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Sun Dec 12 2021 16:39:48

A Front Yard Becomes an Amazon Dumping Ground

By: Ina Steiner

Imagine seeing Amazon packages start to pile up by your neighbor's front door, then take over their front yard. That's what's happening in one Tennessee town where the pile in someone's yard got so big, neighbors contacted police and finally a TV news crew went to find answers.

Our first thought was of a New Hampshire homeowner who similarly had packages piled up in his yard, giving neighbors cause for concern in 2019. In that instance, a gigantic pile of neatly stacked boxes in the driveway became wall-to-wall garbage in the backyard.

The homeowner had reportedly ordered 2,000 computer printers, removed the ink cartridges, and discarded the printers and boxes in his back yard where they sat for nearly a year.

In the recent case in Tennessee, packages arrive every day rather than in one large, palletized delivery. According to ABC News affiliate KERO:

"In a neighborhood near Chattanooga, Tennessee, one home stands out since it has hundreds of amazon packages spread across its lawn. A neighbor says new boxes arrive daily -and many of the ones outside are half full or empty. People who live in the area have contacted the police and city and written notes to the people who live in the home. So why are the packages piling up?"

According to the reporter covering the story, the homeowner said their friend had a contract with a seller in China. When that friend's contract expires, she'll send the packages to their warehouse in China.

Mystery not solved!

But a commentor underneath the YouTube video describes a plausible explanation:

"For those who have no idea, this are items that was sold to the USA but was cancelled or returned for some reason. The sellers manufacturer is in another country most likely in China and it cost much to return it back. What happened is they pay someone a few thousand bucks, to receive all of this, serving as the 'warehouse in USA' but really just a person with an extra lot. then they pay someone to repack the package, then send it to amazon warehouse to be sold back again."

What struck us was how some of the other commentors asked how they could get in on the action!

Comments (3) | Permalink

Readers Comments

A Front Yard Becomes an Amazon Dumping Ground

by: pennyemporium

Sun Dec 12 18:54:24 2021

ya know, i think i encountered something like this. looking at an amz listing for a replacement computer screen, there were two purchase options; get the item b4 the end of dec directly from the seller, or wait until the end of january and get it from the amazon warehouse.

the direct from seller option showed the seller's address in china,
i chatted with the amazon peeps and they said ''yes, even tho the sellers have a china address, they are covered by the amazon A-to-Z guarantee.'' how is that, i ask, if the item has to go back to china if something is wrong... ''oh don't worry, we will issue a return label for you!'' (you and i both know that returning anything to china is expensive!)

all of that sounded wrong, and i opted for the 'buy the item when it's in the amz warehouse, so it can go back to the warehouse if something is wrong'' option.

there are some very odd things happening with amazon, a person has to know what to look for on the listings and navigate the return policies and other third party seller info to avoid the minefields.

A Front Yard Becomes an Amazon Dumping Ground

by: AddyUp

Mon Dec 13 08:15:46 2021

There's been a few similar things reported this side of the pond with eBay Chinese sellers. Where people have been puzzled at a number of parcels turning up at their homes unordered.

These all look like cancellations/returns. The general consensus being that some Chinese sellers were just picking a random UK address as their base just to get around various regulations. This was the cheap option for them.

While some were complaining others were disappointed it wasn't them, as some of the items looked very nice and worth having.

A Front Yard Becomes an Amazon Dumping Ground

by: Fek

Thu Dec 16 16:13:58 2021

Another common scenario is that fraudsters are selling items they don't actually own, then when an item sells, they are putting the address for this house on the package instead of the buyers' addresses. Tracking shows a box was delivered. But the buyer never receives, the item. eBay and other online retailers depend on that tracking number to "prove" the item was delivered, so buyers who file a claim are told, "you got it, look at the tracking." Buyer gets no help from eBay, "seller" gets to keep the money. In most instances, the box is empty, or has some trinket in it and a lot of packing peanuts.

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