Operations
How to Handle Porch Piracy and Stolen Package Claims on Your Shopify Store
Porch piracy is a growing problem for Shopify store owners. The carrier confirms delivery. The customer says the package was stolen from their doorstep. Unlike a genuine non-delivery, a stolen package claim is harder to verify — and easier to exploit. This guide gives you a clear process to handle stolen package claims fairly, protect your margins, and avoid chargebacks.
Why stolen package claims are different from standard non-delivery disputes
When a package is genuinely lost in transit, the carrier is responsible and a trace investigation usually resolves the issue. Stolen packages are different. Delivery was confirmed. The carrier fulfilled their obligation. The dispute is now between you and the customer — and your response process determines whether you lose money or handle it cleanly. See our guide on non-delivery for the contrast.
Step 1 — Verify the delivery details first
Before treating a claim as a theft, confirm the basics:
- Was the package delivered to the correct address?
- Does the carrier confirmation show a doorstep photo?
- Was a signature required or waived?
If the carrier delivered to the wrong address, that is a carrier error — not a theft claim. Open a carrier investigation immediately and do not issue a refund until the investigation concludes.
Step 2 — Ask the customer to file a police report
For orders above your risk threshold — typically $50 or more — ask the customer to file a police report before you process a replacement or refund. This step alone filters out the majority of fraudulent claims. Genuine theft victims file reports without hesitation. Opportunistic claimants usually drop the request.
Your response template:
"Thank you for letting us know. We are sorry to hear your package was stolen. For orders of this value, we require a police report reference number before we can process a replacement or refund. Once you have that, please reply to this email and we will take care of it straight away."
Step 3 — Check the customer's order history
Before issuing any resolution, check whether the customer has filed a similar claim before. A customer who has reported two or more stolen or missing packages in 12 months should be flagged for manual review on all future orders.
Note the flag in your helpdesk against their profile. Most helpdesk tools including Gorgias and Zendesk allow you to add internal notes to customer profiles that are invisible to the customer.
Step 4 — Decide: replace, refund, or deny
Replace or refund when:
- The customer provided a police report reference
- Order history shows no previous theft claims
- The order value is below your risk threshold and the customer is long-standing
Deny when:
- The customer refused to file a police report on a high-value order
- Order history shows a pattern of theft claims
- The carrier photo shows the package clearly delivered to a secure location
Pro tip
Stolen package claims eat time and create stress. Our agents handle delivery disputes end-to-end — verifying delivery details, requesting police reports where needed, and protecting your store from fraudulent claims. From $10/hr with no lock-in. See our pricing.
Related: chargeback handling.
How to reduce stolen package claims long term
Three things that reduce claim volume over time:
- Add signature on delivery as an option at checkout for high-value orders
- Recommend package insurance at checkout using an app like Route or Navidium
- Add a clause to your shipping policy stating that once delivery is confirmed to the correct address, the store is not liable for theft — and link to it in your order confirmation email
Frequently asked questions
- Am I legally required to replace a stolen package?
- Generally no — once the carrier confirms delivery to the correct address, your obligation is fulfilled. However, your own refund and returns policy may create exceptions, so check what your store policy says before denying a claim.
- What if the customer files a chargeback after I deny their claim?
- Submit the carrier delivery confirmation, your policy, and any communication with the customer to your payment processor. A well-documented denial wins most disputes.
- Should I offer package insurance to all customers?
- For stores with average order values above $40, yes. Apps like Route or Navidium add optional insurance at checkout and handle claims directly — removing the dispute from your inbox entirely.
Want to see how this would look for your brand?
We'll walk through your current support stack, ticket categories, and tooling — and show you what an operationalized version looks like inside Zendesk, Gorgias, or Help Scout.