Can You Buy Unclaimed Packages in Canada?
Ads for "unclaimed packages" and "lost mail mystery boxes" promise sealed parcels that nobody picked up, sold off cheap. That is not how lost parcels work in Canada. A Canada Post parcel that can't be delivered goes back to the sender, and if that fails too, it is opened to look for an address. An undeliverable Amazon order goes back to Amazon, and the buyer gets a refund. What you can buy is what those items usually become: customer returns and overstock, sold in bulk to liquidators. This page explains the difference and how to spot the scam version.
The short answer
- Undeliverable Canada Post mail gets opened. If it can't be delivered or returned, it goes to an undeliverable mail office and is opened to find an address. If none turns up, Canada Post sells or otherwise disposes of the merchandise.
- Undeliverable Amazon orders go back to Amazon. The customer is refunded, and the item is handled like any other return.
- Many "unclaimed package" ads are scams. Researchers found ads selling "unclaimed" boxes for $2 to $3 that signed buyers up for recurring charges and sent nothing.
- What's really for sale is returns and overstock. Retailers sell them in bulk, and resellers turn them into auction lots, bin-store stock and mystery boxes.
Our mystery boxes are customer returns and overstock, not unclaimed mail. See what we sell β
What happens to a parcel that can't be delivered in Canada?
If Canada Post can't deliver something, it goes back to the sender. If it can't be returned either, usually because the address is missing or wrong, the federal Undeliverable and Redirected Mail Regulations send it to a regional undeliverable mail office. There it is opened to look for the sender's or the addressee's address. If one turns up, the item goes on its way.
If there is still no address, the regulations say merchandise is sold or otherwise disposed of in a way Canada Post approves, and the money goes to Canada Post. Items with no obvious value are destroyed. Undeliverable items that came from another country go back to that country's postal service. Canada Post's own help page on undeliverable mail describes the same steps.
So a parcel that nobody could receive gets opened before anything else happens to it. A seller promising "sealed, unopened" Canada Post parcels is describing something that doesn't match that process.
What happens to an undeliverable Amazon order?
Amazon's help pages say an undeliverable package is returned to Amazon and the customer gets a refund. It can't be reshipped. From there it is handled like a return. Amazon says the vast majority of returns are resold as new or used, sent back to the seller, liquidated, or donated.
"Liquidated" is the part you can buy into. Liquidation means selling returns and overstock in bulk, usually by the pallet or the truckload, to businesses that sort and resell them. Those businesses include auction houses, bin stores, online resellers and mystery box sellers.
Why "unclaimed package" ads are a red flag
In 2024, security researchers at Bitdefender found sponsored Facebook ads offering "unclaimed or returned packages" from big-name brands as mystery boxes for $2 to $3. The ads were shown in several countries, including Canada. According to the researchers, buyers were signed up for recurring charges and no goods were ever sent.
Watch for these signs before you pay anyone for a mystery box:
- A price that makes no sense for what the ad shows, like a few dollars for a box of phones or designer goods.
- "Unclaimed", "lost mail" or "warehouse clearance" wording next to famous brand logos.
- Promises about what's inside, like a named phone or a dollar value the box is "worth". A box of mixed returns can't promise a specific item.
- A small "shipping fee" with fine print that turns out to be a subscription.
- No street address and no phone number, or only a social media page.
- Pressure to buy right now, with countdown timers and "last day" banners.
If you've already been charged, call your card issuer and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca.
Unclaimed packages vs. customer returns
An unclaimed package is a parcel that couldn't be delivered. A customer return is something a buyer received and sent back. Overstock is new stock a retailer couldn't sell. Returns and overstock are what liquidators really buy and sell, and they come in every condition: brand-new, open-box, used, and some that are damaged or don't work. That mix is why they sell below retail.
| The scam ads researchers found | An AmazeDeals mystery box | |
|---|---|---|
| What it claims to be | Sealed "unclaimed" or "returned" packages from big brands | Customer returns and overstock, said up front |
| Price | $2 to $3, then recurring charges | $69 to $349, with shipping shown at checkout |
| What's inside | Big-brand electronics and designer goods | A mix that varies from box to box, with no promise of specific items |
| What arrives | Nothing, according to the researchers | A box hand-packed in Kitchener, Ontario, shipped to you or picked up at our warehouse |
What's in an AmazeDeals mystery box
We don't sell unclaimed mail. We buy customer returns and overstock, including Amazon returns, and hand-pack every mystery box at our warehouse at Unit 1, 5 Forwell Road, Kitchener, Ontario. We also run a weekly public auction there and publish real results at pickup.amazedeals.ca/results, so you can check what items like ours actually sell for.
- Five boxes, from $69 to $349 (CAD, before shipping and tax): Flash $69, Starter $149, Pro $199, Elite $249 and VIP $349. Higher tiers contain more items and higher-value items.
- Mixed condition. Expect roughly 5 to 10% of the items in any box to be used, damaged or not working: about 1 to 2 items in a Flash box, 2 to 5 in a VIP. We pull anything unsafe, but we don't test every item.
- Shipping is not free. It is calculated at checkout from weight and destination. We ship within Canada only, and pickup from our Kitchener warehouse has no shipping charge.
- Final sale. If a box arrives damaged in transit, contact support@amazedeals.ca within 48 hours of delivery with photos. If most of a box is unusable, that is a bad box and we will make it right.
- A "Make a wish" field on every box's page. Tell our packer one thing you are hoping for. We take it into account where stock allows, but it is not a guarantee.
The full rules are on our mystery box facts page. Deciding whether a box is right for you? Read Are Amazon Mystery Boxes Worth It in Canada?
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy unclaimed packages in Canada?
Not as sealed parcels from Canada Post or Amazon. Canada Post mail that can't be delivered or returned is opened at an undeliverable mail office, and any merchandise that still can't be returned is sold or disposed of by Canada Post. Undeliverable Amazon orders go back to Amazon and the customer is refunded. What the public can buy is customer returns and overstock, through liquidators.
Does Amazon sell lost or unclaimed packages?
Not as sealed lost packages. Amazon says an undeliverable package is returned to Amazon and the customer gets a refund. Returned items are then resold, sent back to the seller, liquidated or donated.
Are unclaimed mail mystery boxes a scam?
Many are. Researchers found ads selling "unclaimed" boxes for $2 to $3 that signed buyers up for recurring charges and sent nothing. Before you pay, check that the seller has a street address, a phone number, clear shipping and refund terms, and reviews you can find outside their own website.
What is the difference between unclaimed packages and customer returns?
An unclaimed package is a parcel that couldn't be delivered. A customer return is an item a buyer received and sent back. Returns and overstock are what retailers sell to liquidators in bulk.
Are AmazeDeals mystery boxes unclaimed packages?
No. They are customer returns and overstock, including Amazon returns, hand-packed at our warehouse in Kitchener, Ontario. Contents vary from box to box, roughly 5 to 10% of items may be used, damaged or not working, and boxes are final sale.
Is shipping free on AmazeDeals mystery boxes?
No. We do not offer free shipping. Shipping is calculated at checkout from weight and destination, within Canada only. Pickup from our Kitchener warehouse has no shipping charge.
Sources: Undeliverable and Redirected Mail Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1298), sections 11 and 13 Β· Canada Post: What happens to undeliverable mail Β· Amazon: Undeliverable packages Β· Amazon: What happens to returns Β· Bitdefender Labs, February 2024. Updated September 2026.