It’s a background worry in some people’s minds that they order something expensive online and have it delivered only for it to be stolen with no recourse. That is the unfortunate reality faced by one Best Buy customer who ordered a $1,000 item and instead got a box of rocks delivered to their home. They turned to Best Buy for assistance but received none.
The customer posted about their experience on Reddit. They bought an Asus TUF 5080 graphics card with a total purchase price of $1,200. It arrived three days later just in the product box, without any other protective shipping boxes around it. The customer noted that it was obvious the labels had been messed with prior to arriving at their home. When they opened the box, all they found inside was a bunch of rocks with no graphics card at all.
The customer reached out to Best Buy for assistance and was assured a replacement would be sent. However, a few days later, they received an email that Best Buy would, in fact, not replace or refund the item. It’s a sad story, and unfortunately, it is a common one. It’s good to be aware of how and why these things happen, so you can protect your own packages in the future.
Stolen packages are more common than you might think
Unfortunately, delivered products getting stolen has become fairly common. According to data from Security.org, in 2025, 25% of Americans had a package stolen at least once. If you live in an apartment or a condo, you are more likely to be a victim of what is known as porch pirates, meaning people who steal packages directly from your porch. There are even thieves who track iPhone deliveries so they can steal them right when they are dropped off.
However, as in the case of this customer, the piracy can happen before the package arrives. Anyone who handles the package during the manufacturing and shipping process can steal the item. There was an instance of an Amazon fulfillment center employee in Florida who stole items that were to be packaged and instead shipped out empty boxes to customers. Anyone who has their hands on your item from packaging to shipping and even store employees who take it on and off the shelves have the potential to steal what you ordered and send the box out anyway.
As is the case with this customer, the company’s customer service department doesn’t always help since it’s difficult to prove you weren’t the one who stole the item. On the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Best Buy has only a one-star rating across nearly 2,000 reviews. It shows a reputation of frustrated customers that feel they did not get what they paid for.
How to protect yourself from stolen packages
For porch pirates, having some type of home security system or something like a smart delivery box can help deter thieves. If the theft happens before the package arrives, the situation becomes more complex. If you are receiving something valuable or expensive, it’s best to take action to protect yourself in case you need to file a customer service claim. Record yourself taking the package from your mailbox or porch and the stages of opening it to show that you did not steal the item out of it.
Suggestions on the customer’s Reddit post advised doing a chargeback with the bank or credit card company that they purchased the item through. You can do this in an attempt to get your money back for an item you never received, though it might not always work in your favor depending on the investigation done. Still, it would be better to get that $1,200 back and buy that or any other good-value GPU again rather than just be out the money.
Does the burden fall on the customer who ordered the product, though? If a company is shipping items that are valuable and thus more likely to be a target, shouldn’t the burden fall on them to properly conceal the package contents? Companies mailing such items in nondescript boxes that don’t advertise the expensive nature of their contents could be a simple solution to help deter some thieves.
