Don’t Give Up On ‘Lost’ Mail
I dropped an item in a local blue USPS mailbox on January 3rd and nothing happened. So on January 12th I submitted a missing mail request. Still, nothing - until 12 days later when it showed up close to its destination. It was delivered today, about 100 miles from where it was mailed 24 days ago. Moral of the story: don’t give up on the post office completing its appointed rounds.
12 comments
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoI once ordered a replacement part (old new stock) from Czech Republic and forgot all about it. Months later in correspondence with the seller she asked me how I liked my previous purchase. I replied that I'd forgotten all about it and it never arrived.
She said she's look into it and it came a few days later. It was sitting in a New York post office all that time. I assume she did a missing mail search from her end, I didn't ask.
One never knows...................
top-down-fever
·8 months agoRight now I have 1 sent 1/9/26 and filed a missing mail request on 1/16/26 and still no movement after it stopped in Philadelphia, PA. It will be 20 days tomorrow. I'm not giving up yet. Usually by now it would have showed movement as I have filed these before. I'm still hopeful:
gurlcat
·8 months ago@top-down-fever If you see nothing in a few days, I would go ahead and start an insurance claim. -Having a missing package search already underway makes you way more likely to get your claim awarded, and I have filed them in as little as 10 days after starting the search. It takes several days to get the claim decision anyway, during which time they can either TRY HARDER to find the item or cough up the money. P!ss or get off the pot, LOL!
top-down-fever
·8 months agoFiled my first insurance claim 1/31 and today 2/5 USPS decided to cough up the money:
The U.S. Postal Service has completed the review of your claim and has approved your claim for payment. Payment for this claim will be sent to you in a mailing within 7 - 10 business days.
I guess they decided to give up on this one. My first "lost" package in 25 years on Ebay. Thanks for your advice.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@top-down-fever Congratulations!
nyr134
OP8 months ago@gurlcat wrote “did your buyer stay cool?â€
On day 6, I sent a short message saying I expect the item to eventually be delivered. To date, I’ve never heard back. My items are usually fifty or a hundred years old; maybe they figure another few weeks’ wait for it is no big deal.
reallynicestamps
·8 months agoIs the customer complaining?
Has the last estimated date for delivery passed?
Has the customer opened a Claim?
Never watch tracking.
gurlcat
·8 months agoSo ironic that you give that advice right after asking those questions. It's from watching tracking that we AVOID claims, by reaching out to buyers and giving reassurance that we didn't forget them after getting their money, and will do what is needed to shake their lost packages loose. It not only avoids INR's but makes very appreciative buyers who buy again and leave glowing feedback. They're used to lousy service -if you give them better, they will LOVE you for it.
mozartbach1971
·8 months agoI once refunded a buyer from Ireland on a lost package. Around a year later he sent me a message saying it was received and sent me the funds back.
mommaknows
·8 months ago@mozartbach1971
I love this!
mommaknows
·8 months agoNovember 29th to January 10th!!!!!
 
 
gurlcat
·8 months ago@nyr134 Dude no way! Look at mine -same missing package date, same delivery date! Only mine started out even earlier, Dec.31, and it got lost 'in the middle' not from the start like yours. Did your buyer stay cool? I wrote to mine the day I did the search request, and they were like "meh, I'm in the military; it always takes forever to get stuff." Whew!
