A Virginia woman named Cindy Smith recently found herself in a peculiar situation when she started receiving more than 100 Amazon packages that she didn’t order. The packages contained a variety of items, including 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and numerous kids’ binoculars, according to CBS affiliate station WUSA.
Smith expressed her confusion and surprise as the boxes continued to pile up outside her home in Prince William County. “It’s a lot of packages,” she told WUSA. “I didn’t order them.”
Upon further investigation, Smith discovered that the packages were addressed to a name she didn’t recognize, Lixiao Zhang. This led her to suspect that she might have fallen victim to a “brushing” scam, a fraudulent scheme where e-commerce sellers send unsolicited packages to individuals and post fake positive reviews on their behalf to boost their ratings on online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.
However, WUSA reported that Smith’s situation is more likely related to a different type of vendor scheme. In this case, sellers attempt to remove unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centers by sending them to random addresses. WUSA traced the return packaging labels to 15 fulfillment centers across nine states.
CJ Rosenbaum, a founding partner at the New York law firm Rosenbaum Famularo, explained that sellers in China opt for this method because it is cheaper for them to send unwanted products to random addresses rather than paying for their disposal. Amazon confirmed that the seller account involved in this incident violated their policies and has since been closed.
Smith, who is an environmental science professor, didn’t want the items to go to waste, so she took it upon herself to distribute them around town. She gave glue guns and headlamps to her neighbors, as well as dog shelters and veterinary clinics. She even surprised employees at Burger King with a gift. “I have a gift for you,” she told them.
Overall, Smith’s unexpected delivery spree sheds light on the various schemes and challenges that e-commerce platforms like Amazon face. It also showcases the resourcefulness and generosity of individuals like Smith, who find creative ways to prevent waste and benefit their community.