PSA: USPS Registered Mail is NOT safe. It is NOT tracked, NOT signed for as it changes hands, and does NOT require signature for delivery

[yssie]

I sent a package via USPS Registered Mail to someone else within the continental US.

I mailed it on the 13th.
The tracking still states that the last known update (the last time it was signed for) was September 15th.

I opened a case with USPS three days ago. The case was closed as “resolved” by the local post office, without delivery - in fact, without any update whatsoever.

I reopened the case yesterday morning.

Yesterday evening the recipient let me know they had received the package. They did NOT have to sign for it, it was just waiting for them when they got home.

I’m eternally thankful that I’d triple wrapped the thing - and that no porch theft took place.

Registered mail is supposed to be kept in a locked cage and signed for every time it changes hands. And no delivery without signature.

PSers beware. I’ll never use it again, it’s apparently both slow and unreliable.

 

[LilAlex]

That's awful.

Not a registered mail story but a USPS story. I just had an expensive custom-inscribed knife shipped to me this week (for a gift -- not for my wife ). I got all kinds of alerts about how this was on it's way via USPS and I needed to be around and signature was required and did I want to "pre-sign" online and just have them leave it. No, of course not -- that would be nuts.They just left it on the mat. No signature; no nothin.'

 

[Fabtwinsmom]

Glad the package arrived okay. Which USPS should be used then? I’m in Canada just north of NY. Sometimes I send packages from NY, mostly I used FedEx but sometimes I’d use USPS prepaid flat rate box with insurance—is that safe?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Honestly usps has not actually gotten a signature from me for any delivery since Covid. Even when the sender explicitly bought “signature required”. They just leave it in the lobby which is horrifying. As a result I closely stalk tracking and ask for a small box that fits into my locked apt mail slot (though even then it’s no guarantee they don’t just leave it out).

 

[missy]

Lately I feel none of the mail carriers are safe.
UPS, Fed Ex and USPS. All have issues. And many delays

 

[Cerulean]

This is just infuriating. Such a failure for consumers. Our mail services feel increasingly like what developing nations deal with…not what you’d expect in the USA

 

[mayaINaU]

Honestly usps has not actually gotten a signature from me for any delivery since Covid. Even when the sender explicitly bought “signature required”. They just leave it in the lobby which is horrifying. As a result I closely stalk tracking and ask for a small box that fits into my locked apt mail slot (though even then it’s no guarantee they don’t just leave it out).

Same. I’ve actually had the postal worker sign their own name (?). The package is tossed on my doorstep, and when I check who signed for it, since it was nobody in my house, it’s just a random name and someone else’s handwriting.

 

[yssie]

Yeah... I've definitely had USPS miss all sorts of signatures and tracking updates on every other class of service, but Registered is the one that I've always put on a pedestal - "the only one they actually care about".

Nope. I was wrong, they don't care about Registered either! Not anymore anyway!

 

[Jax172]

USPS sucks in general. I purchased a vintage Hermes bag from a Japanese retailer. It was not to my liking when it arrived so I requested to return. They insisted I send it back via USPS International mail with insurance. Because it's international you must write on the customs form what it is (per instructions from the retailer they wanted that it was an Hermes Leather Bag and that it was a return). Shocker that it never got delivered to the retailer. It's been missing since May. The case has been opened and reopened. USPS Insurance is an absolute joke. They can't find it with their tracing and Japan has denied that it ever entered their country yet USPS hasn't paid my claim. I lost $1550 and there is nothing I can do about it. I will never use them again nor will I buy from that retailer again since I personally would have paid to fedex it to them rather than trust USPS but they insisted I had to mail it this way.

