Vivint conducted a survey of 1000 Americans to ask about their experiences with package theft. They found that 3 in 10 of the study participants had lost packages to a porch pirate. About 59% of these victims never get refunds for their stolen items.
Porch piracy is more common in an urban setting
Americans who live in apartments and urban environments were more likely to lose packages on their doorstep. With the coronavirus pandemic, more people turned to online shopping to social distance. While researchers thought this would lead to a surge in package theft, the number of thefts has not gone up.
The researchers found that with online shopping increasing each year, sales will likely reach $6.4 billion by 2024. However, at-home deliveries that come with online shopping could also increase the number of porch pirates.
The average respondent has lost about three packages to piracy in their lifetime. Approximately 1.7 million containers have been lost in the mail or stolen in the U.S. Theft is a significant loss for customers as the average price is $106.
Porch pirates steal a variety of items from their victims. However, they seem to target clothing most of the time. Clothing accounts for one-third of items lost on the front porch. About 1 in 5 of the participants says they have lost items such as health products, books, personal care products, games or toys.
Most packages go missing on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Researchers did not find a particular reason for this as each day of the week was similar.
Although Amazon had an A-Z Guarantee program to help customers deal with issues with third-party sellers, only 54% of the participants who had filed a complaint got a full refund. This was despite Amazon products being the most stolen items.
How Americans avoid porch pirates
Researchers asked the respondents how they kept their packages safe from porch pirates. About 1 in 3 chose to subscribe to delivery alerts. Another 25% gave precise instructions to deliverers, so their packages were placed in safer spots. About 20% had a video doorbell or an outdoor camera to scare thieves away. However, most people choose to have their packages sent to their workplaces. Others asked neighbors to receive packages on their behalf.
