Damaged in transit with DHL, DPD or GLS: what merchants do when a parcel arrives broken

A customer sends a photo: crushed box, cracked glass, a torn corner. For them, a parcel damaged in transit is an annoyance. For you as the merchant it is a matter of deadlines and evidence: visible damage must be reported at the latest on delivery, hidden damage within seven days in text form (§ 438 HGB). When you sell to consumers you usually carry the loss and claim it from the carrier. The customer should have as little work as possible. This guide uses German law and the German terms of DHL, DPD, GLS and Hermes; other countries and carriers have their own rules.

Reporting transport damage: deadlines and channels at DHL, DPD, GLS and Hermes

The overview sums up what the carriers state on their own pages and in their terms (as of October 2026). As a business customer, your contract is what counts in the end.

Carrier	Who reports	Deadline	Where and how	Evidence
DHL	Recipient via the form; DHL then contacts the sender	7 days after delivery, in text form	”Schadensanzeige” form, hand in the parcel at a DHL branch or book a free pickup via 0228-4333112	The whole shipment with all packaging and contents, signed consent to open the parcel
DPD	Sender; recipients contact the online shop	No own deadline in terms or FAQ, § 438 HGB applies	Business customers: complaint form in myDPD; private senders: contact form on dpd.com	Photos of the parcel and its contents
GLS	See the GLS section below	Statutory deadlines per its terms, so § 438 HGB	See the GLS section below	See the GLS section below
Hermes	Recipients of online shop parcels contact the shop	7 days from delivery (private parcel service)	Online damage report on myhermes.de; for visible damage the driver usually hands out a damage card	Photos of outer and inner packaging and the goods, proof of value, drop-off receipt

For every carrier: visible damage must be reported at the latest on delivery, and telling the driver is enough. The Hermes details come from its FAQ for the private parcel service. For Hermes business contracts, see the carrier’s page.

Damaged in transit with DHL, DPD or GLS: the risk sits with you

The German Civil Code covers shipping in § 447 BGB: if the seller ships the goods at the buyer’s request, the risk would normally pass to the buyer once the parcel is handed to the carrier. For consumers, § 475(2) BGB narrows this: the risk only passes early if the buyer hired the carrier themselves and you had not named that carrier to them beforehand.

In a normal online shop, you choose DHL, DPD or GLS. So the risk stays with you until the parcel reaches the customer. If the goods arrive damaged, they were defective when the risk passed, and the customer has the rights of the legal guarantee against you (how that works is in legal guarantee vs. warranty). You recover your loss from the carrier, not from the customer.

B2B is different. When you sell to businesses, § 447 BGB applies without the consumer exception: the risk generally passes to the buyer on handover to the carrier. Transit damage is then usually not a defect you answer for: the buyer still owes the price and can claim against the carrier (§ 421 HGB). For defects that existed before shipping, § 377 HGB additionally requires prompt inspection and notice if the sale is commercial for both sides. Toward the carrier you usually still file the claim yourself, as its contract partner.

Who reports the damage: sender or recipient

With DHL, in practice whoever holds the parcel reports it: the recipient fills in the “Schadensanzeige” form and hands it in together with the shipment. The DHL contract, though, is yours as the sender. According to the form, DHL customer service then contacts the sender automatically, and you receive the result of the inspection. So you don’t have to be the first to report, but you take the claim forward with DHL.

The law allows both sides to act. Under § 438 HGB either the recipient or the sender can give notice of damage. Under § 421 HGB the recipient may assert claims under the carriage contract in their own name, and the sender keeps that right too. The carriers handle it differently (as of October 2026):

• DHL: DHL’s help page for recipients describes the process: fill in the “Schadensanzeige” (damage report) form, hand in the parcel with all its parts at a DHL branch, or book a free pickup through the hotline 0228-4333112.
• DPD: According to DPD Germany’s FAQ, complaints go to the sender. Recipients contact the online shop; business customers use the complaint form in myDPD. DPD says the sender is its contract partner and handles the claim with DPD.
• GLS: What its terms for business customers say is covered further down, in the section “Transport damage with GLS”.
• Hermes: According to the Hermes FAQ, recipients of online shop parcels contact the shop’s customer service directly.

Business customer contracts can differ from the consumer terms in process and amounts. Your contract is what counts. For the customer, the message is simple: they contact you, and you handle the rest. With DHL, though, the inspection needs the parcel itself: the customer hands it in with the damage form at a branch or books the free pickup, and can tick on the form that it goes back to you, the sender, afterwards.

Deadline to report damage: at once for visible damage, 7 days for hidden damage

§ 438 HGB distinguishes two cases:

• Visible damage: it must be reported at the latest on delivery. Telling the person who delivers the parcel is enough.
• Hidden damage: it must be reported within seven days of delivery, in text form. Sending the notice in time is enough.

Missing the deadline does not automatically kill the claim. The law then presumes that the parcel was delivered complete and undamaged, and you have to prove otherwise. DHL’s help page also states that damage must be reported to DHL within 7 days of delivery. Hermes likewise gives a seven-day reporting period from delivery for its private parcel service. GLS refers to the statutory deadlines in its terms, and DPD’s terms set no deadline of their own. If a customer writes on day five, every hour counts.

The evidence checklist

In your first reply, ask the customer for this and ask them not to throw anything away:

1. Outer box from all sides, close-ups of the damage, shipping label readable.
2. Inner packaging and padding as they looked when opened.
3. The product as a whole, and the damage in detail.
4. Tracking number, order number and delivery date (you have these in your system).
5. Invoice or proof of value for the contents.
6. Keep everything: according to its form, DHL always needs the whole shipment for the inspection, with all packaging parts and all damaged and undamaged contents.