 

[missy]

So I’d say this is a timely post but imo the mail carriers have been less than reliable for a while. I was supposed to get an overnight ups delivery (med) yesterday. Didn’t come due to “weather”. Lol it was in this state and the weather was just fine yesterday. Supposed to come today. Got scanned as delivered. Was not delivered. Called ups. Their mistake. Said I’d get it tomorrow. Yeah. We’ll see. Just another day in the effed up delivery service world

 

[Piper70]

USPS sucks in general. I purchased a vintage Hermes bag from a Japanese retailer. It was not to my liking when it arrived so I requested to return. They insisted I send it back via USPS International mail with insurance. Because it's international you must write on the customs form what it is (per instructions from the retailer they wanted that it was an Hermes Leather Bag and that it was a return). Shocker that it never got delivered to the retailer. It's been missing since May. The case has been opened and reopened. USPS Insurance is an absolute joke. They can't find it with their tracing and Japan has denied that it ever entered their country yet USPS hasn't paid my claim. I lost $1550 and there is nothing I can do about it. I will never use them again nor will I buy from that retailer again since I personally would have paid to fedex it to them rather than trust USPS but they insisted I had to mail it this way.

If USPS can’t prove that they delivered it, how can they deny your claim? I’m just curious to know in case this ever happens to any of us why they would think they don’t have to pay for the insurance that was rightfully obtained. I’ve had USPS deliver things to my mailbox that were supposed to require a signature and they didn’t get it. Fortunately, I live in a very rural area so porch piracy is not a thing here.

 

[CoffeeAndDiamonds]

In my area FedEx is 50/50 on actually getting a signature upon delivery. I purchased a pre-owned Chanel and it was just left by my garage... I drove home so fast that day lol

 

[eh613c]

I share everyone’s frustration here. Since we moved to a new home, a mile from where we were living, our mail volume has significantly gone down. At our previous house, we got mail everyday mostly junk but it’s mail. At our new house, we may get mail 3x/week. My husband’s driver’s license hasn’t been delivered but DMV says otherwise. So he had to get another one AND pay the fee again (that’s another post). So this week, I found out about this USPS service. My husband has been checking it daily. I find that when an item is scanned for delivery, we don’t get for another 2 days.

https://www.usps.com/manage/informed-delivery.htm

So any advice on what delivery service to use? I would like to sell a few items but this is now rethink about using USPS.

 

[Jax172]

If USPS can’t prove that they delivered it, how can they deny your claim? I’m just curious to know in case this ever happens to any of us why they would think they don’t have to pay for the insurance that was rightfully obtained. I’ve had USPS deliver things to my mailbox that were supposed to require a signature and they didn’t get it. Fortunately, I live in a very rural area so porch piracy is not a thing here.

You have to submit sooooo much evidence as to what was in the package and its value. Like basically I needed to video tape myself at the post office with the item going into the box, taping it up, filling out the paperwork and handing it to the PO worker continuously and then also provide evidence to the value of said item. The amount of stuff that has to be submitted to prove that the thing I insured was worth $1500 and was actually in the package is crazy. And then they drag it out and keep saying to wait while they try to find it. While I’m over here like duh - it said Hermes leather bag on the customs form. Obviously a PO employee found that enticing. Weird that of all the things I mail (I buy everything online and return through the mail) that’s the thing that went missing.

If you ever have to mail anything of high value and you buy insurance please make sure you have lots of evidence to back up what’s in it and that you actually handed that item to the USPS because they are like any other insurance company and will find any reason to deny the claim.

 

[Avondale]

You have to submit sooooo much evidence as to what was in the package and its value.

This is frankly ridiculous. You paid for the insurance. The insurance premium depended on the value you insured. The terms are very simple - you insure for 1500, get charged for it, if a loss occurs, you get paid 1500. In this case you insured, you paid the premium, the package got lost, all the necessary requisites are there, you should get paid. You’re not demanding compensation for them to be justified in asking for all that evidence. You should be entitled to your insurance payment!

 

[shelovesinclusions]

You have to submit sooooo much evidence as to what was in the package and its value.

I had a postal worker steal, of all things, a cane being delivered to my house. I had to show them evidence that the package weight hadn't changed at any of the checkpoints, including my local post office, and show the difference in weight between a undamaged empty box (what I received) and what was showing on their scales. Then I had to give them my home security footage showing the driver who "dropped at box" actually handed the package directly to me. Little s**t even pointed out, "this box is really light but it's taped on both sides," like that wouldn't make me suspicious at all. It was only a $100 claim, but they really treated me like I was trying to shakedown the USPS for "losing" my assistive device. It was so weird.

