How to prevent package theft this holiday season
A stolen package costs you twice: the money you spent and the time it takes to sort out a replacement. Most of the best defenses are free and take a few minutes to set up before the holiday shipping rush starts.
- Know when packages arrive: carrier tracking alerts and USPS Informed Delivery are free.
- Have valuable items shipped to a pickup point, your workplace (if allowed) or held at a Post Office location.
- If a sender spots a problem in time, USPS Package Intercept can redirect an item for a fee.
1. Know exactly when a package will land
USPS Informed Delivery is a free USPS service that sends a daily digest email previewing letter-sized mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon, and lets you track packages in one place. Signing up requires a USPS.com account and identity verification. Pair it with text or app alerts from the retailer and from UPS or FedEx, so you know the moment something is dropped off.
2. Don't let it sit on the porch
- Use store pickup or a carrier pickup location for anything expensive.
- Ship to work if your employer allows personal packages.
- Ask a neighbor who's home during the day to grab boxes for you.
- Add delivery instructions such as "leave at side door" or "leave with front desk" when the retailer or carrier offers it.
3. Require a signature for big-ticket items
For electronics and jewelry, choosing signature confirmation at checkout means the carrier shouldn't leave the box unattended. It can add cost or a missed-delivery trip, but it beats replacing a stolen laptop.
4. If you're the sender: Package Intercept
If you shipped a gift and realize nobody will be home, USPS Package Intercept lets the sender redirect a package, letter or flat that is not yet out for delivery or delivered. Retail senders can send it back to themselves or to a Post Office location as Hold For Pickup. USPS lists the fee as $19.45 plus any applicable postage, charged only if the item is actually intercepted, and retail requests have to be made online with a USPS.com account.
5. Make the box less tempting
Doorbell cameras and a lockable delivery box can help, but neither is required; pickup options are usually cheaper.
If a package goes missing
- Check the tracking details and any delivery photo the carrier provides.
- Look around the property and ask neighbors.
- Contact the seller first; they usually handle the carrier claim and decide on a replacement or refund.
- If the seller won't help, see our guides to late or missing online orders and disputing a credit card charge.
- File a police report if your card issuer or the seller asks for one.
Be wary of texts claiming a package "can't be delivered" and asking you to click a link or pay a fee. That's a common holiday scam; go to the carrier's website directly instead (more in our guide to fake shopping sites). And ship early: see the 2026 holiday shipping deadlines.
Published October 28, 2026. We do not use affiliate links on this page; see our Affiliate Disclosure.