Parcel missing

Template letter: parcel not received

Does the track and trace say your parcel has been delivered, but there's nothing there? Fill in your details below and you'll get a letter to the online shop with the right legal articles included. For four situations, free and without an account.

Template letter: parcel not receivedUnprotected at the front door
1 in 3people in the Netherlands did not receive a parcel in the past yearEenVandaag (Dutch current affairs programme), August 2026
63%received a false notification that nobody was homeEenVandaag (Dutch current affairs programme), August 2026
4 in 10saw the delivery driver pass by without ringing the bellEenVandaag (Dutch current affairs programme), August 2026
615 millionparcels were delivered in the Netherlands in 2025Industry figures 2025
The short answer

When you buy from an online shop, the seller bears the risk of loss until the moment you have the parcel in your own hands. A delivery scan from the carrier is not proof that you received it. So you complain to the online shop, not to the delivery driver.

  • Nothing is sent or stored
  • No account needed
  • With the legal articles included

Last checked 25 August 2026Reading time 4 minutesBy the BunnyBox editorial team, manufacturer of parcel letterboxes

Create your letter

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01What is your situation?
02Your details
03What do you want?
Your letter
J. Smith 12 Church Street 6221 AB Maastricht j.smith@example.com To: Exampleshop.com Re: order NL-2026-884213 Date: 25 August 2026 Dear Sir or Madam, On 11 August 2026 I purchased a pair of wireless headphones from you for €149.00, with order number NL-2026-884213. According to the status information from PostNL (shipment 3SABCD1234567), this parcel was delivered on 14 August 2026. I have not received the parcel, and nobody at my address has accepted it. I asked my immediate neighbours, looked in the garden and round the back, and checked the delivery photo in the app. My front door cannot be seen in that photo. Under Article 7:11(1) of the Dutch Civil Code, in a consumer purchase the risk of loss only passes to me at the moment that I, or a third party designated by me who is not the carrier, have received the goods. That moment has not occurred. A delivery scan by the carrier does not constitute receipt within the meaning of that article. The risk therefore still lies with you as the seller. I request that you redeliver the product to me within 14 days of the date of this letter or, if that is not possible, refund the amount paid of €149.00 within that period. I would like to point out that any claim against PostNL is a matter between you and your carrier. I have no agreement with the carrier and am not a party to it. I ask that you do not refer me to them. If you do not respond within the stated period, or if you reject my request, I will terminate the purchase agreement and claim the full purchase price back. I will then put the matter before the disputes committee you are affiliated with and, if necessary, the subdistrict court. I trust this will not be necessary and look forward to your reply. Yours faithfully, J. Smith

Liability

Who is liable if your parcel doesn't arrive?

The carrier has a contract with the online shop, not with you. That's why you don't need to argue with the carrier. The online shop has to resolve it and can then seek compensation itself. Where the risk lies depends on who got the parcel in their hands.

Track and trace says delivered, you have nothing

online shop

You did not receive the parcel. A scan is not receipt within the meaning of Article 7:11(1) of the Dutch Civil Code.

Left with a neighbour you did not designate

online shop

The neighbour is not a third party designated by you. Delivering to the neighbours is a practical arrangement between the delivery driver and the neighbourhood, not delivery to you.

Left in a safe place without your instruction

online shop

Nobody accepted the parcel, so the risk never passed.

Accepted by someone present at your own address

you

That person may be regarded as designated by you. This was the ruling of De Geschillencommissie (Dutch Disputes Committee) in case 15296/22874 of 9 November 2020, concerning a colleague at the person's own business address.

You instructed it to be left with a specific neighbour

you

Then that neighbour is a third party designated by you, and the risk passes as soon as they accept it.

You chose a carrier yourself that the online shop did not offer

you

The exception in Article 7:11(2) of the Dutch Civil Code. With an ordinary online shop purchase this almost never happens.

Note the difference between the fourth and the second row. Someone at your address is not the same as the neighbour three doors down. That distinction determines whether you're in a strong position. If you want to know the ways to receive a parcel safely, read receiving parcels when you're not at home, and for the rules per carrier can PostNL put a parcel in your parcel letterbox.

Which deadlines apply?

A fixed delivery date that was missed, and you no longer want it
Terminate immediately, without giving extra time
An indication such as within five working days
First give a reasonable extra period, then terminate
Nothing agreed about the delivery time
The statutory 30 days, then a reasonable extra period
Terminated, the money must be refunded
In your account within 14 days of termination

This is general information, not legal advice. For an individual case you can contact ACM ConsuWijzer (the Dutch consumer authority's advice service), the Juridisch Loket (Dutch legal aid desk) or the disputes committee the online shop is affiliated with.

A place where the parcel disappears behind a lock
What's missing

A place where the parcel disappears behind a lock

In each of the situations above, things go wrong at the same point: there was nowhere for the delivery driver to leave the parcel. With a lockable box, they put it inside and the door locks shut. No second delivery attempt, no searching at the neighbours', and no delivery scan without a parcel.

