United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General: ”

• Last mile package theft – commonly referred to as “porch piracy” — is a significant challenge for the entire parcel delivery industry, impacting consumers, retailers, and delivery providers alike.
• Package theft creates substantial financial burdens and operational disruptions across the delivery and ecommerce ecosystems, and may also erode consumer trust in ecommerce merchants, postal operators, and private delivery providers.
• Effectively combatting package theft will require collaboration among retailers, delivery providers, and consumers.
• As a highly trusted government agency with a public service mission and a dedicated law enforcement presence, the Postal Service is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of future efforts to address package theft.

Package theft is a significant challenge for the entire parcel delivery industry, impacting consumers, retailers, and delivery providers alike. With at least 58 million packages stolen in 2024, theft creates substantial financial burdens and operational disruptions across the delivery and ecommerce ecosystems. The prevalence of theft may also erode consumer trust in ecommerce merchants, postal operators, and private delivery providers, particularly as these entities strategically navigate the rapid growth of ecommerce and its associated demands. This report explores the multifaceted nature of package theft and its implications for key stakeholders in the ecommerce ecosystem. Because this theft occurs at the intersection of multiple stakeholders, it is a more complex issue than theft that happens under the direct control of an individual value chain actor. While available data gives an indication of the scale of the problem, fragmented reporting practices and verification issues complicate efforts to understand the full scope of package theft, underscoring the need for improved data collection and analysis to better develop effective mitigation strategies..”