How to Make Sure Your Packages Don’t Get Stolen

Contact the Retailer. Retailers have different policies on handling package thefts. Some, such as Target, have fine-print clauses saying the risk of loss passes to the buyer when the purchase is delivered to the shipping company. Still, it doesn’t hurt to ask. According to our survey, this is the most common action that victims take, with 58 percent of Americans who had a package stolen doing so.

Contact the Shipping Company. Shippers often require the sender, not the recipient, to initiate a claim. If the retailer won’t cooperate, contact the shipper as soon as possible. You have a limited number of days to file a claim. In our survey, 40 percent of Americans who had a package stolen notified the shipping company; 25 percent requested a full reimbursement.

Check Your Credit Card Benefits. Many credit cards have purchase protection that covers lost or stolen items. If your purchase was made with a credit card, you can make a claim with the issuer, says Daniel Blinn, managing attorney with the Consumer Law Group in Rocky Hill, Conn. If that doesn’t work, Blinn advises requesting a chargeback from your credit card company. Twelve percent of American package theft victims did that, according to our survey.

Check Your Insurance. As a last resort, you may be able to collect from your homeowners or renters insurance. But those policies usually have deductibles of $500 to $1,000 or more, so depending on the value of the contents, your insurance might not be helpful.

Consider Involving the Police. For a small purchase, you might not want to do this, but you might need a police report if you’re making a claim with a retailer, shipper, credit card company, or insurance company. Our survey indicated that 9 percent of Americans who had a package stolen filed a police report to recover the value of the item.