What to do When Your Mail Package is Lost

Lost mail or packages can be frustrating. 

Here is what you can do if you have lost your mail package.

Track The Order

When you think about a missing or delayed delivery, the first thing that comes to mind is to track the order status. Usually, when we order something, we consistently check its status until it arrives.

Tracking the order status will help you figure out where your package is and how soon it will reach you. If it’s the due date for order delivery or a few days above the due date, check the order status. If the order status turns to “delivered” but you haven’t received your package, contact the shipping company immediately.

Contact The Seller

If you don’t have access to order tracking information, you should contact the seller. Reach out to the seller and tell them the package hasn’t arrived.

You should usually wait until the delivery notice arrives to contact the seller to validate your complaint. Many people often ask for a refund due to stolen packages without their package being stolen or lost.

Here’s the proper way to contact the seller about a lost package.

• Ask about the progress of your order. If the sender tells you it’s been delivered, show proof supporting your complaint about the lost mail package.
• Snap a photo of the delivery notice and let them know the package isn’t where it was supposed to be delivered.
• Keep your order information ready in case the seller asks for it again to check the status of your order.
• Share delivery numbers with the company so they can reach out to the carrier.

Check And Ask Around

Most of the time, the mistake is on the courier’s end because they might deliver your package to the wrong doorstep. It’s best if you ask around in the neighborhood or a store near your house where the courier might have dropped your package.

Package receiving service providers like Stowfly offer to receive your online deliveries at partner locations near your home from where you can easily pick them up. So before considering registering a formal complaint for ‘missing package USPS’, make sure you didn’t leave an instruction with USPS for your package to be dropped elsewhere.

If you’re living in an apartment complex, it’s best to check with the building management to inquire about your package. One of your neighbors in the building might have taken it by mistake. You can check with the building management to see if anyone turned in a package that wasn’t theirs.

Customer Support from Courier Company

Before sending a missing mail search request, you can submit an online help form through the courier company’s website. If you don’t get any response from the online form, you can file a missing mail search request to them.

Here is the information you usually need to file a report for a missing package.

• Sender and recipient mailing addresses.
• Size and type of the package you ordered.
• Delivery numbers such as order tracking numbers and mailing dates from your receipt.
• Description and a photo, if possible, of what you ordered.

Although it’s impossible to find the missing mail item each time, couriers like USPS have a great way of updating you throughout their search for your lost mail. 

If they find your package, they deliver it to you where you tell them to. If not, you can proceed by asking for a refund. If the package includes insurance, ensure to file a claim.

File A Police Report

If you strongly suspect it’s a case of a stolen mail package, contact the police to file a report. 

If you don’t have solid evidence, the police might not be able to do much, but they can take note of the incident just in case they come across something relevant. If more than one person in your area has the same problem with stolen mail, then they’ll investigate the scene and most likely find the culprit.