Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Do you have a legal obligation to return mail if it has your address, but your neighbors name? Even if said neighbors are aware they are using incorrect address, but continue to do so anyway. This includes bills, special order packages.

Asked by fed up about 11 years ago

I can't cite any legal regulations here due to my lack of knowledge on this subject. I would recommend that you return any mail that comes to your address with their name or give it to them directly. It sounds to me that you don't want to do either of those suggestions. Technically, I can't see where you are wrong in keeping or discarding the mail/packages you are referring to but I believe it is morally wrong to keep these items and not return them or give them to your neighbor. If you don't have a good relationship with this neighbor, you could just put the mail back in your mailbox or a blue USPS collection box and write on the mail "person doesn't live at this address." Again, in my opinion, the choice is yours what you do with this mail. Thanks for writing.

972 Votes

if the mail man takes ma mail cause i was out of town what should i do

Asked by thalia over 12 years ago

Depending on how long you were out of town, the mail was probably being held at the PO you to pick up. If you were out for a certain amt of time and never contacted the PO, it's possible they returned the mail to sender. If a mailbox is full, the overflow is usually held at the PO until the cust. Mailbox is emptied. I am just giving you scenarios on what I think should happen. As much as there are sets of rules to be followed in this situation, nobody seems to know exactly what is correct and different carriers will handle it differently.

972 Votes

I think I put an unopened letter that was already delivered to me in a post office mailbox by mistake. What's going to happen to it? Will it come back to me, go to the sender or what? Thank you.

Asked by Miles about 12 years ago

I think it's likely to just come back to you a day or 2 later since it was unopened and didn't say "unknown" or "return to sender". I hope you get back your unopened piece of mail.

972 Votes

Is it faster to have your mail picked up by your mailman, or dropping it off in one of the blue postal service boxes?

Asked by k8B about 12 years ago

I believe there is no difference as long as you don't use the blue collection box after the collection time stated on the box label. In my office, any mail picked up by a letter carrier at a residence is dispatched for processing before the end of the day. An exception may be if you go to the PO in the AM to mail letters. It is possible that those letters are dispatched from a truck that leaves hours before the end of the day.

969 Votes

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Recently started a business on eBay. One of the orders was marked as DELIVERED on the same day it was shipped, but the final destination is my own city. It's been seven days. What does this status mean? Will the shipment still reach its destination?

Asked by Freddy G about 12 years ago

I don't know why there would be a "delivered" scan on a package that was shipped the same day as the status you are referencing. That status usually means that the package was delivered. If the destination city is the same as the sending city, 7 Days seems like way too Long. Inside a city is usually the next day or 2. I don't know if your package will arrive at its destination but hope it will. You may call 1 800 ASK USPS with the tracking # to see if there is any more info/suggestions.

969 Votes

Is there anyway I can stop a delieverie and have it sent back to the sender without it being delievered to me

Asked by Dawn over 11 years ago

I don't know of any way to stop a delivery once it has been sent out by the sender. You could always refuse the item and leave it back out for the letter carrier with a note saying "refused..return to sender" and that should work.

965 Votes

I rent a condo and my landlady likes to use the pool so we share the pool key by leaving it in the mailbox. Is this an illegal use of the mailbox? Twice the pool key has disappeared , would the mail carrier have taken it?

Asked by Meg about 12 years ago

I don't know that the mailman would have taken it. Is your mailbox locked? I don't recommend using your mailbox for anything but mail. It may not be legal but it is unlikely that there is a penalty for leaving the key in the mailbox, except the key disappearing for whatever reason.

965 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Do you have a legal obligation to return mail if it has your address, but your neighbors name? Even if said neighbors are aware they are using incorrect address, but continue to do so anyway. This includes bills, special order packages.

if the mail man takes ma mail cause i was out of town what should i do

I think I put an unopened letter that was already delivered to me in a post office mailbox by mistake. What's going to happen to it? Will it come back to me, go to the sender or what? Thank you.

Is it faster to have your mail picked up by your mailman, or dropping it off in one of the blue postal service boxes?

Also on Jobstr...

Recently started a business on eBay. One of the orders was marked as DELIVERED on the same day it was shipped, but the final destination is my own city. It's been seven days. What does this status mean? Will the shipment still reach its destination?

Is there anyway I can stop a delieverie and have it sent back to the sender without it being delievered to me

I rent a condo and my landlady likes to use the pool so we share the pool key by leaving it in the mailbox. Is this an illegal use of the mailbox? Twice the pool key has disappeared , would the mail carrier have taken it?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Do you have a legal obligation to return mail if it has your address, but your neighbors name? Even if said neighbors are aware they are using incorrect address, but continue to do so anyway. This includes bills, special order packages.

if the mail man takes ma mail cause i was out of town what should i do

I think I put an unopened letter that was already delivered to me in a post office mailbox by mistake. What's going to happen to it? Will it come back to me, go to the sender or what? Thank you.

Is it faster to have your mail picked up by your mailman, or dropping it off in one of the blue postal service boxes?

Also on Jobstr...

Recently started a business on eBay. One of the orders was marked as DELIVERED on the same day it was shipped, but the final destination is my own city. It's been seven days. What does this status mean? Will the shipment still reach its destination?

Is there anyway I can stop a delieverie and have it sent back to the sender without it being delievered to me

I rent a condo and my landlady likes to use the pool so we share the pool key by leaving it in the mailbox. Is this an illegal use of the mailbox? Twice the pool key has disappeared , would the mail carrier have taken it?

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