Package arrived damaged? Here's how to report it, how to prove it, and how to prevent it
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
A customer reports that their package arrived damaged. What do you do, what evidence do you need, and which packaging choices make a difference?
You receive a message with a photo: a dented corner, a torn flap, and something broken inside. At that moment, two things cross your mind. The first is the customer, who mainly wants to know when they'll get a new item. The second is the administration: can you claim that damage somewhere, and if so, what do you need for it? Separating these two tracks keeps you calm and reduces financial loss.
Customer first, then the claim
Always resolve it with the recipient first. A new product or a credit note costs you the purchase price; a customer waiting a week for a reply costs you a review. Immediately ask for what you'll need later anyway: photos. Not only of the broken product, but also of the outside of the box, the shipping label, and the packing material as it was in the box.
Also, ask the customer to keep the packaging until the claim has been processed. That sounds excessive, but it's exactly the point where claims fail: the box is already with the recycling, and then there's no proof left of what the shipment looked like.
What the carrier asks of you
The rules vary per carrier and per service, so always check the current terms and conditions of the party you ship with. According to PostNL's own customer service, damage must be reported within 7 days of delivery (excluding Sundays and public holidays). PostNL also states that compensation is only applicable for insured services such as Registered Mail and Insured Service — for a regular, uninsured parcel, there is no right to compensation. As proof, PostNL asks for the invoice of the shipment (purchase or sale) and photos of the damaged shipment, including the box and label. Important detail: the sender submits the report, not the recipient. The recipient informs you; you do the rest. (Source: PostNL customer service, pages on damaged shipments.)
Two practical consequences. One: those seven days are quickly over if a customer only responds after a weekend, so react quickly. Two: if you regularly send something fragile or expensive, the trade-off between a few extra euros for an insured service and bearing the full risk yourself is a calculation you make consciously, not one that just happens to you.
The three places where things go wrong
Damage rarely occurs randomly. In practice, you always see the same three causes.
Too much air in the box. If the contents can shift, they will hit the wall with every sorting. Fill until it no longer rattles when you shake it.
Too little cardboard between contents and the outside world. A box that is too tight allows every impact to go directly to the product. About three centimeters of space all around, filled, absorbs much more.
A seam that opens. One strip of tape over the center seam is not enough for a heavier box. Tape the center seam plus both side seams, and press the tape down.
How to solve that
Filling first. For fragile products, bubble wrap works best because you can wrap it around the shape. The Bubble Wrap Roll 500 mm x 500 m (€ 12.95) is intended for those who ship daily; if you send something occasionally, the smaller Green Bubble Wrap Roll 50 x 500 cm (€ 5.00) is enough. Wrap each loose part separately and then fill the remaining cavities.
Finally, the sealing. Cheap tape that comes loose in the cold is an expensive saving. The KINZO Packaging Tape 50 meters x 48 mm (€ 3.00) is fine for small volumes; if you ship more, the stock packaging Tape Rolls 6 pieces 48x66 mm (€ 21.00) is more logical. Work with a dispenser such as the Kinzo Tape Dispenser with 2 rolls (€ 9.95): straight strips stick better than hand-torn strips, and it saves seconds per package.
Record what you have done
In a discussion about damage, the question of whether the packaging was adequate quickly arises. That is difficult to prove afterwards, unless you have documented it beforehand. A few simple habits help:
For fragile or expensive shipments, take one photo of the filled box just before you seal it. Thirty seconds of work.
Note the box size and what filling you used with the order, even if it's just a code like "15-cube + bubble".
Keep the tracking data and the purchase or sale amount together — that's exactly what you need to provide for a claim.
If you see the same product repeatedly returning with damage, that's not bad luck but a signal. Usually, the solution is a size larger, an extra layer of filling, or a different placement in the box.
What it costs you, and what it saves
Calculate it for one product. Suppose an extra layer of bubble wrap and a second strip of tape cost you 20 cents per package. For 200 packages per month, that's € 40. One damaged shipment of € 45 that you have to resend, including new shipping costs and the time spent on customer contact, quickly exceeds that. It is rarely a question of whether better packaging pays off; it is a question of at what quantity.
Get started yourself
Walk through your packing station with this question: can the contents shift, can the seam open, and can I later show how it went in? Everything you need for this can be found at Protection & Void Fill, Tape, Packing & Shipping and Letterbox Packaging. Do you doubt which box size suits your product or how much filling is advisable? Email your question with the dimensions and weight to info@verpakkingdeals.nl — and we'll help you think of a combination that prevents damage without sending unnecessary material.
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