Daily Life
Lost or Damaged Parcels in China: A Courier Claims Guide for Foreign Residents
How foreign residents can document a missing or damaged delivery in China, contact the seller and courier, preserve evidence, and escalate a claim.
Rules and procedures can change. Check the linked official sources before acting on time-sensitive information.
Quick answer
What you need to know
Preserve tracking, packaging, video, and payment evidence; identify whether the seller, platform, or courier owns the next step; and keep every deadline and case number.
- Do not discard packaging or confirm satisfactory receipt before documenting damage.
- Save the order page, tracking trail, handoff photo, chat, invoice, and unboxing evidence.
- Open the case with the seller or platform and courier when responsibility is unclear.
- Use official complaint channels only after preserving the first-line case numbers.
A parcel dispute often involves three records: the purchase, the courier movement, and the final handoff. Capture all three before a tracking page, chat, or delivery image disappears.
Preserve evidence immediately
Screenshot the product description, order number, price, payment, promised delivery, tracking history, recipient address, and delivery photo. For damage, photograph every side before opening, record an unboxing video, and retain the label, inner packaging, and item. For a missing parcel, check parcel lockers, the property desk, neighbors, and household members.
Keep address formatting consistent with the receiving parcels guide to reduce later ambiguity.
Run seller and courier workflows together
Open the marketplace after-sales case within its displayed deadline. Describe the requested outcome—trace, replacement, refund, or repair—and upload concise evidence. Contact the courier through its verified app or official number and request a trace or damage case number. Do not close either case merely because an agent promises an offline solution.
If the item is expensive, ask how declared value, insurance, packaging rules, and liability limits affect the claim. Do not assume the purchase price will automatically be the compensation amount.
Escalate with a clean timeline
Prepare one page listing the order, tracking number, dates, delivery event, contacts, case numbers, evidence, and requested remedy. Escalate first inside the platform and courier. The State Post Bureau provides sector information and complaint routes; eligibility and required prior handling can vary, so read the current instructions before submitting.
Parcel claim checklist
- Order page, payment, invoice, and seller identity saved.
- Tracking, address, delivery photo, and messages captured.
- Packaging and unboxing evidence retained.
- Property desk and parcel locker checked.
- Seller/platform after-sales case opened.
- Courier trace or damage case opened.
- Deadlines and case numbers calendared.
- Requested remedy and escalation timeline written clearly.
Official reference points
Claim rules depend on the purchase channel, carrier contract, declared value, evidence, and local process. Confirm current requirements with the seller, platform, courier, insurer, or competent authority.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions
Who should I contact first for a damaged online order?
Start with the seller or marketplace order page because the purchase contract and refund workflow are usually there, while also notifying the courier if transit damage is apparent.
What if tracking says delivered but nothing arrived?
Check the delivery photo, parcel locker, property desk, household members, and exact address. Ask the courier for the handoff record and open a trace promptly.
Should I sign for a visibly damaged parcel?
Ask to inspect it where the delivery process permits, photograph the condition, and record any refusal or damage notation. Platform and courier rules differ, so preserve evidence before acting.
