B.C. woman buried in Amazon packages she did not ask for and does not want

Almost every day, Anca Nitu comes home from work to find an Amazon package she did not order at her doorstep. 

For the past two months, Nitu says she's received more than 50 parcels containing women's shoes. They were sent by people across North America who intended to return them to the Amazon seller, with each box containing a return authorization slip to her address. 

She says couriers have also abandoned packages on her porch, denying her the opportunity to refuse them. It has also resulted in more than $300 worth of Connect-on-Delivery (COD) customs charges from the United Postal Service (UPS). The bills are mailed to her by the delivery company.   

"I start shaking when I see packages at my door," said Nitu, who says the stress has cost her sleep and her appetite. "They keep coming, and it just doesn't end." 

While she has not determined an exact cause, Nitu suspects her residence is being used as a return address for sellers or third-party handlers to dump their unwanted products. The Better Business Bureau says it sounds like a vendor-return scheme, where sellers, usually from overseas countries like China or India, skirt shipping and warehouse fees by using a residence to ship their returned products. 

Third-party sellers who use Amazon fulfilment centres are required to pay for picking and packing orders, shipping, handling and product returns. 

If an Amazon customer wishes to return a product to a third-party seller, the BBB says a company might try to save money by choosing a private return address than having to pay the cost of shipping packages overseas or have them processed in fulfillment centres. 

When a seller's returned products can't be re-sold, the companies are charged with removal and disposal order fees. 

Neesha Hothi, the director of marketing and communications at B.C.'s Better Business Bureau, says she has not heard of the scam happening locally but is common in the U.S.

"It's easier and cheaper for the sellers to have [returned products] sent to this random address than having it sent to China," said Hothi. "It could be that the warehouse has asked the seller to remove their unsold products from fulfillment centres, or their contract is ending."

The Better Business Bureau also referenced the Amazon brushing scam, where companies would purchase products and have them sent to random customers so they can write verified reviews, but Nitu says what is happening to her is materially different. 

Most of the shoes have a return slip that bears her name and address but are intended for shoe sellers in the U.S. The return slip bears her name and information but is addressed to a company. 

Nitu says she is disputing the duty charges from UPS. 

"I refused to pay, and the dispute with UPS is still ongoing," said Nitu. "They're completely unreasonable. I tried to explain the situation, and they were not nice, let's put it that way."