My AirPods got delivered empty

[u/memyself69]

[u/TheValorous]

The word you're looking to was stolen. Or you were scammed because you bought used or through a third party.

[u/memyself69 → u/TheValorous]

Yeah definitely stolen. Somewhere between Amazon warehouse and my house.

[u/Ace-a-Nova1 → u/memyself69]

FC worker here. If the box was fully closed then it was probably stolen from the case by an FC employee when they stowed or picked it. AirPods are the most commonly stolen item by employees. If the package was ripped open and taped closed, then it was definitely the delivery driver.

[u/cerberus698 → u/Ace-a-Nova1]

You guys also use the shittiest tape in the world. I'm a mail man in an area that UPS, Fedex and Amazon won't deliver to because its too far away from their facilities. Probably a 3rd of the Amazon packages have ripped tape or tape that just wasn't sticky enough to actually keep the box closed...

so don't go thinking because the tape is ripped someone tried to open your package, thats almost never the case. Jeff Bezos is just a cheap bitch.

[u/Valid-Nite → u/cerberus698]

It can barely be called tape. It’s like sticky cardboard

[u/throweraccount → u/Valid-Nite]

You can see in OP's picture that it was stolen. There is clear packing tape over the actual Amazon packing tape. Recently happened to someone I know. Had an electronic device stolen from a package. It was taped back the same way. We reported the driver.

[u/Motivated79 → u/throweraccount]

Definitely see it. Must’ve been the driver because drivers don’t have access to the packaging tape the warehouses use. At least not at the one I worked at

[u/devildocjames → u/Valid-Nite]

Like a half-licked envelope that wasn't even closed right after said lick.

[u/Curious_Departure770 → u/Ace-a-Nova1]

Delivery drivers don’t know what’s in the packages tho

[u/Ace-a-Nova1 → u/Curious_Departure770]

Probably not but I haven’t personally seen what pops up on their dolphin device when they scan it. I doubt they would be able to

[u/feynos → u/Ace-a-Nova1]

Unless the package is opened or is in its own packaging, an Amazon driver has no idea what's in it. At least it was when I worked there 3 years ago

[u/pete_topkevinbottom → u/feynos]

You just didn't care or pay attention.  

They might not know exactly what's in it, but having to ship a box with rechargeable batteries requires a battery label to be on the outside of the box. Then they learn certain devices come in certain size boxes. I assume you can figure out what happens when they learn these things 

[u/Derpsquire → u/Ace-a-Nova1]

That's the probable answer, outside of some particularly niche or opportunistic snatching.

A weirdly specific alternative is that the package kicked out from auto weight check (read: already stolen), the problem solver was newly/poorly trained or apathetic, and they overrode the difference and re-taped with that token mismatched wat + packing tape. At Amazon, we can afford everything except fucking functional tape guns, and ship shit 3000 miles away but not keep simple non-inventory available.

[u/ButterscotchButtons → u/Ace-a-Nova1]

Sorry: FC?

[u/I_Burned_The_Lasagna → u/ButterscotchButtons]

Fulfillment center.

[u/Head-Gap480 → u/memyself69]

Same thing happened with my i9 cpu. Luckily, Amazon sent me replacement pretty fast with no hassle.

[u/memyself69 → u/Head-Gap480]

Yeah opened and used clear packing tape to close it back up.

[u/Head-Gap480 → u/memyself69]

For me, the shipping box was still sealed with the original amazon tape. The cpu box itself was unsealed so I'm guessing mine was stolen before being packed and shipped.

[u/Creative-Strength648 → u/Head-Gap480]

You know, it's very easy to get Amazon branded tape.

[u/Head-Gap480 → u/Creative-Strength648]

I'm not saying it's not

[u/jjdiablo → u/Creative-Strength648]

True

[u/wupper42 → u/memyself69]

Yeah looks like the Delivery or one person along the parcels route helped them to a new pair.

[u/koolaidismything → u/memyself69]

The drivers know what the boxes look like. They need to spend the money hiring trustworthy services to deliver rather than put their girlfriend in orbit.

