How to buy unclaimed packages: Check out these sites to look for lost treasure

Looking for a quirky way to liven up online shopping? Consider bidding on unsolicited mail and packages.

In the age of Amazon, chances are your package got “lost in transit.” It can happen for any number of reasonswith your precious shipment potentially lost during handover between trucks, lost in storage or perhaps even held due to an error in shipping information.

While the intended recipient might dismiss this scenario as a nuisance and press the seller for a refund or exchange, that’s not the end of the story for the original package they never received. As long as the items are not lost at sea or stolen by bad actors, these unclaimed packages can be auctioned off by whatever entity stuck them, it was amazona different online market or US Postal Service — often at the lowest prices.

If you’re intrigued by the prospect of finding treasure among these piles of lost goods, several sites will let you go on the hunt for deals or perhaps risk the contents of a mystery box.

In 2021the internet was awash with ads for social media videos of unsolicited package purchases, with creators finding picks like gift cards or name-brand clothing. Fast forward until 2024 and videos of buying lots of junk mail or lost Amazon packages continue to garner millions of views on YouTube, further fueling interest in this new online shopping treasure hunt.

For more, here’s how save the packages from the pirates on the porch and our choices for cheapest home security systems.

When do USPS and Amazon resell undelivered packages?

Both the USPS and Amazon hold undelivered items for a period of time before designating them for resale, with the latter also taking steps to first ensure the quality of the item.

According to USPS policy, a lost or forgotten shipment may be auctioned if it is not claimed within 90 days. For Amazon, the company similarly waits 90 days to claim an undelivered shipment before sending it out for resale, but before that can be done, an employee must open the package and inspect the item, making sure it’s in good enough condition to justify resale.

How to buy or bid on unsolicited mail packages online

For many unsolicited packages, you can do much of the work right from home. Visit Liquidation.comand you can choose which retailer you want to review products from, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, Home Depot, Overstock, and Wayfair. This site operates on an auction format, encouraging interested buyers to make competitive bids for the lots they want. These locations are also where retailers will ship products that customers have returned, with multiple similar returns often bundled together and sold in bulk.

With a little digging, you may be able to find desirable items at bargain prices. For example, one batch introduced in late September included a pair of Sony over-ear noise-canceling headphones that was returned to unnamed electronics retailers. With a total MSRP of around $2,600, the highest bid as of September 25 was $286, a reduction of nearly 90%. The only risk involved in the process for many things like this is the fact that none of the returned items are tested, so you’re out of luck if any are faulty.

For packages or items held by the post office, please check GovDeals.comwhich deals in various resales of government surpluses. This includes consumer goods that may have been mailed, such as clothing, beauty products, sporting goods or video games. You can also find items that fall into a whole host of other categories that have been pulled from other government agencies, allowing people with deeper pockets to bid on farm equipment, airplanes, or even garbage trucks.

The viral nature of these unsolicited mail packages also led to their creation FunDelivered.com. With its colorful site design and motto “A little fun never hurt anyone,” FunDelivered indulges in the thrill of gambling with these lost packages, exclusively selling customers “mystery boxes” full of unclaimed items. The store is restocked with new packs every Friday at 12:00 PM ET (9:00 AM PT).

Try purchasing these unclaimed items in person

If you’d rather see the items in person, check for an unclaimed package at your local swap meet. Swap Madness allows you to browse sellers who could potentially have these items for sale, broken down by state and city. These listings are not a guarantee that you will find an unclaimed package at any time, so it is recommended that you call ahead to find out before going on one of them.

For more, check out our guide to making a shopping list with Google Home and what you need to know about it next Amazon Prime Day.