Your Amazon package has gone missing…now what?

Package stolen from Pointe-Claire home A doorbell camera catches an alleged thief taking a package from a home in Pointe-Claire.

MONTREAL — You ordered something online – either from Amazon, a store or wherever else you buy your goodies – and as you excitedly track your shipment, you see that little message: “Delivered at…”

“Yes!” you think. “Can’t wait to get home to open my parcel” – except, as you skip up to your front door, there’s nothing there. Now what?

Online shopping accounts for billions of dollars in sales every year in Canada, with many saying it’s the best way to dodge traffic, parking and long checkout lines.

Amazon Canada states if your tracking information shows that your package was delivered, but you can't find it, the first step is to verify the shipping address in ‘Your Orders.’

The company suggests looking for a notice of attempted delivery, checking around in case the package was hidden or moved and making sure someone else didn't accept the delivery for you.

Amazon Canada also suggests waiting 36 hours before contacting them as “in rare cases, packages may say delivered up to 36 hours prior to arrival.”

If you’re still unable to locate the item, the company encourages people to contact them.

What if my package was stolen?

Sita Ramjattan, a resident in Pointe-Claire, in Montreal’s West Island, tells CTV News she was shocked when she came home on Monday to find that her package was not only missing – it had been taken off her doorstep.

She says her doorbell camera caught someone walking right up to her door – in broad daylight – and taking a parcel of gifts she ordered online.

Ramjattan says she gave the video to police in the hopes that the alleged thief will be caught.

Reports of porch piracy are becoming more widespread across Canada as online retailers command a bigger share of how people shop, especially around the holidays.

The Office of Consumer Protection in Quebec (OPC) insists people who have had their packages stolen have rights.

“When a parcel is stolen, it's still the merchant's responsibility to do something about it,” explained OPC spokesperson Charles Tanguay. “I guess the main thing might be refunding the consumer.”

He adds that just because a courier takes a picture of a package at your door to prove it was delivered, it doesn’t mean you received it.

“We suspect that people might not complain to us, because they don't know what their rights are,” Tanguay said, adding that he encourages any victims of potential theft to reach out.

Montreal police tells CTV News it doesn’t track theft by how something is taken, but by the value of the goods that were allegedly stolen.

"Stealing packages left at the door is a crime… We invite all citizens who have had their packages stolen to contact us to lodge a complaint,” the force added.