How does your Parcel get lost?

Less common, but still can happen. Millions of parcels are delivered across the world every day. Although many of the parcels are delivered successfully, there are some occasions where packages do go missing. Let's understand why a package might go missing.

Logistics industry has experienced a drastic shift ever after the adoption of advanced technology especially the automation.

The tech enables logistics has simplified the life of shippers predominantly the e-commerce sellers. The advanced tracking system which enables the shippers to know the exact location of the shipment to ensure a safe delivery of the products to the customer.

But even amidst these, mistakes may happen and your package might get lost in the transit. The reasons may be many, below are few of the possibilities due to which the parcel might get lost.

Why do shipments go missing or lost?

Scenario 1:

Generally, the common and recurring reason for a parcel to get astray is due to damaged shipping label. Sometimes during unloading the shipment from the vehicle or due to mishandling of the package the shipping label might get torn. Since the shipping label has to be  scanned at each stop in its journey and the torn shipping label cannot be scanned,  will be sent back to the shipper if the delivery address is unavailable else marked lost and placed in the warehouse with rest of the lost packages until someone asks for it.

Scenario 2:

Courier companies have hub in every city where all the packages are grouped according to their destination. Since this is a place where all the shipments are stored and moved, the chances of the package getting missed amidst many other packages due to overlooking or negligence is high.

Scenario 3:

Another scenario is, during the manual pickup of the shipment if the shipper doesn’t provide the shipping label the pickup person sticks AWB form on the package which might peel off if not glued properly or when the shipment encounters bad weather conditions like rain. In such a case the package will be returned to the shipper.

Hence it is advisable to cover the shipping label with a transparent plastic cover and stick it onto the courier box with a tape so that it doesn't tear or get damaged during the transit.

Still Missing?

The package undergoes change of hands, warehouse, and vehicles while its journey to the destination, thus leading to the high probability of shipment to get lost. In such a situation contact your courier service provider and get to know the status update of the shipment. If you have booked through a third party logistics like eCourierz, we will coordinate with the logistics company on behalf of you.

Once the customer complaints the carrier about the shipment which is not delivered even after the delivery date, the carrier begins searching for the shipment starting from the last scanned place. Since in most of the cases shipping labels are damaged, certain documents such as AWB number, image of the shipment, invoice, packing list etc might be asked to submit which will be helpful to search the shipment. The search process takes time, and after the thorough investigation, if the shipment is still not found then it is declared as lost.

Once it is confirmed that the product is lost, you can raise the claim. If you have taken additional insurance then you can claim the insurance within 10 days or the time specified by the insurance company.

To reduce the losses arising out of lost packages it is advised to purchase shipping insurance. It is an arrangement with a company who agrees to provide compensation for damage or loss of goods in transit in return for the payment of a specified premium.

Courier companies in most of the cases provide on time delivery of the shipment. Mistakes happen! So be prepared with the probabilities to avoid loss of shipment. Keep an eye on the movement of the shipment and get updates on the shipment so that you can act immediately in such a situation.

Final Words: eCourierz, a preferred logistics aggregator in India, making e-commerce shipping effortless with multi-carrier shipping features. Talk to our experts for more information.