Research from Omnisend combining FBI crime data with a nationally representative consumer survey revealed consumers in the United States lost an estimated $12.8 billion from approximately 228 million stolen packages in 2025.
Some 30% of households reported having a package stolen in the year since March 2025.
E-commerce businesses absorbed most losses, with 62% of victims receiving a refund or a free replacement, costing retailers an estimated $7.9 billion in 2025, the research indicated. A further 16% of consumers received a discount or store credit. Although many did reimburse consumers for losses, 24% of retailers refused responsibility entirely, leaving consumers saddled with the loss.
Losses to so-called porch pirates changed how people shop, according to Omnisend, which reported:
- 23% of victims order online less often.
- 18% limited purchases to retailers with easy refund policies.
- 12% shifted to lockers or in-store pickup.
Yet, 48% report no change in their habits at all, a sign that many online shoppers have accepted the frustration that comes from theft of a delivery.
The research results established that package pirating is not evenly distributed across the country. By total dollar losses, California, New York and Texas together account for 28% of all money lost to theft nationwide. Maryland (50%) and Colorado (41%) were tops for the share of households affected. Illinois (9%) and Mississipp (9%) were lowest in households hit.
The frequency of repeat theft varies, too. Across the U.S., households averaged 1.8 stolen packages during the year, but in Arizona that figure climbs to 3.7 and in Kentucky to 2.9,even as Oklahoma, at 0.1, and Minnesota, at 0.4, experienced the lowest recurrence rate.
The frequency of delivery pilferage drives per-household dollar losses: Arizona families lost an average of $298 over the year versus a national average of $101. In addition, retail crime clusters seasonally in regards to with almost half of all incidents occurring in the last two months of the year, peaking in December when 27% of victims suffered losses. Value was a relatively unimportant factor, as porch pirates took whatever they could find. Clothing, shoes and jewelry were the product categories that suffered the most losses (37%), followed by electronics (18%) home and kitchen (17%) and toys and games (17%).
“When you have 228 million stolen packages with retailers quietly absorbing $7.9 billion of that loss, it stops being a consumer inconvenience and starts being an industry-wide cost of doing business,” said Marty Bauer, Omnisend e-commerce expert. “The retailers who will win long-term will be those who are building delivery and returns infrastructure around the reality that roughly a third of their customers will face this at some point. The brands that come out ahead are the ones that make resolution easy. Clear refund policies and flexible delivery options are not just a nice-to-have. For a growing share of consumers, they determine where the next order goes.”
