Christmas period: watch out for package theft

The Christmas period means packages! But be careful because more and more packages are being stolen from mailboxes and entrance halls. However, you can protect yourself against thieves by following a few tips. safely.

Black Friday is approaching - this is the day on which bargain hunters trigger a flood of packages. The pre-Christmas period is the busiest time for orders and deliveries, so it’s hardly surprising that December is also the month when most packages are stolen from mailboxes or entrance halls. However, the overall trend of package thefts has been more considerable over recent years. Five times more package thefts were reported to AXA - Switzerland’s largest property insurer - in 2024 compared to 2019. “We attribute this to two reasons: firstly there are many more packages in circulation due to online sales, but secondly we have noticed a general increase in thefts in this period, not only of packages”, says Stefan Müller, Head of Claims at AXA. 

Another rise likely

The year-on-year increase was particularly high in 2020 at around 35 percent as well as in 2022 and 2023 when it was around 50 percent. Last year the year-on-year rise in package thefts was around 20 percent. The current year is expected to see another rise of around 10 percent. However, the number of stolen packages is generally low, accounting for only some two percent of thefts insured under AXA. The average claim has remained the same over the years, with AXA paying out around CHF 300 per claim on average.

If you are a victim, you should report the theft to the police before contacting your insurance company. It's important to know that household contents insurance covers claims for packages that were demonstrably stolen after they had been delivered. Undelivered packages are not insured. “In these cases, we advise people to contact the supplier or carrier”, says Stefan Müller. 

Tips for safe delivery

Whether they’re insured or not, it’s annoying if you don’t receive goods that you’ve ordered, so it's worth taking a few precautions. “The best thing is to take delivery of packages directly”, recommends Stefan Müller. To do so, you can select the delivery day in advance. If you can’t find a suitable day, you can also select another delivery address, such as a neighbor’s or collect the package from a pickup point. Swiss Post offers a free online service called “My deliveries” for receiving delivery notifications, enabling you to specify when, where and how you’d like to receive your packages.