Did I ever tell you about the time I order an item online (a vacuum cleaner I think it was) via Wish (one of the super cheap stores, that came before Temu and Shein); of course I didn’t but here we are. I’m smiling now, and to be honest I was pretty surprised and confused at the time. I shouldn’t have been, the price was ridiculously low. End result, they sent me a little flag with a picture of product.

So as I’m here reviewing some student work, I find myself laughing about the anxious moments pre-delivery and down the search 😅 engine shutter I went…

Online shopping, while convenient, often leads to hilarious, long-awaited, and completely unexpected delivery scenarios. Here are some of the funniest stories and situations from online purchases: 

• The 16-Year Delivery: A Libyan trader finally received a shipment of Nokia mobile phones ordered in 2010 after a 16-year delay caused by political turmoil and conflict, making the technology hilariously obsolete upon arrival.
• The “Deluxe Amphibian Spa”: A customer ordered a paddling pool for their dog, but it was so large it was described as fitting a “family of frogs,” leading them to joke it was a “deluxe amphibian spa” rather than a pet pool.
• A Package in the Wrong Dimension: Delivery trackers sometimes list packages as “delayed due to unforeseen circumstances,” which often means they were lost or, as one joke puts it, “fell into another dimension”.
• The “Wicked Witch” Shoes: A Shein shopper ordered shoes that arrived looking like “Wicked Witch of the West shoes,” complete with unwearable, broken heels.
• AI-Generated Nonsense: A hoodie ordered online arrived featuring AI-generated text that was completely nonsensical, leaving the buyer with a very strange garment.
• The “DIY” Shirt: A shopper expected a finished shirt but received a “DIY project” instead, featuring optional buttons and unfinished buttonholes.
• The “Scam” Book Irony: A person shared a story about waiting six months for an online order, only for it to be a book titled “How to Scam People Online”.
• “Nuh Uh!” Neighbor: A courier driver had to deal with a neighbor refusing to move from in front of their truck, shouting “Nuh uh!” because they insisted on getting both their packages at the same time, not just the one available. 

Funny Delivery Mishaps & Excuses:

• Misdirected Package: A customer’s package was mistakenly sent to a neighbor who didn’t admit to receiving it, forcing the original buyer to give up on the item.
• The “Mistaken” Phone Call: A delivery driver had to call a customer to open a gate, leading to a hilarious misunderstanding where the customer’s boyfriend thought the driver was someone else.
• The “Lost” Item: A package was marked as “delivered,” but it was actually just sitting on the courier’s truck because they were too overwhelmed to deliver it.
• The “Too Honest” Courier: A courier admitted they were late because they were “stupid enough” to deliver food to people broken down on a motorway. 

Have a laugh yourself…here are some more