Unexpected parcel from China: what should I do?
Keep the packaging, photograph the label and check household, workplace and account records before responding. Establish whether it is a gift, delivery mistake, unauthorised order or possible brushing scam. Verify payment and return demands independently. For a parcel linked to your sourcing order, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Preserve the parcel and check your records
Check the recipient name and full address before opening. Photograph the outer label, tracking reference and any enclosed paperwork, and keep the packaging. If it is addressed to someone else, leave it unopened and contact the carrier through its own website. Avoid using, eating, charging or connecting unfamiliar contents while you investigate.
Ask household members, purchasing colleagues and existing suppliers whether they arranged a gift, sample, replacement or delayed delivery. Check archived orders, subscriptions, purchase orders and payment records. A Chinese dispatch address alone does not establish fraud. For workplace deliveries, use your order and payment approval controls to identify who requested the goods.
Identify the likely explanation
Use the clues below to decide what to investigate. Treat each explanation as provisional until the sender, carrier or marketplace confirms it through a contact route you found independently.
Brushing involves sending unsolicited goods to support fabricated sales or reviews. An unexplained parcel can fit that pattern, but it does not by itself prove that your shopping account was accessed. Check for an actual order or charge before treating it as an account compromise.
| Possible explanation | What to check | Practical response |
|---|---|---|
| Gift or supplier sample | A known sender confirms the item and purpose | Confirm whether any payment or return was agreed |
| Mistaken delivery | Wrong recipient, duplicate shipment or a sender-confirmed addressing error | Keep it separate and ask the verified carrier or sender to arrange collection |
| Unauthorised order | An order, charge or credit purchase you did not authorise | Contact the marketplace and payment provider, and secure affected accounts |
| Possible brushing scam | Your details are correct, but there is no recognised sender, order or charge | Report the parcel to the relevant marketplace and retain the evidence |
Check what a payment demand actually covers
For genuinely unsolicited goods supplied through consumer inertia selling, the consumer is exempt from paying for the products. A consumer is an individual acting wholly or mainly outside their business. Your name on the label does not establish that status. For a workplace parcel, investigate the purchase history and seek advice on a disputed demand rather than assuming consumer protection settles it.
Separate a seller's invoice from a carrier's import-charge request. GOV.UK says the parcel or courier company will tell you if VAT or duty is payable. Ask the verified carrier to explain the shipment and charge before paying. A label describing the contents as a gift does not settle the tax question; use our China parcel gift guide.
Verify return instructions before handing anything over
For a confirmed delivery error, ask the verified sender or carrier to arrange collection or provide a prepaid return label. Obtain written confirmation of the parcel reference, destination and who covers the cost. Keep the collection receipt or return tracking. Avoid handing the parcel to an unexpected visitor merely because they know your name.
If someone demands payment or a return, request the order record and explanation through the marketplace or an established contact. Do not pay a release fee, scan an enclosed code or enter card details simply to find out who sent it. Use our sourcing scam guide for checking suspicious payment requests. Seek advice promptly if a formal claim arrives.
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Secure accounts and close the investigation
If you find an unauthorised order or charge, contact the marketplace and bank or payment provider through their own app or independently located contact details. Save the transaction evidence, change affected passwords and review account access, saved payment methods and delivery addresses. Ask workplace finance staff to hold any related invoice while they investigate.
Report a suspected brushing parcel through the marketplace's own support channel, supplying the tracking reference and label photographs without posting your address publicly. Use GOV.UK's suspicious-email forwarding route for related suspicious emails. Record the confirmed explanation and agreed handling. If a supplier sample was involved, tell Cambridge China Bridge who may approve future sample dispatches.
Frequently asked questions
Why did I receive a parcel from China I did not order?
It could be a gift, supplier sample, delayed order, delivery error, unauthorised purchase or brushing scam. Check the label, order history and payment records, then contact the carrier or marketplace independently.
Can I keep an unexpected parcel from China?
First establish why it arrived. Do not assume a mistaken delivery or disputed business shipment is a gift. Keep it separate while the verified sender, carrier or marketplace investigates.
Do I have to pay for a parcel I did not order?
Consumers need not pay for genuinely unsolicited goods supplied through inertia selling. For business deliveries, investigate the demand. Check any carrier import-charge request separately.
Does a brushing parcel mean my account was hacked?
The parcel alone does not establish account access. Check for unfamiliar orders, charges and account changes. If you find them, contact the platform and payment provider and secure the affected accounts.