The Delivery That Didn’t Stay on the Doorstep

This story began with a delivery notification.

Ben had ordered something online. It wasn’t unusual for him to have packages arrive during the day while he was out, and most deliveries followed the same routine.

Later that afternoon he received the message confirming the parcel had been delivered.

When he arrived home, though, there was nothing at the door.

He checked around the entrance of the building and looked in the usual places where drivers sometimes leave parcels. He asked a couple of neighbours in passing if they had seen anything.

No one had.

Ben contacted the seller, assuming there might have been some mistake with the delivery.

They confirmed the address had been entered correctly.

A short time later they sent him a photograph from the delivery confirmation. The image clearly showed the package sitting on his doorstep.

But by the time he arrived home, it was gone.

That evening there was a knock at his door.

One of the neighbours was standing there holding the package.

The box had already been opened.

They explained that it must have been delivered to them by mistake. They said they had only realised after opening it and were returning it once they noticed the correct address.

Ben looked inside the box.

Some of the items were missing.

Not everything.

Just enough to make it obvious the contents weren’t complete.

When he asked about it, the neighbour shrugged. They said they didn’t know exactly what had originally been in the box and suggested that maybe it had arrived that way.

The explanation didn’t sit well with him.

The next day Ben noticed something online that caught his attention.

An item was listed for sale.

Same brand.
Same model.
Same colour as the product that had been in the missing portion of the delivery.

The seller’s account wasn’t anonymous.

It belonged to the neighbour.

That evening Ben shared the story online.

Most people responding focused on one particular detail.

Not just the missing items.

But the fact the package had already been opened before it was returned.

The final update was brief.

The online listing disappeared.

The neighbour stopped responding to any messages.

And the following day, Ben installed a doorbell camera outside his front door.