Parcel · Germany, domestic parcel (myHermes Business)
Hermes Germany claim deadlines, liability and evidence
Under the myHermes Business conditions Hermes waives the statutory cap where proven direct damage is under EUR 500 per parcel, paying purchase price ex VAT for new goods and current value for used. Delay is not compensated at all unless Hermes confirmed a delivery time in text form.
Tightest deadline
At delivery
Standard cap
Under EUR 500 paid in full; above that, 8.33 SDR/kg or CMR art. 23
Liability regime
HGB
Hermes is the carrier where reading the wrong document costs the most. The consumer pages state a flat maximum of EUR 500 per parcel and EUR 50 per Päckchen and say plainly that the limit cannot be raised. The myHermes Business conditions that actually govern a commercial shipper work the other way round: EUR 500 is the threshold below which Hermes gives up the statutory weight cap, and above it § 431(1) HGB or CMR art. 23 applies. The business document also carries a scanning rule that quietly decides a large share of disputes before liability is even reached.
Claim windows
Hermes applies §§ 407 ff. HGB domestically and CMR cross-border, then waives the resulting cap below EUR 500. Its business and consumer conditions are different documents with different mechanics, and only the business one is relevant to a shipper.
Visible damage or partial loss
At delivery
Counted from delivery.
AGB 7.6, matching § 438(1) HGB. The damage has to be clearly marked, not just mentioned.
Concealed damage (not externally visible)
7 days
Counted from delivery.
AGB 7.6. Otherwise it is presumed the damage was not present at delivery.
Delay, where a delivery time was confirmed in text form
21 days
Counted from delivery.
The statutory § 438(3) deadline. It only ever applies where Hermes expressly confirmed a delivery time under AGB 7.3, since otherwise delay is not compensated at all.
Insured versus uninsured
No additional cover
Direct, contract-typical loss up to the statutory limits (AGB 7.3). Hermes waives the cap in § 431(1) HGB, or CMR art. 23 cross-border, where proven direct damage is under EUR 500 per parcel. Within the limits it pays purchase price less VAT for new goods (7.3.1), current value for used goods (7.3.2), and the auction price for used goods sent following an internet auction (7.3.3).
With cover bought
The business conditions publish no additional cover option. On the consumer side Hermes states expressly that the maximum liability cannot be raised.
Delay and late delivery
Excluded outright unless Hermes has expressly confirmed a delivery deadline at least in text form (AGB 7.3). Indirect and consequential loss, including lost profit, is excluded in all cases.
Evidence required
Hermes Germany does not publish a document list. Request one in writing before you need it.
Exclusions
- Shipments that do not meet the conditions of carriage ("nicht bedingungsgerechte Sendungen"), where Hermes is not liable at all (AGB 7.2 and 7.4)
- Indirect and consequential loss, expressly including lost profit (AGB 7.3)
- Delay, unless a delivery deadline was confirmed at least in text form (AGB 7.3)
- The correctness and completeness of shipment contents (AGB 7.7)
Filing the claim
- Who files
- Only the Auftraggeber, the contracting party, may bring claims under the contract (AGB 7.9). A recipient cannot claim in their own name.
- How to file
- Damage must be notified with the damage clearly marked, at delivery for visible damage and within 7 days for concealed damage (AGB 7.6). Hermes publishes a damage-report form; the conditions do not prescribe a channel.
- Processing time
- Total loss is presumed once a shipment has not been delivered within 20 days domestically or 30 days internationally after being taken for delivery (AGB 7.8). A written proof of delivery bearing the recipient’s signature, including a digital signature and its reproduction, releases Hermes from total-loss liability.
What quietly kills Hermes DE claims
No hand-over scan, no shipment. Under AGB 7.5 only shipments evidenced by a scan at a Hermes logistics centre, branch or system partner count as handed over, so a collection that was never scanned is rebuttably treated as never given to Hermes at all.
A digital signature on the proof of delivery ends the total-loss route (7.8), even where the shipper disputes that the named person received anything.
The consumer figures are the wrong document. A commercial shipper reading "maximum EUR 500, cannot be increased" from the consumer pages is reading a cap that does not govern its contract.
Delay is not a claim by default. Unless someone at Hermes confirmed a delivery date in writing, a late parcel is worth nothing regardless of what it cost the shipper.
FAQ
What is the Hermes liability limit for business shippers in Germany?
The myHermes Business conditions do not set a flat cap. Hermes waives the statutory limit in § 431(1) HGB where proven direct damage is under EUR 500 per parcel, and applies the statutory weight cap above it. Compensation is purchase price less VAT for new goods and current value for used goods.
Does Hermes compensate late delivery?
No, unless Hermes expressly confirmed a delivery deadline at least in text form. AGB 7.3 excludes delay liability otherwise, and excludes indirect and consequential loss such as lost profit in every case.
When is a Hermes shipment treated as lost?
Total loss is presumed after 20 days domestically or 30 days internationally from the point Hermes took it for delivery (AGB 7.8), unless there is a signed proof of delivery, which a digital signature satisfies.
Sources
- Hermes Germany, AGB myHermes Business, Stand 01.06.2026 (section 7)
- Hermes, Haftungshöhe (consumer figures, for contrast)
- § 438 HGB, Schadensanzeige
Verified 31 August 2026. This page summarises publicly published conditions for reference. A negotiated carrier contract, a rate-card annex or a service-specific annex can override any of it. Always check the deadline in your own agreement before relying on a figure here. Spotted a figure that has changed? Tell us and we will correct it.
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