Couriers are going bankrupt due to the “free delivery syndrome”. The worst is in Mazovia and Silesia
In November, the debt of the courier industry increased by PLN 1.2 million and currently amounts to PLN 45.5 million – according to the report by Rzetelna Firma and KRD published on Friday. As it is added, courier companies are waiting for the repayment of outstanding invoices with a total value of almost PLN 45 million.
As indicated in the report, the debt of the courier and delivery industry is growing; in 2024 it amounted to almost PLN 40.5 million, and in 2023 – PLN 35 million. In August the debt started to decrease but then increased; in November it was PLN 1.2 million higher than the month before.
The publication shows that the National Debt Register lists over 1,370 couriers in debt, and each courier has an average of 33,000 debts. PLN of unsettled liabilities. This represents an increase compared to previous years. In 2023, the average debt was PLN 28,600, and in 2024 – PLN 31,000. zloty. “This shows that not only are more and more couriers experiencing financial difficulties, but their problems are becoming more serious,” the authors of the report said.
The companies listed in the KRD are mostly sole proprietorships that provide services to larger operators, i.e. – as explained – often drivers who run their own business and perform deliveries on commission. There are 1,017 JDGs in the register and they have a total debt of PLN 30.6 million. The remaining PLN 14.9 million must be repaid by 361 commercial law companies. As added, the average debt per one micro-enterprise is PLN 30.1 thousand. PLN, and for the company PLN 41.3 thousand. zloty.
“Although the delivery market is developing thanks to the popularity of e-commerce, and the number of delivered parcels is growing by 15% per year according to UKE (1.2 billion pieces in 2024), courier companies cannot talk about a financial eldorado. Their remuneration is a victim of the 'free parcel syndrome'. Poles expect that parcels with purchases will reach them for free. Taking into account that the number of e-shops is constantly growing and at the same time e-commerce is out of breath, “Sellers are trying to cut costs and expect lower prices for the service from couriers,” noted the authors of the publication.
They explained that at the same time, the costs of running a business are constantly increasing, and couriers running JDG have to bear the costs of fuel, leasing, repairs and insurance. “In such conditions, many of them lose financial liquidity, which is reflected in the growing number of entries in the debtor register,” they pointed out.
The most indebted companies operate in Masovia, where arrears amount to PLN 11 million, in the Silesian Voivodeship (PLN 6 million), Lower Silesian Voivodeship (PLN 5.1 million) and Łódź Voivodeship (PLN 3.7 million). In turn, entrepreneurs from the Podlaskie, Lublin and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships have the smallest debt, where the total amount of arrears is less than PLN 1 million.
“Such regional differences result primarily from the concentration of courier activities in large cities and agglomerations. The record holder from Lower Silesia owes PLN 983,000 mainly to leasing and insurance companies,” the publication states.
The largest part of the total debt is arrears owed to financial institutions, i.e. banks, leasing and insurance companies and securitization funds. Couriers owe another PLN 3 million to transport companies, PLN 2.3 million to telecommunications operators, and PLN 1.5 million to fuel companies.
At the same time, the courier industry is waiting for the repayment of outstanding invoices worth a total of PLN 44.9 million, mostly from trading companies that owe them PLN 25.3 million. Transport and industrial companies each owe PLN 5.2 million.
As the report also shows, the situation of courier companies may be further hampered by the entry into force at the beginning of 2026 of regulations extending the powers of the National Labor Inspectorate towards companies. After the changes, the National Labor Inspectorate will be able to issue an administrative decision ordering the conclusion of an employment contract if it considers that cooperation with an external courier in practice meets the characteristics of full-time employment. For some logistics operators and companies that outsource deliveries to external carriers, this may mean higher operating costs.
“If some of the co-workers were obliged to be employed under an employment contract, a larger part of the costs – wages, contributions or social security – could be transferred from micro-entrepreneurs to contractors. This would mean a significant increase in operating costs. This may be visible in the debt structure,” said Adam Łącki, president of the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Bureau. (PAP)
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