Moment Amazon courier hurls parcel from van window - then takes picture of damaged package as 'proof' of delivery

A business owner has told of her shock after an Amazon delivery driver lobbed her package from his van window onto her porch.

Doorbell footage shows the sprinter van pulling up outside a house and rolling down the window before throwing a parcel in front of a car. 

The courier then takes a photo of the package on the ground, next to the pavement,  as 'proof' of delivery. 

The two boxes inside were damaged, according to Michelle, who owns the spiritual reading firm Minithemedium. 

She had ordered two gift boxes from the multinational corporation – which were 'delivered' on Sunday afternoon in Scawsby, Doncaster. 

Michelle told the Daily Mail: 'My husband was sat by the window when the van pulled up but he didn't see the driver get out. 

'That's when we checked the Ring camera.

'My first reaction was absolute shock. He didn't even get out of the van to deliver the parcel.'

Michelle then said she got a notification from Amazon telling her that her package had been delivered. 

The photo simply showed the Amazon bag next to the pavement in front of Michelle's car. 

She then called the head office of Jeff Bezos's firm to make a complaint. 

While it offered Michelle a refund for the damaged items, the customer service representative could not answer if this was an example of a successful delivery. 

'I asked "Do you class that as an acceptable delivery?" and he just mumbled something at me,' said Michelle.

'With so many people pinching parcels off people's front doors, that parcel would have been an absolute goner if my husband didn't watch the delivery happen.

'Anyone could have just walked down the pathway and grabbed it. 

'The items were cheap, around £10 each, but it's the principle. It's the principle of just being sat in the van and launching it.'

More than £600million worth of parcels ordered online were stolen from people's porches in 2025.

Analysts said this equates to roughly a 31 per cent rise in parcel theft year-on-year but that the true scale of the issue is unknown because so few people actually report their missing post to police. 

The months from October to December are a particularly busy time for parcel thieves as shoppers look to save on Black Friday deals and shop for Christmas.  

Michelle added: 'It's getting to Christmas now and there's going to be a lot more deliveries coming up. 

'I'd just like there to be a bit more training for [Amazon's] staff, especially for elderly customers who might not be able to go out and get their packages.' 

The disgruntled customer had a simple message to the delivery giant: 'Improve your delivery skills.' 

She added: 'If you're paying for a service and you're waiting for a delivery, you expect it to be delivered.' 

Amazon was contacted for comment.  

Porch piracy became a significant issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdown restrictions forced people to turn to online shopping to meet their needs.

Because of the coronavirus, delivery drivers who would once wait on the doorstep with parcels were instead using the 'knock and run' approach, leaving boxes outside without verifying delivery.

But delivery drivers are also under ever-increasing pressure thanks to Britain's love of online shopping – with some 4.2billion parcels sent and received in the UK in 2024, higher than the pandemic peak of 4bn in 2020-21.

There is also the issue of inappropriate deliveries: parcels left in plain sight on garden walls, in the middle of lawns and even in recycling bins.

As a result, scenes of people in hoodies sneaking up to doorsteps and swiping boxes – usually captured on a doorbell camera – are becoming ever more common.