Amazon Photo on Delivery

Yesterday I received a shipment that I ordered from Amazon. Like most of my shipments, this one arrived on time and was accompanied by emails and text messages to notify me of package shipment and delivery. However, unlike all other Amazon deliveries I’ve received in the past, the final email notification of package delivery was accompanied by a photo:

Interesting… I wondered why they felt the need to take a photo. I didn’t think that it would help prevent package theft which has been a problem for many customers. That problem was more directly addressed by Amazon’s acquisition of Ring.

An article in USA Today states that the photo “helps with a common customer pain point when getting deliveries at home — finding where a package was left while they're at work, especially if it was tucked behind a bush or flower pot to make it less visible to would-be thieves.” Although it had never crossed my mind that it would be useful to see a photo of where my package had been left, I guess that makes sense. I live in a 10-unit complex, and even though the above photo represents the entirety of my front entrance, packages are sometimes left near the mailboxes. That being said, I’ve personally never had difficulty finding a package because there simply aren’t many obvious places to look for them. Perhaps it’s been more useful to folks who live in single-family homes and who have plants or other objects behind which packages can be hidden.

The USA Today article also states, “The service is only active with packages delivered via Amazon’s Amazon Logistics delivery system, which include Amazon Delivery Service Providers and Amazon Flex drivers.” I could not determine from the shipping label or other package markings which service was used to deliver my package. The package tracking feature in Amazon did not provide a USPS, UPS, or other tracking number. It simply stated, “Delivery by Amazon” so I assume it was one of the options mentioned above.

According to the customer service page for Amazon Photo on Delivery, “Amazon may take a photo on delivery when a package is left unattended. Capturing delivery photos is intended to help customers see that their package was safely delivered and where. The photo will focus on the placement of the package. If a photo on delivery is captured, it may show up when you track a package from Your Orders.” Customers can also opt out of Photo on Delivery by contacting Customer Service.