Survey: Package thefts grow with rise in online deliveries

As consumers order more products online for delivery, more packages are being reported stolen.

According to the 2020 Package Theft Statistics Report from C&R Research, almost six in 10 (59%) surveyed online consumers receive some type of package on a weekly basis, which is up 10 percentage points from the 2019 edition of the survey. Meanwhile, the number of respondents who reported having a package stolen rose 19% from 36% in 2019 to 43% in 2020. 

Of the 43% who have had a package stolen, almost two-thirds (64%) say they’ve been a victim of package theft more than once. The average value of the stolen package was $136, with 81% of respondents who had a package stolen saying they received a refund on the stolen item(s). 

About one-third (32%) of respondents say delivery companies aren’t doing enough to prevent package theft, with almost four in 10 (39%) staying home to meet the delivery driver when they’re expecting a package and 50% having purchased a doorbell camera or other type of security device to prevent package theft.

More than eight in 10 (84%) respondents report ordering more items online since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, and almost three in 10 (29%) had a package stolen during the pandemic, including 22% who had a package stolen for the first time during the pandemic.

Fifty-five percent of respondents were planning to purchase more items online during the 2020 holiday season compared to 2019, with 31% planning to purchase about the same number of items online and 14% planning to purchase fewer items. However, 55% were victims of package theft during the 2019 holiday season, while 52% were worried about package theft during the 2020 holiday season and 48% planned to avoid buying expensive items online. 

In addition, 24% of respondents planned to use in-store pickup of online purchases during the 2020 holiday season and 13% planned to send packages to a delivery center.

C&R Research surveyed 2,000 consumers who have shopped online at least once within the last 12 months.