wet package

[4money2012]

a package got left in the rain by postman who is responsible?

[deserdog]

This is found in the DMM 508. 1.2

[lja440]

There are a lot of things in the DMM that are just not practical. I was just at my state convention for 3 days voting on contract changes.  Believe me after you sit through an hour-long debate on the placement of a comma or one word you understand why so little gets done and changes take forever.

That passage in the DMM was written before Covid, Before online pharmacies, and before eBay. Pretty much in the era of 4 to 7-week-long shipping from paper catalogs.  Heck, when I started with USPS with the exception of Christmas time I might have 5 or 6 packages a day that required taking to the door. When the LFRB came out it was considered a LARGE package. If anyone would have told me that I would be delivering cases of diapers, TP, paper towels, and energy drinks (LOL back then the go-to energy drink was a mug of hot coffee), and cat litter and 4 0-50# bags of dog food I would have thought them nuts. I deliver such daily. I also now deliver compressed mattresses (12+), pools in boxes(2), drill presses (3), and one 69.2# BOUNCE HOUSE!

Yesterday I had 2 metal shelving units, The boxes just fit in the cargo area of my jeep laying flat and I felt so lucky that they were for someone 6 houses from the end of the route because of their weight I couldn't have loaded them on top. I also had a long heavy package that I did leave a notice for as it would have only fit by sliding it through the jeep and resting it on my dash and the back of the back seat. The ends against the windshield and back glass. It's for not the nicest people on my route so I'm sure the clerk will get an ear full when it is picked up. Yes, people do complain when they come in to pick up items. 

[deserdog]

Unless they just copied the verbiage from before, the article I posted is dated: May 28, 2021

Here is the full article from USPS:

How senders authorize a carrier to leave parcels if no one is available to receive it at time of delivery.

May 28, 2021•FAQ

Article Number

000003418

Customer Information

[deserdog]

This is another little bit of info about the carrier release endorsement:

All expedited packaging supplies must include a “Carrier — Leave If No Response” endorsement shipping label on uninsured EPS shipments that don’t require a signature.

So USPS says shipping supplies must include the endorsement.

[deserdog]

So who would be responsible for a package that was stolen if the addressee did not have on file the carrier release endorsement or the parcel did not bear the carrier release endorsement? 

[lja440]

Once again, even if this is in the DMM it isn't used and isn't practical. I posed this to the mail room yesterday. 11 people besides me, all but 2 have been with USPS longer than I have (I started in 2000). NONE of them had ever heard of this INCLUDING the Postmaster. In fact he even looked for the form (everything has a form), we do not have it in our office and there is no such form to even order. There is a form to hold packages at the Post Office though. I have 3 out of almost 500 customers on my route.  Two reactive dogs and one with an adult family member with autism and is very routine bound and as they wouldn't get a package every day it is better for them to pick up packages once a week. 

Let's flip this though. As an eBay buyer, Amazon customer or wherever you order things from would you be willing to go daily to the PO and pick up packages? If so rent a PO Box. As an eBay SELLER, did you ever have someone wait days or weeks to pick up a package, and then it gets sent back to you? I have.

Let me tell you this as an example. It's hitting vacation time for a lot of people.  I have 5 customers on hold for this, one comes off hold on the 20th another comes off on the 22nd and the other 3 on the 30th. I also have one being held because the mailbox is unserviceable. I had two but the other one (mailbox fell down 4 weeks ago and had several weeks mail inside of it when that happened. Monday they set it back up and took the mail out. They set it up so low that I can barely touch the top of the flap handle. Tuesday I delivered all the mail that I was holding (according to the DMM I should have started returning their mail to the sender after 10 days) but I know as their carrier how infrequently they collect their mail.  Thinking that this may be the only opportunity to get them to raise the mailbox I have given them a dated note that I will hold for 10 days because it is on a blind curve I can't daily park and walk back to put mail in this box. I did check yesterday and the accumulated mail and note is still there. 

So getting back to holding for pick up. I have 5 people on hold and one unserviceable box in tubs under my mail case. I have two other totes, one for straps from bundled flats and one for UBBM (that 'junk' mail that does not get forwarded when you move). I am out of space under my mailcase, and this is just letters and a few small packages from 6 customer addresses out of nearly 500.

Oh and your porch pirate question, like any other theft from your property, call the police and your homeowners insurance.

[zeemakgroup]

The Delivery Service is Responsible in Most cases.

[hitihamillmadhu0]

seller should response to this.

[pickermall]

I don't think there is a clear blanket answer!

As a seller, I want to make sure the item is packaged in a way that will prevent breakage, and get to the location (buyer's CONFIRMED address) safely

As a buyer, I want to make sure I have a secure place (preferably out of sight) that packages can be delivered to that is out of weather's way (and check tracking so that I know when it will be delivered and maybe have a good relationship with my carrier)

As the carrier, care enough about my CUSTOMERS and my JOB (you know... what I get paid to do) so that I don't have complaints.

[deserdog]

As no one has heard of it, in the past 2 days I have received 3 items from Kohls. All had the carrier release on them: LEAVE IF NO RESPONSE. So evidently some big companies know they need to do this if they want packages left. This is one of the things that is spelled out in the DMM if no one is there to receive a package.

[deserdog]

Also, after the post office left the package of prospecting equipment by my front door, and I went down and complained, and learned about it, the only packages the po leaves now are package of shipping supplies and it is spelled out that they are allowed to leave them. All other packages too large to fit in the mail box have had notices left in my mail box. 

[deserdog]

From a thread on Etsy about the same subject: @DeserdogsTreasures - Not sure if your question was to me but "yes" we filled out a form about the size of a postcard that indicated where our packages should be left.

[deserdog]

After a little more digging, I found this:

An ordinary parcel too large to fit into a customer’s mailbox is not left unless the
customer has filed a written order with the postmaster relieving the USPS and
carriers of all responsibility in case of loss or depredation of any such parcel left
outside the box.

This is specifically under Rural Delivery 

the same exact verbiage is also under Highway delivery. 

A written order on file relieves USPS and the carrier of all responsibility in case of loss or depredation.  Since most regulations are written with a specific intent, you can assume, absent the written order, any lose or depredation would be the responsibility of USPS or the carrier. 

[dogofwar777]

My horrible post office did this to me once and I didn't hold the seller responsible because of lazy postal workers.

[bimm_corp]

Everything I ship has at least three layers of plastic between the weather and the product. Never had a damaged delivery despite having several deliveries left on the porch during rain/snow storm. No experience with hail/lightning as yet.