Transport damage with GLS

For business customers, the GLS terms (version 01/2025) keep the damage rules short. GLS is liable for loss and damage between pickup and delivery, under the German Commercial Code (HGB) for domestic shipments. If you have not taken out transport insurance, GLS also reimburses the value of the goods beyond that, capped at your purchase price (the current value for used goods) and at no more than €750 per parcel, or €2,500 for CashService parcels. GLS does not pay for consequential losses such as lost profit.

For reporting, its terms apply the statutory deadlines, so § 438 HGB: visible damage on delivery, hidden damage within seven days in text form. Where to file a GLS claim is set out on GLS’s business customer pages and in your contract. Keep the parcel number, photos of packaging and goods, and your purchase invoice ready, because the reimbursement depends on the purchase price.

How much the carrier pays

German law caps carrier liability in § 431 HGB by weight. In practice, the amounts in the carriers’ terms are what matter (as of October 2026):

• DHL Paket: liability for loss and damage up to €500, and up to €20 of goods value for the DHL Kleinpaket. You don’t have to prove DHL was at fault: DHL is liable for damage between pickup and delivery and is only released if the damage could not have been avoided even with the greatest care, e.g. force majeure (§§ 425, 426 HGB, DHL terms section 6). Transport insurance covers up to €2,500 or €25,000, even without fault on DHL’s side. DHL grants no insurance cover for parcels that were not packed adequately.
• DPD CLASSIC: liability and insurance combined are capped at €520 per parcel; liability itself is limited to the provable purchase value (or the current value for used goods). If the value exceeds €520 you must declare it. Higher insurance up to €13,000 is available for an extra premium, but generally not in Pickup parcel shops or for online shipping.
• GLS: beyond the HGB liability up to €750 per parcel, capped at the purchase price (details in the GLS section).

With DPD, expect margin and shipping to stay your loss, so prevention pays off.

Transit damage on returns

If a return shipment breaks, the risk is usually yours again. When a consumer withdraws from the contract, the trader carries the risk of the return shipment (§ 355(3) sentence 4 BGB). A return that arrives damaged is therefore generally your loss, which you claim from the carrier.

Who files the claim depends on the label:

• Return label from your contract, such as DHL Retoure: you create or arrange the label as the client, and DHL bills the return charges to its contract partner (DHL service description, as of October 2026). You are the contract partner and file the claim yourself.
• The customer paid for the postage: then they are the carrier’s contract partner. As the recipient you may still assert claims under the carriage contract in your own name (§ 421(1) HGB).

On a return you are the recipient, so the § 438 HGB deadlines apply to you: report visible damage when you accept the parcel, hidden damage within seven days of delivery in text form. Unpack returns promptly and photograph the box, padding and goods before you put them back into stock.

The reply to the customer

The customer did nothing wrong. Reply quickly, assign no blame and take the contact with the carrier off their hands. A template to copy:

Subject: Your order {order number}, we’re on it

Hi {first name},

we’re sorry, your order should not have arrived like this. We’ll sort out the damage with {carrier}. If {carrier} needs the parcel for an inspection, we’ll tell you exactly what to do.

To close this quickly, please send us photos of the box (with the shipping label), the padding and the damaged item. Please keep the box and contents until we get back to you.

You can choose whether we replace or repair the item (a repair extends your legal guarantee once by twelve months). If you prefer, we can refund you instead. Just let us know and we’ll start right away.

{Name} from {Shop}

More templates for common cases are in our customer service email templates.

Replacement, repair or refund: a decision rule

Legally, § 439(1) BGB lets the customer choose between having the defect remedied and receiving a replacement. Before you repair or replace, § 475(4) BGB requires you to tell consumers that they can choose between repair and replacement, and that a repair extends the limitation period once by twelve months. A written rule keeps decisions consistent across your team:

1. Only the box is damaged, the product is fine: apologize, still save the photos, close the case.
2. Product damaged, item in stock: ship the replacement right away if the customer wants one. Don’t wait for the carrier’s decision.
3. Minor flaw, customer wants to keep the item: offer a partial refund, only with their agreement.
4. Repair: only if the customer chooses or agrees to it and it is little effort for them.
5. Item unavailable or customer wants their money back: refund.

Set a value threshold below which a carrier claim isn’t worth the effort, and track the damage rate per product. An item that keeps arriving broken has a packaging problem.

Preventing transit damage

• Pack to the carrier’s standard. DPD’s terms require packaging that withstands automatic sorting systems and drops of about 80 cm onto an edge, corner or side. Labels such as “Fragile: glass” are generally not taken into account, according to DPD.
• Protect high-value parcels. Above €500 or €520, transport insurance or higher insurance is worth considering. DHL also advises against packaging that hints at a high value.
• Keep an eye on tracking. If you know the delivery date, you can place the 7-day deadline immediately when a damage report comes in. What applies when a parcel is marked as delivered but never arrives is covered in parcel marked as delivered but not received.

Where Sondercase helps

Sondercase is AI customer service for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. It sees order data and tracking live (DHL, DPD, GLS and more), including the delivery date and carrier of a damaged parcel. Replies can run fully automatically per category. Refunds and returns come fully prepared, and you release them with one click. How this looks for returns and complaints is on the page returns automation.

---

This article is a practical overview for merchants, not legal advice. Details vary by country and carrier contract; have your shipping terms reviewed by a lawyer.