How Can I Have Them Try to Look for My Mail If the USPS Lost It?

Sometimes, the USPS will lose or misplace an item.

Anybody, even those who have lost all receipts, tracking numbers, and other evidence of mailing, can file a claim for lost property with the United States Postal Service (USPS). To ensure the Post Office looks for your lost items, prepare carefully and follow the USPS' set procedures for recovery. It is best to wait five days before filing a claim, even if an item was supposed to have arrived within much less time. Ordinarily the sender files a claim; addressees who haven't received an item should contact the mailer, verify the item was sent, and request that a claim be filed.

Things You'll Need

• Tracking number
• Any packaging or contents that arrived as expected
• Original mailing receipt or photocopy
• USPS sales receipt
• Express Mail manifest
• Printout of insurance verification, if purchased

Instructions

Gather the Evidence

1. 

   Sometimes, only part of a shipment will arrive.

   Save any portion of a missing shipment that arrived as planned. Don't forget to set aside the containing envelope or box. Itemize both the items received and those that are missing. Be aware that the USPS may require that addressees take items that successfully arrived to the nearest Post Office for examination.

2. 

   Locating necessary documents helps the USPS locate your missing items.

   Locate the tracking number of the lost item. Tracking numbers were created in part to allow for the recovery of lost items. USPS clerks often provide senders with a tracking number following payment.

3. Locate evidence of insurance to expedite the recovery. Customers ordinarily receive proof of insurance when dropping off a package at the USPS. Express Mail Manifests also contain insurance information. Customers who purchased insurance at the USPS website will receive proof of insurance via email.

4. 

   Lost your tracking number? File using addresses and dates.

   Collect basic information such as the item's point of departure and the intended recipient's address. Note the date the item was sent. Even if you have no proof that a letter or package was sent, you may still file a claim using this basic information.

File a Claim

1. Call [phone] and press "6" and then "4" to skip through the menu options and go directly to a representative to file your claim by telephone. For international claims, call [phone]. You may also file at the nearest USPS office or by mail, using PS Form 1000.

2. Provide basic contact information for the mailer and addressee on the claim form or over the phone. The USPS requires the full name and address of both parties. Telephone numbers and email addresses are optional.

3. 

   The USPS may compensate you for lost items it cannot recover.

   Describe each lost item in brief. Provide purchase dates and the estimated value or repair cost of each item. Then provide the total amount of money necessary to properly compensate you for the lost items should the USPS fail to recover them.

4. Provide the USPS with information about fees paid to mail the item. Fees include postage, insurance, and registration --- any amount paid to the USPS in connection with the lost item.

5. 

   Tell the USPS who should receive compensation, if the item cannot be located.

   Indicate where payment should be sent if the item cannot be located, and whether payment should be sent to the mailer or addressee. If you shipped using the USPS Electronic Verification System, only the person or organization that mailed the item may file to recover the loss. Sign and date the document.

6. 

   The USPS may not respond to an unsigned claim form.

   Sign and date the PS 1000 form, or orally authorize the USPS to begin looking for your mail over the phone.

7. Retain a copy of PS Form 1000 for your records together with a note of the date you filed. If you filed a claim by telephone, carefully retain any reference information provided by the USPS employee with whom you spoke. You are permitted to call the USPS to check on the status of the search. Inform other interested parties that you filed a claim and ask them to cooperate with the Post Office in its search.

Tips & Warnings

• As a last resort, you may wish to visit the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where lost items are auctioned to the public.

References

• U.S. Postal Service: PS Form 1000
• U.S. Postal Service: Auctions