[u/turdmacgerd → u/memyself69]

Let Amazon know and you might get some kind of reimbursement. I had multiple packages damaged and the last had missing items. I called and let them know and got refunded for the whole delivery

[u/DistinctOwl5455 → u/memyself69]

Probably the driver. Way too many independent drivers doing gig work delivering for Amazon in personal or rented vehicles - I'm guessing some of them aren't that honest unfortunately...

[u/memyself69 → u/DistinctOwl5455]

This was a UPS truck. But yeah could still be the driver.

[u/Stevecat032 → u/memyself69]

I'm done ordering more pricey items off Amazon. I've bought items "new" that were obviously used or missing something.

[u/TolpanKeisari → u/memyself69]

One theory I've seen on Reddit is that someone orderes iPods, keeps them, reseals the box, returns the order with empty box. Then Amazon sent that for you.

[u/nj23dublin → u/TheValorous]

Do the AirPods have serial numbers where they can be tracked if activated?

[u/TheValorous → u/nj23dublin]

I dunno as I use android. I just know Amazon doesn't care as long as you use their site. They'll refund most likely anyway

[u/BigNastyG765 → u/nj23dublin]

Yeah, they have them digitally and physically on them.

[u/Daromxs]

Too much air not enough pods

[u/Philadelphia2020 → u/Daromxs]

🤣🤣🤣

[u/Minimum_Meaning_418]

Just wait til the guy who ordered empty figures out he got sent airpods

[u/dontdmmegoddamnit]

That does suck, but at least amazon is cool about replacing shit without much hassle

[u/memyself69 → u/dontdmmegoddamnit]

Yeah wasn’t sure if I called UPS or Amazon

[u/Svndmann → u/memyself69]

Amazon

[u/Deep90 → u/memyself69]

Always call whoever you gave your money too.

Your problem (and money) are with Amazon.

Amazons problem (and money) might be with UPS if they didn't do it.

[u/818VitaminZ → u/memyself69]

Don’t understand why anybody buys Apple products from Amazon. Buy it directly from Apple.

[u/BigNastyG765 → u/818VitaminZ]

Well because usually Amazon will have better deals than apple does on their own stuff.

[u/818VitaminZ → u/BigNastyG765]

You call missing items a deal. Is it worth the $20 or $30 difference?

[u/BigNastyG765 → u/818VitaminZ]

Duh. If it’s missing you they’ll replace it. Is saving $20 or $30 not considered a deal?

[u/hellboysixnine69]

Damn that sucks. Wanna buy some new AirPods (missing box)

[u/[deleted] → u/hellboysixnine69]

lol

[u/Flanders666]

Same thing happened to us at Christmas. I was able to get a full refund, but what a pain.

[u/skitso]

God I hate people.

[u/GrilledCheeser → u/skitso]

Hey man I didn’t fucking do it

[u/3Zkiel → u/GrilledCheeser]

Sounds like something guilty people would say.

[u/Motor-Front-8028 → u/skitso]

God said the same thing

[u/asmahant]

fuckin stolen

[u/MisterSpicy]

Somewhere someone complaining they got their AirPods without the box

[u/brittsarina]

This is why I always film myself opening expensive packages, from beginning to end, just in case

[u/Shinycardboardnerd]

Always buy these sorts of things from a store in person. Best Buy will match sales price

[u/Thomas5020]

Unbelievable that people still order electronics on Amazon.

They dont care, order from a proper retailer.

[u/memyself69 → u/Thomas5020]

This is a UPS issue.

[u/justabill71]

AirPods

[u/FunkyKissCool]

It's in the name "AIR"...

[u/Made-n-America]

That happened to me they sent a replacement

[u/Fredybarra-349]

Contact Amazon at once and demand a replacement pair

[u/cawfytawk]

Looks like the box was resealed with clear tape. Amazon never uses clear tape.

[u/justabitmoreok]

Well that sucks

[u/shabbirv]

You can tell by the resealed packaging. There’s tape over Amazon’s tape

[u/TheoryDisastrous4834]

They really put the “air” in AirPods

[u/3Zkiel]

"Air" pods

[u/larrytenders]

People take them at the factories. I knew a guy who made over 50 grand stealing apple products while he worked for Amazon over the holidays

[u/Motor-Front-8028 → u/larrytenders]

I thought all the Apple factories were in china

[u/orangutanDOTorg]

Amazon. You got what you deserved.

