# Paketfall: Lost and damaged parcels in Germany spotted, documented and prepared for claiming on time, for online sellers.

> DHL is liable up to €500 for a lost or damaged Paket, but only up to €20 for a Kleinpaket, and hidden damage must be reported within seven days of delivery. Paketfall checks the status of your shipments every day, finds parcels that are stuck or arrived damaged, and prepares the investigation request and damage report with all the evidence. You submit to the carrier yourself, in your own name; we keep track of deadlines and replies.

- Page: https://rotomal.com/en/paket-reklamation/
- Category: Parcel costs and claims (Germany)
- Language: en
- Billing: subscription
- From: €19 per month
- Request (free, no card): https://rotomal.com/en/paket-reklamation/request/

- Daily status check of every shipment: parcels with no new scan for more than five working days, returns and customer damage reports become cases with a deadline.
- Claims prepared with all the evidence: tracking number, purchase invoice as proof of value, photos of goods and packaging, weight and contents.
- Flat monthly prices with no success fee: every payout from the carrier goes to you in full.

## Lost parcels cost goods, postage and time, and the deadlines are short

When a parcel doesn't arrive, most sellers refund the customer or send a replacement. The claim against the carrier gets left: check tracking, request an investigation, find the purchase invoice, follow up. With several cases a month the hours add up quickly, so it often doesn't happen at all.

The liability rules are clear but narrow. DHL is liable up to €500 for a Paket and only up to €20 of goods value for a Kleinpaket. When a parcel is left at a customer's chosen drop-off spot, DHL's service description says the sender carries the risk after it is left. And under section 438 of the German Commercial Code (HGB), a shipment counts as delivered complete and undamaged if hidden damage is not reported within seven days of delivery.

The cost rarely shows up in one place: goods, postage for the replacement, customer service time and bad reviews. Tracking cases systematically brings money back and also shows which carrier, product or delivery option causes the losses.

- DHL's service description for DHL Paket (October 2026 edition) includes liability for loss and damage up to €500, with a maximum weight of 31.5 kg. (source: https://www.dhl.de/dam/jcr:4756b8a3-a693-48fe-bcf2-a4e0fd6af320/dhl-paket-leistungsbeschreibung-de-012025.pdf)
- The DHL Kleinpaket (up to 1,000 g) is covered only up to €20 of goods value, according to the same service description. (source: https://www.dhl.de/dam/jcr:4756b8a3-a693-48fe-bcf2-a4e0fd6af320/dhl-paket-leistungsbeschreibung-de-012025.pdf)
- DHL says you can request an investigation once the shipment status has not changed for more than five working days (checked 7 November 2026). (source: https://www.dhl.de/en/privatkunden/hilfe-kundenservice/sendungsverfolgung/probleme-loesungen.html)
- DHL asks for damage or loss of contents to be reported within seven days of delivery; section 438 HGB sets the same period for damage not visible from the outside. (source: https://www.dhl.de/en/privatkunden/hilfe-kundenservice/empfangen/zustellung/paket-geliefert.html)

## How it works

1. **30-day look-back.** Once you choose a plan, send an export of your last 30 days of shipments from your shop, shipping software or the DHL business customer portal. Within 2 business days you see which parcels are stuck, reported damaged and still claimable.
2. **Daily check.** Every shipment's status is checked daily. Parcels with no new scan for more than five working days, returns and customer damage reports are opened as cases with a deadline.
3. **Claim prepared.** We pre-fill the investigation request or damage report and attach the purchase invoice, photos and shipment data. You review it and submit it yourself in your own name, usually in a few minutes per case. For damage, DHL also asks for the damaged parcel, handed in at a branch or through a free collection.
4. **Follow-up.** We remind you of open deadlines, match replies and payouts to cases, and flag the ones that go quiet with a follow-up template for you to send. Once a month: losses by carrier, product and delivery option.

## Features

- **Deadlines per case.** Seven days for damage reports after delivery, investigation from five working days without a status change, and the one-year limitation period under section 439 HGB as the outer limit.
- **Proof of value built in.** Your purchase or production cost per item is stored once and attached to each claim, matched to the product's liability limit.
- **Photos from the customer.** When a customer reports damage, they get a short link to upload photos of the goods and the inner and outer packaging. The images go straight into the case.
- **Drop-off cases.** Parcels that disappear after being left at a chosen drop-off spot are flagged separately, because the risk then sits with the sender, and you see how often it happens.
- **Kleinpaket check.** Items worth more than €20 sent as DHL Kleinpaket are flagged, so you can decide whether a DHL Paket, with liability up to €500, is worth it for those items.
- **Several carriers.** DHL Paket, DHL Kleinpaket, DPD, Hermes, GLS and UPS in one list; we set up each carrier's forms and deadlines to match your shipping contract when you start.
- **Monthly report.** Claimed, paid and refused, by carrier and cause, plus the products and delivery options where most is lost.

