What to Do If Your USPS Package Is Marked as Delivered but Did Not Arrive
When you receive a USPS package, its status in the USPS tracking system is updated to “Delivered”. However, sometimes a package is marked as delivered even though it hasn’t arrived yet. Why does this happen, and what can you do if this happens to your package?
There are several common reasons why a package that has not arrived yet may be marked as delivered. Not all of these reasons mean that your package has been lost or misplaced. USPS drivers use handheld scanners to update package statuses in the system. Once a package is scanned, it is marked as delivered. Sometimes, to save time, drivers will scan a bunch of packages at the start of a street or even before they leave the post office and then deliver them. If a driver is delayed by traffic, bad weather, or road closures, your package may arrive hours after being marked as delivered in the system. Additionally, packages are sometimes marked as delivered to meet quotas, even though they are actually delivered the next day.
Another reason a package is marked as delivered even though it hasn’t arrived is that the package did arrive, but the driver left it in a hard-to-find spot, with a neighbor, or at the front desk. Drivers may hide small boxes behind planters or under patio furniture to prevent theft or protect them from bad weather, so a thorough search of your porch may reveal your package. If you live in a gated community, condo, or apartment building, the driver may have left your package at the front desk or with a neighbor.
Sometimes packages are delivered to the wrong place, most often to one of the addressee’s neighbors, due to an address error or driver mistake. Another possibility is that your package was stolen after being delivered before you got home. Finally, your package may be marked as delivered due to a scanner malfunction, a USPS server error, or human error.
What should you do if your package was marked as delivered, but you can’t find it? First, search your property, including the porch, patio, garage, area near the back door, and bushes. Also, check with your roommates, family members, neighbors, and doorman. There is a chance that you will find your package because most packages are found during this check. If there is no package, wait for 24 hours because it may still be on its way.
If 24 hours have passed and you still haven’t received your package, call or visit the post office that handles your ZIP code. Have the tracking number ready, and ask them to look up the GPS coordinates on the delivery scan to see where your package was scanned as delivered. If the scan occurred at your property, then either you haven’t found the package, or it has been stolen. If the scan occurred at a different address, the post office will send a carrier to retrieve your package and deliver it to you.
If this didn’t help, your last option is to file a missing mail search request on the USPS website seven days after the expected delivery date. You will need to provide detailed information about your package, including its tracking number, mailing date, and the addresses of the sender and recipient. You will also need to specify the type and size of the packaging and provide a detailed description of each item in the package. USPS will then search for your package along the delivery route and at sorting facilities.
If USPS finds your package, it will be mailed to the address you provided on the missing mail search request form. If your package is not found and was insured, you can file a claim and get reimbursed. Remember that insurance claims must be filed within 60 days of the mailing date, so don’t wait too long to file a missing mail request, or you may miss the insurance claim deadline if your package isn’t found.