Online shopping, individuals
Damaged parcel: what to do, what to write, how to complain.
Crushed box, item broken when you open it: check the packaging before signing, refuse the parcel or note precise reservations, film the unboxing, then complain to the seller, or to the carrier within its short deadline if you chose it yourself.
By Emmanuel Fernandez, CEO of Proov-It · Updated
A damaged parcel is almost always argued the same way: the seller, the carrier or the platform asks you to show the condition of the parcel when it arrived. A photo taken three days later, with no reliable date, says little. What counts is what you record at delivery and at opening: your reservations on the delivery slip, then the photos and video that will back up your damaged parcel complaint.
With Proov-It, you photograph the packaging and film the unboxing in the mobile app. Each file is timestamped and geolocated, and its fingerprint is anchored on a blockchain: a dated photo whose integrity can be checked. Up to 20 files of 100 MB per submission: photos, unboxing video and delivery slip fit in a single proof.
The rules depend on who chose the carrier: under EU law, a seller that organised the delivery remains responsible until you take physical possession of the parcel, whereas a carrier you chose yourself must receive your protest within a deadline that is often very short. A submission costs €2 at most for an individual, and the first one is free.
Legal framework
Seller or carrier: who should you complain to?
Bought online from a business that ships the goods to you: under EU consumer law, the risk of loss or damage passes to you only when you, or someone you have designated other than the carrier, acquire physical possession of the goods (Article 20 of Directive 2011/83/EU). Until then, it is the seller who must deliver goods in good condition, and the seller is liable for any lack of conformity that exists when the goods are delivered (Article 10 of Directive (EU) 2019/771). The exception: if you commissioned a carrier yourself, and the seller did not offer that choice, the risk passes to you when the goods are handed to that carrier, and you deal with the carrier.
How you note reservations, and how quickly you must protest to a carrier, depends on national law. In France, for example, the absence of reservations on delivery does not release a business seller from the legal guarantee of conformity (Article L216-5 of the French Consumer Code). Against a carrier, receipt of the parcel extinguishes any claim for damage or partial loss unless a reasoned protest is notified within 3 days, excluding public holidays, by registered letter or through a commissaire de justice (Article L133-3 of the French Commercial Code); the period becomes 10 days if you took delivery yourself and the carrier cannot show that it let you check the parcel (Article L224-65 of the French Consumer Code).
Between private individuals on a selling platform, the platform handles the dispute under its own rules and deadlines, which are often short: check them on receipt. For a postal item, the postal service's conditions apply. For the rules in your country, contact your national consumer body or, if the seller is based in another EU country, your European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net). In every case, your photos and videos can be produced as evidence; the seller, the platform or, in a dispute, the court assesses their weight.
Step by step
From the doorbell to the complaint: the method.
Evidence is gathered before opening, then during opening: afterwards, it is too late to show the condition of the box.
Check the packaging in front of the courier
Crushed, wet or torn box, tape redone: check the outside before signing, and take a first photo with the label visible.
On deliveryRefuse or note precise reservations
Parcel delivered by the seller's carrier: you can refuse it. If you accept it, write what you see on the delivery slip (“box crushed on one corner, contents not checked”) rather than a vague remark. Furniture or appliances: ask to unpack before the courier leaves and note each visible defect.
Before signingFilm the unboxing in one take
A single video without cuts, from the closed parcel to the item taken out: label, seal, unpacking, condition of the contents. In the mobile app, a video can last up to 10 minutes: enough for a full unboxing.
OpeningPhotograph the damage and the item
An overview, then close-ups of each damage, the serial number, accessories and padding. Put photos, video and delivery slip in a single submission.
OpeningComplain to the seller in writing
Purchase from a business: complain to customer service without delay, describe the damage, ask for goods in good condition and attach the proof certificate. Some countries require you to report a defect within a set period after discovering it.
Without delayNotify the carrier you chose, on time
If you chose the carrier yourself, send it a reasoned protest within the deadline set by the applicable law or its conditions. In France, for example: by registered letter within 3 days of receipt, excluding public holidays (10 days if you were not allowed to check the parcel).
Short deadlineKeep everything
Keep the packaging, padding, item and delivery slip until the dispute is over: the seller or the carrier may ask to see them.
Until settledThe Proov-It app
Film the unboxing with the app.
Install it before the parcel arrives: photos and video are taken in the app, then timestamped and anchored on submission. The first submission is free, no credit card needed. On a computer, you can also submit your files online.
What Proov-It adds
What your photos and videos establish, and what they do not.
What the certificate establishes
- +The anchoring date of each photo and video of the packaging and contents.
- +File integrity: the slightest edit changes the fingerprint, which the seller or the carrier can check without a Proov-It account.
- +The geolocation recorded at capture in the mobile app, if you allow it.
- +A file imported from the gallery only proves that it existed, intact, on the submission date.
What it does not establish
- −That the damage happened in transit rather than before dispatch: the seller, the platform or the court decides on the whole file.
