Swipe Team
October 28, 2025
9 mins 
Have you ever waited for a package that never showed up? You’re not the only one.
In the U.S., about 1.7% of all shipped packages get lost, and that hurts both shoppers and merchants. Losing a package can cause stress and make customers lose trust in a brand, which can be bad for any business.
At Swipe.ai, we know every package counts. Our goal is to help online stores protect their shipments and turn problems like lost packages into new chances to grow. In this post, we’ll talk about what to do if a package goes missing, how to communicate with customers during these moments, and how Swipe’s tools can make the process easier.
By the end, you’ll know how to handle lost packages quickly and keep your customers happy. We’ll show you how to check what went wrong, how to stay in touch with customers, and how to use shipping protection to turn a stressful situation into a win for your business.
Why Do Packages Get Lost?
Even if it feels like your package just vanished, it didn’t magically disappear or get taken by aliens. Most of the time, it’s caused by mistakes or normal shipping problems.
So if your shipment goes missing, here are a few things that could be the reason why:
Package Never Got Sent Out
The first place to check is your own warehouse. Your missing package might still be there, waiting to be picked up. Sometimes it gets overlooked because of a messy loading process, a simple mistake, or too many packages coming in at once, which makes it easy for one to be missed.
Package Was Not Scanned Correctly
If the package isn’t scanned the right way or skips the scanning step, it might still move through delivery without anyone knowing where it is.
Usually, someone only finds the problem when they see a package that doesn’t belong to them and send it back to get scanned again.
Until that happens, your package is basically taking a trip on its own.
Package Wasn’t Sorted the Right Way
During the sorting stage, packages are grouped and sent to the right delivery trucks based on where they need to go. This usually happens at a big warehouse where the shipping company gathers all the packages from online stores and separates them by destination.
Sometimes, it happens at a local center near the customer before the driver loads them onto the truck for final delivery.
Package Label Gets Damaged
Another reason your package might get lost is if the shipping label gets too damaged to read. When that happens, workers can’t scan or sort it, and it’s hard to know where it should go. If the label can’t be read, it’s easy for the package to go missing.
That’s why online stores should always make sure shipping labels are clear, easy to read, and protected from getting damaged.
Package Stolen After Delivery
Your missing package might have been stolen by a “porch pirate,” which is what people call someone who takes packages from doorsteps.
In 2024, about 58 million packages were stolen this way, worth around 12 billion dollars.
So if tracking shows your package was delivered, your customer may need to look at their security cameras and report the theft to the police.
How Lost Shipments Affect Your Business
When a package goes missing, it’s not just the box that’s lost. Lost shipments can cause bigger problems that really hurt your online store. Here’s how missing packages can impact your business:
Impacts Customer Satisfaction and Brand Credibility
If customers don’t get their order the first time, they’ll be less likely to shop with you again because they’ve lost trust. Trust is the base of every relationship, especially between a business and its customers.
HubSpot claimed that getting a new customer costs 5 to 25 times more than keeping one you already have. When a package goes missing, you don’t just lose money from that order. You also risk losing future sales from that customer and end up spending more to find a new one.
Weakens Your Bottom Line
Lost packages can really hurt your business. If a customer never gets their order, you either have to give them their money back or send a new product. No matter what, it costs you more. If you refund them, you lose that sale.
If you replace the order, you keep the sale but still have to pay for shipping again.
Hurts the Brand’s Reputation
Word of mouth and reputation are what help your online store grow. People trust what others say because we all look for proof that something works.
So, when a customer’s package gets lost on the way, you’re not just losing that one shopper. You might also lose future customers who hear about their bad experience.
Stop Losing Shipments: 4 Preventive Steps That Work
Now that you understand what causes lost shipments and how they can hurt your online store, the next question is: can you stop them from happening? The good news is yes, you can.
Here are four smart ways to help prevent it:
1. Review Your Shipping Details
What might look like a small detail can actually decide if a package gets to the customer or goes missing. Forgetting something like a zip code or apartment number can cause the package to get lost.
So, make sure your package label has the right, clear, and complete information. Use a good-quality printer so the label is easy to read, and choose a simple design that helps people quickly recognize your package.
2. Keep Your Package Safe
We understand. You want your customer to get a nice-looking package that truly shows off your brand. Plain brown boxes don’t always look great, but they do the important job of keeping everything safe, so they’re worth using.
When packing your order, focus on keeping it strong and protected instead of just making it look pretty. Use sturdy materials and make sure the shipping label stays attached and easy to read until your customer finally opens their package.
3. Real-Time Tracking
Knowing where your package is at all times is the first step to making sure it doesn’t get lost. Real-time tracking and quick updates make this easy. They not only show that your package is moving as expected but also tell you the last place it was scanned if it ever goes missing. That helps you figure out where to start looking.
4. Flexible Delivery Options for Every Customer
Finally, give your customers flexible delivery options so they can be home when their packages arrive. This helps stop porch pirates from stealing deliveries and makes the shopping experience better.
Let customers choose a delivery time that works for them or pick another safe place for their package to be dropped off.
Lost a Package? Here’s What to Do Next
Let’s say you did everything you could to stop a lost shipment from happening. But even after all your effort, one of your packages has gone missing. So, what should you do now? File a report right away? Not exactly.
Instead, it’s better to take a step-by-step approach to find out what really happened. Here’s what to do next:
Check Package Status
When a customer says their package is missing, the first thing to do is check its status. Look at the tracking number from the shipping company to see where it is. Many times, the package isn’t lost—it’s just running late.
- Check Your Tracking: Look at your tracking page for any new updates. Sometimes a package might say “delivered” even though it’s still on the way or running late.
- Contact the Shipping Company: If the tracking doesn’t make sense, get in touch with the delivery company. They can give you more details or tell you when your package should arrive.
Talk to Your Customers
Once you know what’s going on with the package, reach out to your customer right away. Here’s what to do:
- Show you understand: Begin by recognizing how they feel. You can say something like, “I know this must be really frustrating for you.” This helps build trust.
- Share details: Tell them what you know about the package. If it’s still being shipped, give them the expected delivery date. If it seems lost, let them know you’re already working on fixing the problem.
Offer Solution
Depending on the situation, you might want to give your customer a few ways to fix the problem.
- Replacement or Refund: If the package is truly lost, offer to send a new one or give a full refund. This shows that you care about keeping your customers happy and that you take responsibility.
- Shipping Protection: If they don’t already have it, tell your customer about your shipping protection options. At ShipAid, we provide flexible plans that help protect deliveries and also give businesses a way to earn extra money through our Delivery Guarantee program.
File an Insurance or Refund Claim
Most shipping companies don’t like paying for damaged or missing packages, but they’ll often cover the cost if your package is completely lost. So, once you’re sure your package isn’t coming, the next step is to file a claim with the shipping company. You can ask them to pay you back for both the item and the shipping fee.
Filing a claim can take time and effort, but it usually works. Shipping companies want to protect their reputation, so they try to fix things when a package goes missing.
Document the Incident
Keep track of all messages, claims, and solutions about the lost package. Having these notes can help you later and might show problems or patterns in how you handle shipping.
Conclusion
Lost packages are a normal part of selling online, but they don’t have to hurt your business. By using the tips in this guide and the tools from Swipe.ai, you can turn these problems into chances to grow and connect with your customers.
If you run an online store, keeping your customers’ trust and happiness should come first. When you handle lost packages quickly and offer clear shipping protection, it shows that you truly care about your customers.
Ready to make your shipping safer and keep your customers happy? Try our interactive demo at Swipe.ai Demo to see how we make shipping simple, fast, and worry-free.