Australia Post lost parcel: what an online store should do

Before you call it lost: checks to ask the customer to make

1. Check the tracking for the latest scan. The parcel may simply be running late.
2. Look for a delivery card in the letterbox or under the door, or an email or SMS saying it's waiting at a Post Office.
3. Ask whether someone else at home or work signed for it, or, in a large building, whether the mailroom or building management has it.
4. Check safe places: under or behind something near the door, or in the mailbox.
5. Check the delivery address on the order. A typo is a common reason a parcel goes astray.
6. Check Australia Post's service updates for delays in your customer's area.

When to lodge an enquiry with Australia Post

• Australia Post says most late parcels arrive within 5 business days of their expected delivery date.
• For a domestic parcel, personal customers can lodge a missing item enquiry once it's 10 business days past the expected delivery date. They need a free MyPost account and the tracking number.
• As a business, log in to Australia Post's Business Support Portal to track items and manage enquiries, with priority support.
• Australia Post may contact the sender, the delivery driver, the local Post Office and its lost property centre while it investigates. If the parcel is delivered, the case closes automatically.

What Australia Post pays for lost or damaged parcels

• Most services include compensation of up to $100 for loss or damage, plus a refund of the postage. You may need to show proof of value, and each claim is assessed case by case.
• Australia Post says its services are generally suitable for items worth up to $100. For more valuable orders, buy Extra Cover, which covers loss or damage up to $5,000 (or $500 for some services).
• No compensation without proof of lodgement, such as the postage receipt or tracking label, and none for items that weren't adequately packed.
• Late parcels generally aren't compensated. Express Post is the exception: if it misses its next-day guarantee, Australia Post refunds the postage.
• Australia Post's compensation page says to lodge a claim within 6 months of posting, and that compensation for a domestic parcel that never arrives generally goes to the sender. Check the current page before you claim.
• Damaged parcels: keep the item and all the packaging. Australia Post may need to see them at a Post Office to complete a damage report.

What you owe the customer

• The customer's purchase was with you, so don't send them to Australia Post. Handle the enquiry and the claim yourself.
• The ACCC says that when something outside the business's control, like a postal delay, stops a product arriving, the customer should give the business a chance to fix it, and that may mean a refund or a replacement.
• The ACCC also expects businesses to keep customers updated about delays and what they're doing about them.
• Set a simple rule your team follows, for example: lodge an enquiry at 10 business days past the expected date and offer a replacement or refund at the same time.
• Australia Post's compensation and Extra Cover don't limit your customer's rights under the Australian Consumer Law. See Australian Consumer Law refunds.

New Zealand: claiming from NZ Post

• Only the sender (the person who bought the postage) can lodge an enquiry or claim. If a customer contacts NZ Post, they'll be told to go to you.
• Deadlines for parcels within New Zealand: 21 days from the date of sending for non-delivery, and 10 days from delivery for damage (7 days for business customers).
• Cover within New Zealand is up to $250 for Economy and up to $2,000 for Courier (including Signature required), including GST, plus a postage refund. These limits depend on conditions, such as packing and proof of sending.
• For businesses that sold the item, NZ Post bases cover on the lower of your cost price and the retail price.
• NZ Post pays no compensation for delays. Once a reasonable time has passed with no sign of the item, it may treat it as lost.
• Lodge through NZ Post's online assistance form or the Customer Care Centre. Have the proof of posting, tracking number, the item's value and the sender and addressee details ready. For damage, the item and its packaging go to an NZ Post retail outlet.
• Expect one to two weeks before NZ Post gets back to you on a domestic claim.

Replies you can send

Answer 'where's my parcel?' in seconds

Delivery questions are among the most common messages an online store gets, and they arrive in comments, DMs and email at once. On Standard, Paperflower drafts each reply with the customer's Shopify order and tracking, and sorts lost, late and damaged parcels into what needs a person. Order details never go out in a public comment: you reply privately. See our WISMO guide and how Paperflower works with Shopify.

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