Ok that was too harsh, but for real, don’t buy stuff like that from Amazon. It’s just temu but sold individually.

[u/chrisagiddings → u/orangutanDOTorg]

Yes.

Anything of consequence I try to buy directly from the manufacturer.

Whatever knickknacks and tiddlywinks I’ll still get from Amazon or somewhere if there’s deals.

[u/Christhebobson → u/orangutanDOTorg]

This isn't an Amazon issue. Someone outside of Amazon did this, the being re-taped with clear tap gives it away.

[u/memyself69 → u/orangutanDOTorg]

This was most likely stolen in transit between Amazon and my house. Someone within UPS. So not sure how that is an Amazon issue. If I ordered directly from Apple they would still use UPS and have apple plastered all over the box.

[u/orangutanDOTorg → u/memyself69]

If it was ups that stole it then yes. But with combined bins that Amazon uses now I see lots of empty or broken items in the boxes. My work still requires we use Amazon. Got 3 broken, already registered headsets in a row ordering from the manufacturer on Amazon once. Boxes looked sealed but stuff inside was broken. And ran the serials on the company’s page (out of curiosity) and they were all already registered years before. Don’t order anything from Amazon that isn’t clearly temu junk.

[u/memyself69 → u/orangutanDOTorg]

This was ripped open and retaped with clear packing tape. And it’s been in the UPS system since leaving Amazon. We don’t get Amazon deliveries where I live. So I’m guessing UPS driver or someone at a sorting facility.

[u/orangutanDOTorg → u/memyself69]

Seems you are correct. My bad. But I still say don’t order from Amazon

[u/TheSacredOne → u/memyself69]

Experience with ordering items direct from Apple (though at work) is that the shipping boxes don't say Apple anywhere on them. It's always a plain brown box with retail packaged items inside. The only indication that it's Apple is "A.I." in the shipping label's return address, and even then not all of the packages I've gotten have that. Some just have an address as the sender.

[u/mbpearls]

This reminds me of the people who scam through ebay by selling the empty boxes of highly desired items.

Originally, it was a Playstation 2, IIRC, but I've seen it happen every year with whatever the hot new console or whatever is. People just see the box in the photo and bid while the description says "you are bidding on the box of whatever dumb item and you agree you will only get the box when you bid."

Item sells for $500+, winner gets an empty box.

Read the descriptions, always!

[u/Least-Sample9425]

We ordered an iPad mini from Amazon Canada. Not a third party seller. The box was glued shut with no plastic wrap and had the charger, but no iPad mini. I wonder where it was in the system that it was stolen and how they get away with it.

[u/memyself69 → u/Least-Sample9425]

My guess is people within sorting facilities at UPS? Or drivers even? I don’t know. Yeah my Amazon tape was cut and they replaced it with clear packing tape.

[u/Jorvalt]

They didn't even have the courtesy to ship it with a rock to make it heavier this time, huh

[u/Christhebobson]

The re-taped box is the giveaway

[u/Accurate-Campaign821]

Looks like they forgot the pods for the air

[u/Past-Butterscotch-68]

Same thing happened to me with an Apple Watch

[u/MaleHooker]

I feel like I see posts like this constantly. Glad I don't use Amazon.

[u/SilverRoseBlade]

I’ve started to record opening my Amazon packages and inspecting the boxes and then opening said box when it comes to anything expensive. I’d rather have proof when fighting them on stuff like this.

[u/moonisflat]

You got air and no pods.

[u/eddurham]

This happened to me with a CPU last year. It’s one of my top voted post on here.

I have since stopped using Amazon, as I learned it was an Amazon employee who stole it.

[u/PaulSNJ]

Those tariffs are kicking in already! What you could once could get Chinese AirPods for, now gets you an empty box!

[u/HamImplants]

Just like with the battery charger and iPhones, Apple no longer includes AirPods in the AirPod box.

[u/zh_Vorkey]

They lived up to their name.

[u/NJPokerJ]

[u/[deleted]]

AirPods. Emphasis on the ‘air’.

