The Burrow
Mar 13, 2025
With parcel theft or “porch piracy” an increasing concern among both Australians and Americans – especially during peak seasons like Black Friday and Christmas – we wanted to uncover just how many people have fallen victim to this.
As home and contents insurance comparison experts, we surveyed a nationally-representative sample of 500 Australians to find out who has had their packages stolen, what retailer they were from, and what (if any) preventative methods they’d put in place since then.
To gather data for the United States, we looked at the number of offences, as well as search volumes for stolen packages, on a state-by-state basis.
So, read on to see just how many people have fallen victim to parcel theft, as well as tips on how to prevent it from happening to you.
According to our research, over one-third of Australians have fallen victim to parcel theft at some point, with Black Friday (23%) and Christmas (23%) being the highest risk periods – which isn’t surprising, given the number of presents and party outfits that are being ordered!
Most package thefts occurred in Australia from Amazon (47%), followed by eBay (21%) and Temu (21%).
Despite the risk, only 38% of Australians have security cameras or video doorbells installed to deter would-be package thieves – with preventative measures like tracking packages actively (61%) and requesting a signature upon delivery (39%), not able to completely reduce the risk of stolen packages.
That being said, almost half (49%) of those we surveyed who’d had a package stolen hadn’t reported it to the authorities, suggesting that the number of victims could still be higher.
The average cost of a stolen parcel is valued at AUD$139.06, which is a fairly moderate financial impact, yet 5% of victims have lost items worth more than AUD$500.00 because of it.
To gather USA data, we analysed a series of larceny offences that occurred at residential properties between January 2022 and December 2023. We found that the states that had the highest risk of package theft were District of Columbia, with 875.4 offences per 100,000 residents; followed by Arkansas, at 832.2 per 100,000, and South Carolina, at 708.0 per 100,000.
At the other end of the spectrum, the states that reported the lowest levels of package theft were Alaska (126.0 per 100,000), Pennsylvania (132.6 per 100,000), and Florida (150.2 per 100,000).
We also analysed average monthly search volumes for stolen parcels, and the keyword interest growth over the last 12 months, and what’s interesting is that California, while ranking lower for thefts, at 151.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, has the highest average monthly search volume for package theft, highlighting there are concerns there (2,800 searches a month).
And, if you look at the percentage rate of keyword interest growth across states, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois make it into the top three, at 35.54%, 32.00%, and 29.77% respectively, suggesting a growing concern for stolen packages.
If you’re wondering what to do if your parcel has been stolen, start by contacting the delivery company to see if they can provide you with details on where it was delivered and share any photos, before contacting the retailer to see if they can either offer a replacement or a refund.
However, there are also things you can do to prevent your parcel from being stolen in the first place.
Many postal companies offer tracking as standard. If you’re the one sending a parcel, it can be worth paying a bit more so the recipient can track its whereabouts. That way, you know exactly where your parcel is and if it says it’s been delivered and it’s not on your doorstep, you can alert both the retailer and the authorities.
It’s also a good idea to request a signature on arrival, as your parcel won’t be left unattended, reducing the risk of it being taken.
If there’s a chance you aren’t going to be around on the day your package is due to be delivered, then make alternative arrangements. Having a neighbour that you know will be in or opting to get your parcel picked up from a designated locker or parcel shop could help to reduce the risk of it being stolen compared to if it were left in an open space.
Another added layer of security is installing cameras at your front door, so you can see who’s coming and going. That way, if a parcel is left on your doorstep, you’ll be able to see exactly who has stolen it, and you can take the footage to the authorities.
Just having video cameras there could be enough to deter would-be criminals, as they’ll know they’ve got a higher chance of being caught.
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, said stolen goods ordered online are rarely covered by a contents insurance policy.
“While contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings from theft, fire and other damage, many Australians may be surprised to hear that it usually doesn’t cover packages, parcels or other items if they go missing from outside the confines of your home,” Mr Taylor said.
“That means if an item is delivered but goes missing from your porch, letterbox or wherever the delivery driver leaves it, it’s not covered by your home’s contents insurance policy.
“As our research has highlighted, it’s worth considering measures such as requesting a signature, delivering to a parcel locker or post office, or using click-and-collect services to ensure your packages can be delivered safely.
“However, it’s still worth shopping around for contents insurance to have a level of protection for your valuables already inside your home. Ensure you adjust your policy to ensure any new possessions are covered, too.”
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before purchasing an insurance policy so that you understand any limits, restrictions and inclusions.
Australia:
Compare the Market commissioned Connective 3 (via 3Gem) to conduct a nationally representative sample of 500 Australians in February 2025.
USA:
We have collected data for two angles on the US results – the number of thefts and the worry of theft in each state.
For the initial metric, we have collected data on ‘Other Larceny’ offenses from January 2022 to December 2023, focusing on incidents classified under ‘Residence/Home’. These data points are likely to represent porch thefts, providing a specific focus on package theft at residential addresses.
The second angle on the worry of theft has been collected using Google Search Analysis. The search frequency of certain terms related to thefts and concerns was also gathered for each state.
Both sets of metrics were divided by the population of each state to ensure there was a fair comparison.
We then compared the frequency of thefts against the public’s concern as indicated by search trends to identify states where package theft is a significant issue versus areas where concern might outweigh the actual rate of incidents.