Short answer. Usually yes. When the seller is authorised or required to ship your goods, Article 1523 treats delivery to the carrier as delivery to you — so ownership and risk generally pass the moment the courier takes the goods, not when they reach your door. But the seller must arrange carriage reasonably and warn you if the goods should be insured.
What the law says
delivery of the goods to a carrier, whether named by the buyer or not, for the purpose of transmission to the buyer is deemed to be a delivery of the goods to the buyer
Civil Code, Article 1523 — Delivery to the Carrier Is Delivery to the Buyer. Read the full provision →
What the law says
the seller must give such notice to the buyer as may enable him to insure them during their transit
Civil Code, Article 1523 — Delivery to the Carrier Is Delivery to the Buyer. Read the full provision →
Delivery to the carrier counts as delivery to the buyer
When a sale contemplates shipment, the law needs a clear moment when the goods count as delivered. Article 1523 fixes it at the hand-off to the carrier. Where the seller is authorised or required to send the goods, delivery of the goods to a carrier, whether named by the buyer or not, for the purpose of transmission to the buyer is deemed to be a delivery of the goods to the buyer. The practical consequence is significant: once the courier or shipping line takes the goods, the buyer is generally treated as having received them, so the risk of loss in transit ordinarily shifts onto the buyer.
The seller must still arrange carriage reasonably
This rule does not give the seller a free hand. The seller must make a contract with the carrier on the buyer's behalf that is reasonable, given the nature of the goods and the other circumstances. If the seller fails to do so and the goods are lost or damaged in transit, the buyer may refuse to treat the hand-off to the carrier as delivery to himself, or may instead hold the seller responsible in damages. So the moment of delivery shifts to the carrier only when the seller has done its own part in arranging the shipment sensibly and in the buyer's interest.
When goods should be insured, the seller must warn you
There is a further protection for the buyer. Where goods are sent under circumstances in which the seller knows or ought to know that it is usual to insure, the seller must give such notice to the buyer as may enable him to insure them during their transit. If the seller does not give that notice, the goods are deemed to be at the seller's risk during transit. The lesson for buyers is simple: shipment usually shifts risk to you, so confirm how the goods are being carried and whether they are insured before they leave.