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USPS Says Delivered But No Package

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USPS Tracking says delivered but no package has arrived. That’s a situation nobody wants.

If you receive a delivered status and there’s no package in sight, the first instinct is to think the worst. Has it been stolen or given to someone else by accident?

Is your package now lost?

That’s generally not the case. Let’s take a look at what you should do if USPS says delivered but no package has arrived.

USPS Says Delivered But No Package – What to do?

USPS Tracking Says Delivered But No Package

Check Around the Property

If you receive a USPS delivered status and there is no package, the first step is to take a good look around your property.

Check all potential delivery locations around the exterior of your house and yard to see if the package is there.

USPS drivers will sometimes leave packages under cover during bad weather, or near a back entrance so that it is not visible from the street.

Double-check your mailbox, porch, and garage area. You should also ask other household members if they have received the package.

If you live in an apartment, you should check with building management or the concierge services if you have them.

A Parcel locker or communal dropbox may also hold the package if your apartment complex has them installed.

Talk to the neighbors

Another port of call if your USPS Tracking says delivered but no package has arrived, is to talk to the neighbors.

The USPS driver may have left the package with a neighbor by mistake.

Another scenario is that they left the package with a neighbor after not being able to reach anyone at your address.

This is logical if a secure delivery point at your address was not located, or in wet weather conditions.

Double-check your tracking number

Tracking Says Delivered But No Package

Naturally, you will want to contact USPS as soon as you receive a delivered status but can’t find your package.

However, it is important that through a process of elimination you ensure that the package is not on or around your property, or with a neighbor.

The last step you should take before making contact is to double-check your USPS status again.

You can do this easily by typing your tracking number into the USPS tracking page, or logging into your Informed Delivery dashboard, (if you have signed up to it).

On the subject of a delivered status but no package, the USPS website states that “in rare cases, package may show as ‘delivered’ but could take an additional 24 hours”.

It is possible, therefore that the status was created early. Checking your tracking again may show a change in the status giving you more information on where it is.

The Post Office also recommends that you wait for 24hrs before contacting them regarding a missing package.

Contact USPS About “Delivered” But No Package

Call center

So, it’s been over 24 hours since you received the USPS ‘delivered’ status, you’ve gone through all the steps listed above, and your package is nowhere to be seen.

Now it’s time to make contact with USPS. 

Your best course of action is to find the number of your local post office. This can be found here.

You can also send a service request via email to your local Post Office. This will take longer as you will have to wait for a call back which can take between 2-3 business days.

Should you choose to call the USPS Customer Care Center (1-800-275-8777), opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 8:30 PM, and Saturdays 8 AM to 6 PM EST.

What should you say to USPS?

After calling your local post office, you should ask to speak to the head postmaster or the manager.

You should provide details of the tracking number and the fact you have received a “delivered” status but the package has gone missing.

They will want you to confirm that you have carried out all the relevant checks. Which, after reading this guide you will have done. 🙂

USPS will check that the package was never returned to the post office, they will also contact the driver that made the delivery for more information.

What happens next?

USPS will do all they can to locate the missing package.

However, after making contact they will ask you to wait a further 7 days from the expected delivery date before you can report an official Missing Mail Case.

This is to give the local post office time to make their own inquiries and investigate where the package might be.

After the 7 days have passed, you will be able to contact USPS and begin the process of filing an official missing mail report.

USPS Missing Mail Search

USPS delivered but no package missing mail search

There are several ways to file a missing mail report. You can file at your local post office, online via this link, or by calling USPS Customer Care.

We recommend using the website as this is the easiest method of filing the report.

Once you have logged into the USPS Missing Mail Search page, you will have to enter the following details:

  • The tracking number of the package
  • Shipper and recipient mailing address
  • Order numbers associated with insurance that may have been purchased
  • The date that the parcel was sent out
  • The type of mail service that was used (first-class, priority mail, etc.)
  • Name and address details of where the missing mail should be sent if found
  • Details of the contents of the package (brand, model, color, size, etc)
  • Any pictures that could help USPS recognize the item

After entering all this information you can submit your USPS Missing Mail Search request, and the waiting begins.

What will USPS do to find my package?

After the request is made, postal workers will look into each step that the package went through between when the shipment began, to the supposed delivery.

There are many reasons the package might have gone missing. From porch theft to incorrect scanning to rare occurrences of postal theft within USPS.

The hope is that the missing package will turn up in the warehouse due to a mis-scan. However, if the package really is lost and cannot be found, a potential insurance claim will be the next step.

This would take up an entire article on its own, so watch this space for a detailed guide on USPS insurance claims soon.

Guide: USPS Says Delivered But No Package

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