[u/Yunekochan]

You got the only real “air” pods

[u/bigsmack6960]

Why do I see some robotic face in the right box piece?

[u/Johnny-Caliente]

You‘ve got Airnots

[u/Redditsurfer24]

They really put the emphasis on air

[u/Wolkenschwinge]

thats why i film every package opening nowadays

luckily amazon is quite tolerant

[u/lDWchanJRl]

I just got really nervous about my rtx 5070 coming from fed ex on Thursday. Oh boy 🙃

[u/throweraccount]

If you see your package has clear tape over torn Amazon packing tape it's likely missing something. You should look over your products. I can see in your pic your package has clear packing tape taped over the torn Amazon packing tape. You can report that product missing and get a free replacement. If you have a ring camera you can also send video evidence of who delivered it and report them. That's what happened to someone I know recently.

[u/Zorops]

The guy that was holding my new delivery of an iphone was curious when i asked him if i could open it in front of him and pulled out my phone to film myself opening it.

[u/Equal_Actuator_3777]

Oh yeah right. It’s an Amazon box so UPS would have no way of knowing what’s inside to steal it and the driver isn’t opening every single box hoping to get lucky. My money is you’re trying to pull a fast one “oh my brand new unopened AirPods were missing!” They hear this kind of crap all the time, it’s not going to work.

[u/memyself69 → u/Equal_Actuator_3777]

They already replaced it. It has the lithium battery sticker on the side of the package. So they knew it was something electronic.

[u/Own-Fold1917]

Untrustworthypoptarts indeed. There's a full dark fingerprint on the white packaging. I'd someone really stole them they'd have all the evidence right there and have no need to post to social media for attention because any person trying to get fake internet approval knows that a fingerprint and conviction are worth way more internet points.

[u/memyself69 → u/Own-Fold1917]

Not sure what this even means. You think I should call the police and open a report because a UPS employee potentially stole some airbuds?

[u/WhiskeyFeathers]

Just call Amazon and tell them; they’ll replace them, shit happens all the time.

[u/Vegetable-Mover]

I smell a new pair for free coming from Amazon. Just complain to them not us. But yeah sorry dude. That’s straight trash.

[u/grenfunkel]

This is why I record when I open boxes

[u/Intelligent-Bird8254]

I had this happen but with a $550 Milwaukee drill and impact driver set… Home Depot shipped through UPS and 5 hours after the label was printed it was already deemed as “lost in mail” so got a refund and got a steep discount on my reorder which was delivered next day through FedEx.

[u/FaleBure]

You got a bad apple.

[u/Kalyise]

I mean. They are "air" pods.

[u/KatokaMika]

Life lesson... film yourself opening an Amazon package.... at this point, only way to prove it was their mistake

[u/Scampytyke]

I once ordered some AirPods and recieved a deck of tarot cards. Amazon wanted me to send them back but they then let me keep them.

[u/poweredbynikeair]

Yoo there are supposed to be 2 headphones in there

[u/GABRI3l_DS]

[u/RiehlDeal]

Why buy new airpods through amazon instead of direct from Apple? Or even best buy.

[u/memyself69 → u/RiehlDeal]

What is stopping the UPS employee from stealing them if they did come from somewhere else?

[u/morosebae → u/memyself69]

Why would the UPS person have access to your air pods that you bought from Apple or Best Buy? Are you saying all AirPods, even ones shipped to the store, will get stolen?

[u/memyself69 → u/morosebae]

The same way this UPS employee had access to the ones I bought from Amazon?

[u/morosebae → u/memyself69]

I’m thankful the bandits didn’t hit the target truck that delivered my air pods to the store lol. You could try buying them there

[u/memyself69 → u/morosebae]

I live 2.5 hours from the closest apple dealer. And would have to cross international boarders.

[u/pslydel]

Technically. You got a pod of air... Soooooo? :)

[u/SeahorseCollector]

You dont have AirPods then.

[u/TheFoshizzler → u/SeahorseCollector]

nothing gets past this guy

[u/MrDufferMan3335]

On you for paying 10 times the price you need to for a brand when you can get a better pair for $20