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Deliveries & orders

What to write down when a delivery arrives damaged

When a parcel arrives damaged, the record is a photograph of the outer packaging before it is opened, the shipping label with the tracking number readable, and the item itself once unwrapped — taken in that order, because opening the box destroys the only description of how it arrived.

This page won't say who is responsible, what any carrier or retailer will decide, or how long there is to raise it. Those are set by policies that differ between companies and change without notice — read them on the company's own page.

What it does say is what the record needs to contain, and that the useful part of it has to be captured in the first few minutes.

Both directions

A seller answering a damage claim needs the same record as the buyer making one: how it was packed, what the label said, and what arrived. A retailer photographing outgoing packing is doing the same job at the other end of the journey.

Write it down

The things to note, in your own words, while they are still exact.

  1. 01

    The tracking number and the carrier

    Read off the label rather than the app. The label is what the carrier's own system is searched by.

  2. 02

    The order number and who you bought from

    The seller and the carrier are usually different companies with different records, and each one looks things up its own way.

  3. 03

    The date and time it arrived

    And whether it was handed over or left. Where a parcel sat before it was found is often the whole question.

  4. 04

    Whether you signed for it, and what you signed

    Some receipts have a condition note on them. What was written at the moment of handover is hard to revisit afterwards.

  5. 05

    The driver's name or ID, if it's visible

    Rarely available, occasionally decisive, and gone in seconds.

  6. 06

    What you reported, to whom, and when

    Seller or carrier, the date, and the reference they gave you. Two companies means two reference numbers to keep apart.

Save it while it exists

The things to capture before they are moved, cleaned, edited or deleted.

  1. 07

    The outer packaging, before opening it

    The single shot that cannot be retaken. Once the box is open, how it arrived is a description rather than a photograph.

  2. 08

    The shipping label, close up and readable

    The tracking number has to be legible in the image, not typed underneath it.

  3. 09

    Inside the packaging, before unpacking

    How it was packed — what padding was in there and where it was. This is what explains the damage.

  4. 10

    The item itself, from several angles

    Wide enough to show what it is, close enough to show the damage.

  5. 11

    Any handling markings that were on the box

    Fragile or orientation labels, and how the box was actually treated. Both halves matter.

  6. 12

    The receipt or order confirmation

    What was ordered and what was paid, as the confirmation stated it. Keep the packaging too — it is often asked for.

Related

Prefer to do it on your phone? The same list, as an app.

Open Delivery Damage→

It saves to that device only, with no account and nothing sent anywhere. A new phone, a cleared browser or a lost handset loses everything in it. Export what matters and keep a copy somewhere else.

Reviewed September 12, 2026 · no statute cited · education on documenting, not legal advice