# Ever been shipped something based on search alone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808 "2021-11-23T14:05:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/21 "2021-11-23T21:28:42Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Did your friend perhaps use a wishlist feature to keep track of the item he wanted? I’m going with this theory. By default Amazon wish lists are searchable by the public, ostensibly so you can see if your friends and family have wish lists on Amazon, and if so you can buy them a gift from said list. I could see someone at XYZ Realty deciding this year instead of sending out calendars to all their customers, they would search to see if they had wish lists on Amazon, and send them the cheapest thing on their list as long as it’s below some price limit. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was software that will just go through their contact list and do that automatically. So if your friend was just using the wish list to keep track of the ice cube trays he was considering, or just added them by mistake, the realty might have seen that and sent them to him. (And if your friend has never done business with XYZ Realty before, maybe he just has a similar name to someone who has). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/22 "2021-11-24T02:03:56Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > (And if your friend has never done business with XYZ Realty before, maybe he just has a similar name to someone who has). Yeah, I was wondering this. Does OP’s friend have, or has ever had, any dealings with XYZ Realty? Or has OP’s friend done any real estate related internet searches? It’s hard to imagine that searching for ice cube trays would attract any attention from a realty company. But if OP’s friend is doing any on-line realty research, that could have attracted that attention. Then if they could also discover his ice cube search, they could connect the dots. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/23 "2021-11-24T02:50:04Z")
Stranger things have happened. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/24 "2021-12-22T19:05:53Z")
I shoulda checked back in. Sorry. Talked w/ the guy later and asked if he ever figured out the delivery. He said something like it was ordered from Walmart but delivered by Amazon. Sounded sorta confusing to me, and I didn’t try to straighten it out. Will teach me to wait before posting… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/25 "2021-12-22T19:44:46Z")
We’ve had a few of these. Checking the tracking number online can at least indicate whether a package was delivered on that day. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/26 "2021-12-22T22:54:34Z")
I just googled “Les Paul guitars.” Just sitting here now, waiting for it to show up… ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/27 "2021-12-23T16:11:58Z")
Don’t forget to google Marshall amps. What use is a Les Paul without the Marshall? For the OP, I’ve ordered from Amazon before and been surprised when a box showed up from a different major online retailer (for example, Petsmart box when ordering dog treats). Maybe the inverse happens as well? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/28 "2021-12-23T21:00:32Z")
Yes, but how does confusion over who is shipping the product explain the “enjoy this gift” note from xyz realty company? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/29 "2021-12-23T23:53:33Z")
It’s plausible some Amazon warehouse worker put the gift note in the wrong box. I have had something similar happen before, in my case I sent a gift to someone but they got the correct item but a gift note for someone else. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/30 "2021-12-24T01:30:48Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I shoulda checked back in. Sorry. > > Talked w/ the guy later and asked if he ever figured out the delivery. He said something like it was ordered from Walmart but delivered by Amazon. Sounded sorta confusing to me, and I didn’t try to straighten it out. > > Will teach me to wait before posting… It’s called drop shipping, it’s actually pretty common. That means he could have had the same thing from Amazon for cheaper, which is odd since he claims he actually did find it on Amazon first. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/31 "2021-12-24T01:31:45Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Yes, but how does confusion over who is shipping the product explain the “enjoy this gift” note from xyz realty company? You get better/more reviews if you include a nice note with your product. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808/32 "2021-12-24T01:36:04Z")
I’ve had Canadian sellers include notes like that to avoid paying tariffs - pretending it was a personal gift instead of a sale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-shipped-something-based-on-search-alone/954808.md?page=1)