- −Your reservations or your complaint: you still have to make them, on time.
- −The original contents of the parcel or their value.
- −The outcome of the dispute: the seller, the carrier or the platform applies its own rules.
Reservations on delivery
What to write on the delivery slip.
Describe what you see, precisely, before signing. Three examples to adapt:
Damaged packaging
“Box crushed on the front right corner, tape redone on top, contents not checked.”
Damaged item
“Washing machine: door scratched over 10 cm, rear left foot bent, noted in the presence of the courier.”
Incomplete delivery
“2 of 3 announced parcels received; parcel no. 2 opened, packaging torn.”
Use cases
Damaged parcel: what you document.
Crushed or wet box
The packaging as it arrives, label legible, before any opening.
Item broken on opening
A continuous video of the unboxing, then close-ups of each damage.
Parcel opened or tape redone
The original seal and its marks, photographed in front of the courier if possible. Box arrived empty: see lost or missing parcel.
Furniture or appliances
The condition of the box and the appliance at delivery, before the courier leaves.
Purchase between individuals
The filmed unboxing, to attach to the dispute opened on the platform within its deadline.
Return to the seller
The item and its packaging photographed before sending it back, to avoid a second dispute.
How it works
A proof in three steps.
No jargon, no technical skills. You submit or you capture, we certify.
Choose or capture
Documents, photos, videos. Or take a photo or video directly in the app.
Add the context
A comment, tags, a folder. To organise your proofs and find them easily.
Submit
You receive a PDF certificate attesting to the file's existence and integrity on the anchoring date and, for a capture made in the app, the geolocation recorded at that moment.
Does it hold up in court?
A Proov-It certificate can be produced as evidence; the court assesses its weight. We attest to the anchoring date, the integrity of the file and, for a capture made in the app, the recorded geolocation, not the truth of its content.
Frequently asked questions
What we are often asked.
How do I complain about a damaged parcel?
In writing, describing the damage and attaching your photos, the unboxing video and the delivery slip. Purchase from a business that organised the delivery: send your complaint to the seller. Carrier you chose yourself: send it a reasoned protest within the deadline set by the applicable law or its conditions (in France, for example, by registered letter within 3 days of receipt, excluding public holidays). Postal item or platform between individuals: follow the complaint procedure of the service concerned, within its deadlines.
Must I always protest to the carrier within a few days?
Only if you are dealing with the carrier, that is, if you chose it yourself and the seller did not offer that choice. Short deadlines then often apply, set by national law or by the carrier's conditions. If you bought from a business that organised the delivery, deal with the seller: under EU law, the risk passes to you only when you take physical possession of the goods (Article 20 of Directive 2011/83/EU).
I signed without reservations: is it too late?
Not necessarily. A business seller is liable for any lack of conformity that exists when the goods are delivered (Article 10 of Directive (EU) 2019/771), and a defect that becomes apparent within one year of delivery is presumed to have existed at that time, unless proved otherwise (Article 11; some countries extend this to two years). In France, for example, the absence of reservations does not release the seller from the legal guarantee of conformity (Article L216-5 of the French Consumer Code).
Should I film the unboxing?
No rule requires it, but it is often what you will be asked for. A video without cuts, from the closed parcel to the item taken out, shows what a series of photos does not. The seller, the platform or the court assesses its weight.
Who can help me if the seller is in another EU country?
Your European Consumer Centre. The ECC-Net network, co-funded by the European Commission, has an office in each EU country, Iceland and Norway; you contact the one in the country where you live. It explains your rights and can help settle a dispute with a seller based in another country of the network. For a dispute with a seller in your own country, contact your national consumer body.
How much does proof of a damaged parcel cost?
For an individual, one token per submission, at €2 at most, with no subscription, and the first submission is free. A submission can hold up to 20 files of 100 MB: photos, unboxing video and delivery slip.
Sources and legal texts cited
- French Commercial Code, Article L133-3: protest to the carrier (Légifrance)
- French Consumer Code, Article L224-65: period extended to 10 days (Légifrance)
- French Consumer Code, Article L216-5: reservations on delivery (Légifrance)
- Directive (EU) 2019/771 on contracts for the sale of goods, Articles 3, 10 to 14 (EUR-Lex)
- Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, consolidated version (EUR-Lex)
- European Commission: European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net)
Keep reading
Related pages
Lost or missing parcel
Parcel lost, marked delivered but never received, or delivered empty: who is liable, which deadlines apply, and how to complain.
Vinted dispute
Item not as described, damaged parcel, dishonest buyer: how to open or answer a Vinted dispute, and which evidence to gather.
Proof of delivery
Couriers, tradespeople, sellers: prove a handover with dated, geolocated photos, and have the recipient sign it.
Timestamped photo evidence
eIDAS Article 41, national rules of evidence, the court's assessment: what gives a photo weight as evidence, and how a timestamp makes it stronger.
Also see: Features · How it works · Pricing · FAQ