How to file a lost or damaged shipment claim with a courier in India

To claim for a lost or damaged shipment in India, first confirm the loss with the courier, then file a written claim with the AWB, GST invoice and packing evidence inside the courier's window. Blue Dart and DTDC publish a 30-day window from booking; Delhivery wants damage claims within 72 hours of delivery. Without declared value, payouts are capped low.

How do you know a parcel is actually lost?

Most "lost" parcels are late, misrouted or sitting at a hub without a scan. File too early and the courier closes the claim when the parcel turns up; file too late and you miss the window. Look for these signs:

• Tracking has stopped moving. No new scan for several days on a lane that normally takes two to four days. Check the full scan history on our universal tracking page, not the one-line status in your panel.
• It shows delivered but the customer says it never came. Pull the ePOD (electronic proof of delivery) first. An OTP-verified delivery with a GPS point at the address is a different case from one with no OTP, no photo and a location two kilometres away.
• An RTO never came back. If tracking says "RTO delivered" and nothing reached your warehouse, treat it as a forward-leg loss.
• Scans loop between hubs. A parcel bouncing between two sort centres is usually mislabelled. Ask for a physical trace.

Couriers only declare a parcel lost after an internal search, and their timelines differ, so check your agreement. Watch the calendar while you wait: on DTDC and Blue Dart the 30-day claim clock starts at booking, not when someone admits the parcel is gone.

What is the step-by-step claim process?

1. 1Freeze the evidence. Download the tracking history, screenshot the last scan and save the ePOD if the status says delivered.
2. 2Raise a trace with the AWB number through the courier or your shipping platform's support desk, and note the ticket number.
3. 3For damage, get the customer's proof fast. Ask for at least two photos or a short video showing the product, the box and the label. Delhivery's claims page asks for exactly this, with the AWB visible, within 72 hours of delivery.
4. 4File a written claim inside the window with the GST invoice, declared value, packing photos, handover weight and tracking history. Many couriers require claims within 30 days of booking, and some are stricter for damage, so check your agreement.
5. 5Take the outcome in the right form. Couriers usually settle by credit note against freight. If you insured the goods yourself, ask for a Certificate of Facts or loss/damage certificate for your insurer.
6. 6Log every claim by courier and lane and chase open references weekly.

What evidence do you need for a courier claim?

Claims desks reject what they cannot verify, so build the evidence before the parcel leaves your dock.

How much will the courier actually pay?

Less than most sellers expect. Blue Dart's published conditions say shipments travel at owner's risk, and for uninsured shipments its liability is the lowest of ₹5,000 or the actual loss. DTDC's terms cap automatic liability at a few hundred rupees per consignment (₹100 and ₹500 appear in different clauses) unless you enter a "declared value for carriage" and pay a risk surcharge, with carrier's risk available up to ₹2 lakh.

Neither pays for consequential loss such as lost profit, and DTDC limits delay claims to the basic freight. Both put packing on the shipper, and DTDC says it is not liable for damage from improper packing. A crushed box with no inner cushioning is a hard claim to win, so read the ecommerce packaging guide before your next fragile order.

Owner's risk vs carrier's risk

Under carrier's risk, you pay the courier a surcharge on the declared value and it carries the loss up to that value. Under owner's risk, you insure the goods yourself and the courier only certifies what happened. DTDC excludes fragile items such as glassware and TV sets from carrier's risk, so breakables need your own policy. Our guide to shipping insurance for ecommerce covers costs and break-even maths.

What should you do for the customer while the claim is open?

Fix the customer's problem first and treat the claim as separate accounting. Assume a prepaid ₹1,800 order with a product cost of ₹700 and freight of ₹70. If you refund, you return ₹1,800 and the ₹770 already spent is gone: you are ₹770 down. If you reship, you spend another ₹770 but keep the ₹1,800: you end ₹260 up and the customer gets the product. A claim payout improves both cases equally, so reshipping wins whenever you have stock and the buyer still wants the item.

• Lost prepaid order: reship the same day; refund only if the customer asks.
• Lost COD order: the customer has not paid, so confirm they still want it and reship.
• Damaged on arrival: collect photos, then send a replacement. Arrange a reverse pickup only if the courier or insurer needs the item.
• Delivered but not received: share the ePOD details and ask the customer to check with family or building security. Our guide on handling delayed deliveries has a ready-to-send message for this.

How do you escalate if the courier rejects or ignores the claim?

1. 1Ask for the rejection reason in writing. Most rejections are about missing evidence or late filing; supply what is missing and ask for a review.
2. 2Escalate inside the courier through your account manager or the grievance officer on its website, and check your contract's dispute clause (Blue Dart's conditions, for example, put disputes under Mumbai courts).
3. 3Log a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or 1800-11-4000, on WhatsApp at +91 8800001915, or at consumerhelpline.gov.in. It is a pre-litigation step that forwards your grievance to the company; resolution may take up to 30 days.
4. 4Consider the Consumer Commission. Complaints are filed through e-Jagriti, which since January 2025 has absorbed the older e-Daakhil portal. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 excludes services availed for a commercial purpose, so a business shipping stock may not qualify as a consumer.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your signed courier agreement overrides public terms, so confirm limits and windows with your courier or a lawyer.

Which mistakes get claims rejected?

• Under-declaring value to save on surcharges. DTDC pays against the declared value, so a ₹12,000 phone declared at ₹2,000 is a ₹2,000 claim at best.
• Filing after the window. A claim on day 31 under a 30-day clause is usually dead, however good the evidence.
• Reused or undersized boxes, which hand the courier an easy reason to deny liability.
• Restricted goods. Check the prohibited items list before you book.