Refusal of parcel by delivery service: who pays for delivery, return, and storage

There are two scenarios. First: the buyer comes to the branch, looks at the parcel, and refuses to pick it up. Then it's sent back to you.

Second: the buyer simply didn't show up. The parcel stays at the branch — the first 7 calendar days are free, then it's paid — and then returns to you as unclaimed. The delivery service calls this the "Return Shipment" service.

It's the same with parcel lockers: if a parcel isn't picked up, it's returned as unclaimed. Check your delivery service app to see if you can refuse a parcel directly at the locker and what the storage periods are.

For you, both scenarios are the same: the goods made a round trip, no payment came in, and you've already paid for delivery and advertising.

If the buyer was supposed to pay for delivery and refuses, the sender typically covers the one-way delivery cost. This is a standard carrier rule, so factor it in by default. If you paid for delivery from the start, that money is simply already spent.

The declared value also affects the shipping cost: up to $12, the commission for it is included in the rate; above $12 for parcels, it's 0,5% of the declared value. For a parcel with a value of $24, this is $0.1 (our calculation).

The cost of one unclaimed parcel is calculated as: loss = one-way delivery + packaging + lead cost from advertising + paid storage if charged to you. Multiply this sum by your unclaimed parcel rate—and you'll see how much margin refusals eat up. It's easier to calculate in our single-product e-commerce unit economics calculator.

According to the delivery service price list effective 10.09.2026, "Return of shipment" for documents and parcels up to 30 kg is included in the main service tariff. Simply put, there's no separate charge for the return journey of such a parcel. For cargo over 30 kg, returns are calculated according to the main service tariffs.

For single-product e-commerce sellers, this means: if your parcels are under 30 kg, when refused you lose one-way delivery, not both ways.

A nuance: storage. If a parcel stayed at the branch for a long time, paid storage might have been charged. Who pays for it in the case of an unclaimed parcel should be clarified in the delivery service's terms. It's more reliable not to let it get to that point — remind the buyer about the parcel in the first few days.

Tariffs change: before launching, verify the current price on the carrier's website or app.

For parcels, the first 7 calendar days at the branch are included in the tariff; the day of arrival doesn't count. After that, storage is charged daily, and the rate depends on parcel size.

Example (our calculation): a small parcel stayed 3 days longer than the free period — that's an extra $1.1. A large one for the same 3 days — $2.5.

The takeaway for single-product e-commerce is simple: the longer the buyer thinks, the more expensive it gets for everyone. If someone isn't picking up their parcel, call them while the free days are still running: remind them about the order, price, and branch. Sometimes the reason is simple—they forgot or missed the notification.

"Easy Return"—with your agreement, the buyer can return a parcel with goods within 14 days of receipt. For parcels up to 30 kg, this service, like standard returns, is included in the main service tariff. For sellers, it's a way to ease the fear of "what if it doesn't fit": the person picks up the parcel instead of refusing at checkout. You'll have to refund the money for returned goods—factor that into your economics.

"Reliable Purchase"—the buyer pays via NovaPay, and the money is credited to you after they receive the goods and confirm everything is satisfactory. If not, the money goes back to their card. It's a compromise between prepayment and cash on delivery for those afraid to pay upfront. The downside for you—money only arrives after confirmation.

If you enable any of these, mention it in the guarantees block on your landing page—only what actually works.

Some refusals are baked in before shipping: the person ordered impulsively, didn't understand the price, or already forgot they ordered something. So unclaimed parcels are reduced not at the post office, but at the lead stage.

In LandEmpire, the order form verifies local mobile numbers and filters out spam, while city and delivery service branch fields are customizable for your product. The lead instantly arrives in Telegram and, if needed, in HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Bitrix24, so the operator can call while the customer still remembers what they ordered. Learn more about what reduces unclaimed parcels on the page itself in our article about landing pages with cash on delivery.