Lost parcels costing Australians $867 million

Karl Aguilar

19th Jan 2026

Incidents of lost or stolen parcel deliveries are soaring – and it is costing Australians a fortune, according to new research by comparison site Finder.

Data reveals that 18 per cent of Australians have had a parcel go missing in the past year – the equivalent of 3.9 million lost deliveries nationwide.

Among those who experienced such delivery woes, 4 per cent reported theft from their property; others faced logistical failures, with packages vanishing in transit (7 per cent) and being delivered to the wrong location (also 7 per cent).

The research also noted that Gen Y was the generation most likely to have a package go missing (27 per cent), followed by Gen Z (22 per cent). Regional Aussies were less likely to have a package stolen from their address (1 per cent vs 6 per cent), but slightly more likely for it to go missing in transit (8 per cent vs seven 7 cent).

All in all, these mishaps carry a heavy price tag: the average lost parcel is valued at $221, totalling $867 million in losses nationwide.

Angus Kidman, money expert at Finder, said that missed or stolen deliveries have become an increasingly common headache for Australian shoppers.

“As online purchases surge, so do reports of parcels going missing before they ever reach the front door. The problem isn’t just annoying – it’s costly.”

With the increase in home deliveries, unattended packages have become easy targets for thieves. Kidman has put forward some suggestions for would-be recipients.

“Tracking estimated delivery dates can help people plan ahead. Redirecting parcels to secure collection points, like your workplace or a parcel locker, is a safer option if no one will be home or the delivery date isn’t clear,” he said.

Kidman also suggested that measures such as requesting signature-on-delivery, installing security cameras, and providing clear instructions for couriers to leave packages in a secure location can help protect deliveries.

“If goods never arrive, you can also potentially claim a chargeback on the credit card used to pay for the goods,” he added.

• This story was originally published on Inside Small Business.