Is it a scam if a non-Amazon merchant sends two items from Amazon when I ordered one?

Question

During Cyber Monday I was searching for a specific camera as a gift for a family member. I found it available at a merchant I had not heard of before for around $100, which is $25 cheaper than Amazon. Said merchant uses Paypal for payment processing, so I felt comfortable making the purchase. Said merchant is unaffiliated (as far as I could tell) with Amazon.

My card was charged the listed price, and a week later the camera I ordered arrived, but in an Amazon box sealed with Amazon tape. Several days after that I received a second camera (the same exact item) also in an Amazon box. It's been almost a week but the seller never contacted me to ask anything about the extra item.

My first instinct was to contact the seller about the erroneously sent item and return it, but the fact both items arrived in Amazon boxes gave me pause. Had they contacted me to return the second item I could think of a few ways that could be a scam, but since they haven't I'm uncertain. What is the best way to proceed?

Answer 1

This doesn't sound like a scam to me since there is no "hook" being set to separate you from your money. Many companies use Amazon as their fulfillment operation so what you have described about the item arriving in an Amazon box is not surprising. But another possibility is that the vendor has a supply of Amazon boxes and is simply reusing them.

Anyway, it sounds like a mistake was made and you have received two items but were only charged for one. The right thing to do, all legalities aside, is to contact the vendor and explain what has happened and arrange to return the extra item at their expense.

Answer 2

This could be a scam, but if it is, they are probably not scamming you.

I've seen a description of a scam that looks similar to the buyer (you receive more than you asked for, and the source of delivered packages does not match your expectations)

There was a talk about such a scam on DEF CON 27, involving ebay and Nespresso pods:

DEF CON talk

Mashable writeup

The short version is:

• Scammer has some victim's credit card info
• Scammer lists something for sale
• You buy this item from scammer
• Scammer uses the stolen credit card to pay for this item on a third-party website, specifies your address
• You get delivered your item (or even more than you asked for)

Now you are happy with you purchase, and the scammer has successfully recieved the money, without a direct connection to them. They don't care that they had to "pay" twice the price - it wasn't their money. They didn't have to hire a mule to receive a package and then sell the goods.

This is called Triangulation Fraud

Answer 3

I had Amazon themselves do something similar last month, when an order somehow disappeared in transit (at one of Amazon's warehouses no less!). They created a new order and shipped it to me, and a week after that shipment arrived, the "lost" package showed up on my door, with no explanation. I contacted Amazon and let them know what happened, and they gladly emailed a UPS label to me to send it back to them.

Even if it's at your expense, UPS Ground is not all that expensive, and the feeling of having done the right thing is worth the few dollars it costs you to put it in a box and send it back. I understand others' opinions that the vendor should pay too, but I would send it back regardless if it were me.

Answer 4

If you receive "unrequested" packages on your doorstep addressed to you, they are yours.

This is to prevent companies from sending extra stuff/unrequested stuff and then asking for payment.

You can decide to notify the seller of the mistake and ask them to pay for the return of the unwanted goods.  If you decide to keep it, they have no recourse.

Source: What To Do If You’re Billed for Things You Never Got, or You Get Unordered Products by the FTC (Consumer Information):

By law, companies can’t send unordered merchandise to you, then demand payment. That means you never have to pay for things you get but didn’t order. You also don’t have to return unordered merchandise. You’re legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.

  ^{[Emphasis added]}

Answer 5

Leaving the Amazon boxes aside, a somewhat different view: could it be that somebody else has ordered the camera (from Amazon or elsewhere) to be sent to you? I quite often order stuff on Amazon for delivery to my sister - and the package would have her name and address. Similarly, if she wants to get something for me, she would order it on Amazon with my name/address for delivery.

It could be that one of the packages is what you ordered, and the other is what somebody else ordered for you.

Not saying it's the case - but it's a possibility.

Answer 6

Seems like an honest error on the seller's or Amazon's part.

I've ordered stuff from websites directly and it arrived in an Amazon package plenty of times. Many companies let Amazon handle their fulfillments regardless of where you ordered the product. It's probably cheaper to let Amazon handle fulfillment compared to contriving your own company solution with multiple employees.

Contact the seller and let them know you received two items but only ordered and paid for one. They will advise how to move forward.

If they request additional money or expect you to pay for shipping in any way whatsoever then that will be a huge red flag.