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A parcel stolen after a delivery scan is still claimable, and the case turns on one thing: whether the carrier can prove it handed the parcel to you or left it somewhere you agreed to. If the proof is a bare scan with no signature, photo or matching address, that gap is your claim.
This is a different case from a parcel that never arrived, and it has to be argued differently. The seller shipped, the carrier delivered something somewhere, and the question is whether that delivery counts. Treating it as simple non-delivery is the most common way these claims fail.
Key Takeaways
- The carrier’s proof of delivery decides the case. A scan without a signature, GPS or photo is weak proof, and weak proof favours you.
- Get that proof from the carrier in writing before you argue with anyone. It is the only document that matters.
- A courier ignoring your delivery instructions is a misdelivery, which is a stronger claim than ordinary theft.
- Never tap “Confirm Receipt” for a parcel you do not physically have.
- A police report is worth having on high-value items, and does little on a cheap one.
Does AliExpress Refund a Stolen Package?
Frequently yes, when tracking shows delivery but nothing reached you. The platform treats this as a distinct claim from non-delivery, and the burden shifts onto proving the parcel actually reached you rather than onto you proving a negative.
That said, a claim filed as “stolen” is harder than the same facts filed as an unproven delivery. Theft after a valid handover is arguably nobody’s fault in the chain, whereas a delivery the carrier cannot evidence is a failure with a responsible party.
So frame it accurately and let the evidence do the work. The parcel is marked delivered, you did not receive it, and the carrier’s record does not show a delivery to you. The general deadlines and claim types are in AliExpress package never arrived.
Was It Stolen, or Delivered to the Wrong Address?
Establish this before you file, because it changes the strength of your case considerably. Misdelivery is a carrier error with a paper trail. Theft from a correct delivery point is a loss with no obvious culprit.
Work through the obvious first: household members, neighbours, a safe place, a building concierge or parcel room, and the exact address on the order rather than the address you assume was used. A surprising share of these resolve here.
Then ask the carrier for the delivery detail and read it against your own address. Buyers report couriers leaving parcels in shared lobbies despite specific instructions, which is the strongest version of this claim: you gave instructions, the carrier disregarded them, and the parcel was never secured. Say exactly that, and attach the instructions if you can show them.
What Evidence Wins a Stolen-Parcel Claim?
The carrier’s proof of delivery, and specifically what is missing from it. Request it in writing and ask three explicit questions: was a signature captured, were GPS coordinates recorded, and is there a delivery photograph.
A record with none of those is the single most useful thing you can attach to a dispute. A written “no proof available” reply from the carrier is stronger still, because it is the delivering party conceding it cannot evidence the handover.
Build the rest around it:
- Building evidence. A concierge or neighbour confirming no parcel arrived, or CCTV where a building holds it.
- The delivery instructions you gave, if the courier ignored them.
- Your seller messages, showing you raised it promptly and in good faith.
- A photograph of the delivery location as it normally is, if the carrier claims a safe place that does not exist.
Once you have the carrier’s gap documented, the general evidence discipline in how to open and win an AliExpress dispute applies.
Should You File a Police Report?
On anything valuable, yes. A report number is independent third-party corroboration that you treated the loss as real, and it costs you nothing but time. Some card issuers ask for one before considering a claim on a stolen delivery.
On a low-value item it adds little. Police will not investigate a missing parcel worth a few euros, and the dispute will be decided on the carrier’s proof of delivery either way. Spend the effort on the carrier request instead.
Where a report genuinely changes things is at the escalation stage. If the platform refuses a documented claim and you go to your card issuer, the combination of a carrier record showing no proof and a police reference is a far stronger package than either alone.
What If the Box Arrived Empty or Opened?
That is a different claim again, and a better one. An empty, opened or resealed parcel is evidence in itself, and the weight recorded by the carrier often contradicts what was supposedly inside.
Photograph everything before you touch it further: the outer packaging, the seals or tape, the label, the weight if you can measure it, and the empty interior. If you can film the opening in one unedited take, do, because that removes the argument that you unpacked it and lost the contents.
Then file it as an item not as described or a missing item rather than as theft, and ask the carrier for the recorded weight at dispatch and at delivery. A parcel that lost weight in transit was interfered with, and that is provable. Which reason to select is covered in which dispute reason to choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AliExpress refund me if the courier left my parcel in the lobby?
Often yes, especially if you gave delivery instructions the courier ignored. That is a misdelivery rather than a completed delivery. Get the carrier’s proof of delivery, point out the absence of a signature or photo matching your address, and file the dispute promptly.
Can I claim if tracking says delivered and signed?
It is harder, but a signature you did not give is worth challenging. Ask the carrier for a copy and compare it. An illegible scrawl, a name that is not yours, or a signature recorded at a different address all undermine the delivery record.
Should I confirm receipt to speed things up?
No. Never confirm receipt for a parcel you do not physically have. It tells the platform the order completed and can cut short the time you have to claim, which is the one mistake that turns a winnable case into a lost one.
How long do I have to report a stolen delivery?
Act within days, and stay inside your Buyer Protection window, which commonly runs to around 90 days from purchase. Carriers also limit how long they will investigate a delivery, so a late request often gets no useful answer. The deadline framework is in AliExpress Buyer Protection.
What if AliExpress rejects the claim anyway?
Escalate inside the platform first, then go to your card issuer with the full evidence pack: the carrier’s proof-of-delivery gap, your instructions, the police reference if you have one, and the rejection itself. The routes that reach a person are in how to contact AliExpress support.
A stolen AliExpress parcel is winnable, but not as a story about theft. Make it a question about proof: the carrier says it delivered, so ask it to show the signature, the coordinates or the photograph. Get that answer in writing before you open the dispute, add your delivery instructions if they were ignored, and never confirm receipt for something you never held. The gap in the carrier’s record is the claim.
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