We make the boxes ourselves, in our own factory. That's why we know exactly which parcel sizes fit inside, and we'll also tell you when something won't fit.

Step-by-step plan

How to tackle it, in five steps

From recording evidence to preventing it from happening again.

Record the evidence

Take screenshots of the track and trace, the delivery photo and the timestamp. With some carriers these disappear from the app after a few weeks.

Look around the house and ask the neighbours

Do this first, because the online shop will ask. Note down what you checked and when.

The letter goes to the online shop, not the carrier

Use the generator on this page. Send it by email and keep the sent version. Ask for a reply within 14 days.

No reply? Terminate and escalate

Report it to the disputes committee if the online shop is affiliated with one, and otherwise to the subdistrict court. If you paid by credit card, also ask about the chargeback scheme.

Prevent it next time

Set your delivery preferences correctly, and make sure there's a lockable place where the delivery driver can leave a parcel.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us about a parcel that didn't arrive

We make the boxes ourselves

BunnyBox is a brand of DVWZ B.V. with its own factory production. That's why we know exactly which parcel sizes fit in which box, and we'll also tell you when something won't fit.

  • Our own factory, so we know which parcel sizes really fit inside
  • 0.7 mm galvanised steel sheet with a key lock and two keys
  • Four series, from a compact wall-mounted model to a tall column

Questions about a parcel that didn't arrive

My parcel shows as delivered but I don't have it. What now?
Contact the online shop, not the carrier. A delivery scan does not mean you have received the parcel. Under Article 7:11(1) of the Dutch Civil Code, the seller bears the risk until you actually have the parcel in your hands. Ask for redelivery or your money back within 14 days.
Who is liable if a parcel is lost in transit?
The seller. The carrier is hired by the online shop and has no agreement with you. The online shop must compensate you and can then file a claim with the carrier itself.
Can the delivery driver leave my parcel with the neighbours?
In practice it happens a lot, but legally the neighbour is not a third party designated by you if you didn't ask for it. If the parcel then disappears, the risk still lies with the online shop. If you ticked the option yourself to allow it to be left with a neighbour, that's different.
Do I need to file a claim with PostNL or DHL myself?
No. You are not a party to that contract. Some online shops ask anyway. You can then refer to your agreement with the online shop and ask them to make the claim.
How long do I have to wait before I can ask for my money back?
If a fixed delivery date was agreed and missed, you can terminate immediately. If nothing was agreed, the statutory period of 30 days applies plus a reasonable extra period. After termination, the money must be refunded within 14 days.
Do I need to report it to the police if my parcel was stolen from the doorstep?
It can help as evidence, but it's not necessary to enforce your rights with the online shop. The theft happened before you had received the parcel, so the risk still lay with the seller.
Black BunnyBox parcel letterbox with wood-effect front next to the front door of a light-coloured house with garage door
Prevent this from happening again

Give the delivery driver a place where the parcel is safe

A lockable parcel letterbox makes a delivery scan without a parcel impossible. No second delivery attempt, no searching at the neighbours', no debate about who bore the risk. Ten models in four series, from a compact wall-mounted model to a tall column with separate compartments for post and parcels.

View all parcel letterboxes

Four series

Choose where the delivery driver can put the parcel

Dimensions in millimetres, width by depth by height. All series have a key lock with two keys and Qualicoat Class 2 powder coating with zinc phosphate pretreatment.

Most popular

BunnyBox Home

Freestanding, the most popular size. In four colours.

  • Parcels up to 370 x 320 x 210 mm
  • External dimensions 410 x 380 x 1020 mm
  • Self-assembly kit, 0.7 mm galvanised steel
from€99,95
View the Home

BunnyBox Style

Column with a wood-effect front and a separate letter slot.

  • Parcels up to 350 x 320 x 200 mm
  • External dimensions 380 x 365 x 1000 mm
  • Letters and parcels in one compartment
€119,95
View the Style

BunnyBox Plus

The largest. Post and parcels in separate compartments.

  • Parcels up to 450 x 320 x 210 mm
  • External dimensions 500 x 370 x 1120 mm
  • The only series with separate compartments
€179,95
View the Plus

BunnyBox Compact

Wall-mounted model, delivered pre-assembled. Not a self-assembly kit.

  • Parcels up to 300 x 200 x 200 mm
  • External dimensions 365 x 250 x 450 mm
  • Pre-assembled, ready to hang
€89,95
View the Compact

Not sure about the size? The buying guide takes you through the parcel sizes of the big online shops.

Sources and last check. This page was checked on 25 August 2026. Carriers change their claims procedures, so we review the content twice a year.

BunnyBox is a brand of DVWZ B.V. and makes parcel letterboxes in its own factory. This page is general information and not legal advice.