## Who it's for

- **Shopify, Shopware and WooCommerce sellers.** Shipping up to 10,000 parcels a month in Germany, refunding customers straight away and leaving the carrier claim undone.
- **Marketplace sellers.** On Amazon, eBay, Otto or Kaufland with their own shipping, where a lost parcel costs goods, postage and a review.
- **Foreign brands shipping from a German warehouse.** Teams outside Germany who need DHL claims prepared in German, with English case notes.

## Works with

Post & DHL business customer portal, DHL tracking, DPD, Hermes, GLS and UPS tracking, Shopify, Shopware, WooCommerce, JTL-Wawi CSV export, Shipping software exports (e.g. Sendcloud, Shipcloud), CSV of purchase costs

## Pricing

Billed monthly, cancel monthly, prices in euros plus VAT. No success fee: carriers pay refunds directly to you. Every plan starts with a look-back at your last 30 days of shipments. Founding customer pricing stays fixed while you remain a customer. We set up new accounts within 2 business days.

| Plan | Price | Includes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Start | €19 per month | Daily status check of all shipments; Cases with deadline and reminder; Prepared investigation request and damage report; Photo link for customers; Monthly report |
| Seller | €49 per month | Everything in Start; Up to 3 carriers; Follow-up reminders and templates for open cases; Kleinpaket and drop-off analysis; Email reply within 1 business day |
| Warehouse | €119 per month | Everything in Seller; All supported carriers; Reports per shop or client; Quarterly call on loss causes |

## Compared with the alternatives

- **Claiming yourself.** Free. In the DHL business customer portal and with the other carriers you can file investigations and damage reports yourself. It works if someone checks tracking every week and keeps invoices at hand.
- **Transport insurance.** DHL offers transport insurance for the Paket up to €2,500 (A) or €25,000 (B). Sensible for expensive goods; you still have to file the claim.
- **Writing it off.** No effort, but each case costs goods and postage. Without records you also can't see whether a product or delivery option is the cause.

## Security and data

- We never ask for passwords to the business customer portal, your shop or your shipping software.
- Shipment data, purchase costs and photos are encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Customer names and addresses are used only for the case and deleted when it is closed.
- After cancellation we delete all data within 30 days, or sooner on request.

## Your first week

You get the 30-day look-back within 2 business days of sending the export. Cases still within their deadline are prepared straight away.

- Day 1: You send a 30-day shipment export and your purchase costs.
- Day 2: 30-day look-back with claimable parcels and deadlines.
- Day 3: First claims prepared; daily check running.
- Day 7: First weekly list of open cases.

## FAQ

### What does DHL pay if a parcel is lost?

According to its service description, DHL is liable for loss and damage up to €500 for a Paket and up to €20 of goods value for a Kleinpaket. Higher values are covered only by transport insurance. The value of the goods is what counts, so we attach the purchase invoice to every claim.

### When can I request an investigation?

DHL says once the shipment status has not changed for more than five working days. Paketfall opens the case on that day.

### Who should claim, the seller or the customer?

DHL recommends that recipients contact the sender first. As the seller you are the sender and hold the documents, so you submit the claim; we prepare it.

### Why don't you submit it for me?

The claim is your right under your carriage contract. Paketfall is not a debt collector or legal services provider and does not pursue claims in anyone else's name, so you file it yourself, in your name and through your account. We deliver the case, deadlines and documents ready to go; submitting usually takes a few minutes.

### Is this legal advice or debt collection?

No. Paketfall is a software and administration service: we track shipments, deadlines and evidence. We do not assess legal claims in individual cases and we do not collect debts. For a dispute with a carrier, a lawyer can help, and possibly the Federal Network Agency's postal conciliation body.

### Do you need my login details?

No. We work from exports of your shipments and purchase costs. Your business customer portal login stays with you.

### Is Paketfall part of DHL?

No. Paketfall is an independent service, not affiliated with DHL, DPD, Hermes, GLS or UPS. The trademarks belong to their owners, and the carrier decides every claim.

## Guides

- [DHL parcel lost or damaged in Germany: what sellers do](https://rotomal.com/en/paket-reklamation/dhl-parcel-lost-germany/): What sellers do when a DHL parcel is lost or damaged in Germany: when to request an investigation, the deadlines, and how much DHL is liable for.

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Rotomal · https://rotomal.com/en/paket-reklamation/ · hello@rotomal.com