptions
Not every misdelivered package can wait for a return pickup. Perishable food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if it’s above 90°F outside, according to FoodSafety.gov.11FoodSafety.gov. Tips for Meal Kit and Food Delivery Safety If a misdelivered grocery or meal-kit order has been out long enough that shipped food has climbed above 40°F, it isn’t safe to eat and the intended recipient wouldn’t want it back. Contact the delivery service, report the error, and let them handle the customer’s refund. You aren’t expected to refrigerate a stranger’s groceries.
Misdelivered prescription medications are more sensitive. Don’t open the package, take the medication, or try to hand it off yourself. Contact the carrier to arrange a return. The DEA recommends reaching out to local law enforcement if the package contains controlled substances and you’re unsure how to handle it.12Drug Enforcement Administration. Disposal Q and A The pharmacy or mail-order service on the label can also help coordinate the return.