 

[Jax172]

This is frankly ridiculous. You paid for the insurance. The insurance premium depended on the value you insured. The terms are very simple - you insure for 1500, get charged for it, if a loss occurs, you get paid 1500. In this case you insured, you paid the premium, the package got lost, all the necessary requisites are there, you should get paid. You’re not demanding compensation for them to be justified in asking for all that evidence. You should be entitled to your insurance payment!

I agree but that’s how they do it. And it’s impossible to get in touch with anyone directly. Lesson learned.

 

[RRfromR]

@Jax172 , I always video tape myself for returns, including giving it to the post office employee, because I don't want the sellers to claim that I sent an empty envelope or a damaged item. It's a PITA but so worth it for expensive items. The problem with fedex and ups is that they will not ship or insure jewelry, it's stated on their policy. For fedex, to ship jewelry over a certain amount, you have to have a commercial account, so usps is the only shipping choice.

 

[yssie]

@Jax172 , I always video tape myself for returns, including giving it to the post office employee, because I don't want the sellers to claim that I sent an empty envelope or a damaged item. It's a PITA but so worth it for expensive items. The problem with fedex and ups is that they will not ship or insure jewelry, it's stated on their policy. For fedex, to ship jewelry over a certain amount, you have to have a commercial account, so usps is the only shipping choice.

My local post office in MD no longer permits any photography or videography inside the building Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

I really think for pricey pieces travelling or paying someone trusted to hand-deliver is the only guarantee for consumers, unless you can find a vendor or appraiser to serve as an intermediary who’s willing to provide FedEx or UPS labels… But that vendor will also need to be willing to actually make a claim (time and claims history!) on your behalf so I can’t imagine them doing that unless they’re actually providing a service and making money…

 

[RRfromR]

My local post office in MD no longer permits any photography or videography inside the building Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

I really think for pricey pieces travelling or paying someone trusted to hand-deliver is the only guarantee for consumers, unless you can find a vendor or appraiser to serve as an intermediary who’s willing to provide FedEx or UPS labels… But that vendor will also need to be willing to actually make a claim (time and claims history!) on your behalf so I can’t imagine them doing that unless they’re actually providing a service and making money…

@yssie Cross the river to Virginia, they let you videotape here yep, when I send things for testing, GIA sends me the items back fedex on their account, but I pay for the testing and they are non-profit too. DHL is huge in Europe and most vendors there ship DHL, but it's not as popular here. And I think DHL uses usps for US delivery too.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Usps used to be very reliable, not sure if Covid just decimated the protocols or if they had a big loss of work force or if DeJoys attempts to prevent bankruptcy have resulted in budget cuts. Maybe all the above and more. Still I’d say 99% of the time my packages and mail arrive despite some tracking snafus. So I still use USPS for bling domestically, in part because I don’t think the private services are better and I’d rather give my money to usps if that’s the case ‍

 

[RRfromR]

@MakingTheGrade , they are having a major retention problem. They are short staffed, poorly paid, schedule is unpredictable, and they get a lot of abuse from customers, they get bitten by dogs, shot etc. It's a hard job. In urban areas, they have to walk sometimes 8 miles/day, in snow, ice, 100 degrees weather and when you're older or have health problems, it gets hard.
I renewed my passport earlier this year at one of those emergency walk ins. The first shift didn't show up because of sickness, so when the second shift showed up at 10 am, there were 50 angry people outside. One man couldn't get a walk in spot and started screaming at and cursing her, and she just sat there crying. She was by herself.

 

[vintageinjune]

On my most recent visit to my local post office (which was within the last two months), there was a woman there who was on her 6th visit to try and get the money USPS owed her for a damaged stained glass piece she had shipped and insured. They really will do anything to try and avoid paying an insurance claim, even if it is their fault.

So disheartening to hear about the lack of signature for USPS Registered Mail, although, not surprising at this time. With all the challenges they are facing, there must be an inordinate amount of DGAF from all levels. That isn't to say they shouldn't be delivering on what you paid for/what was promised, but I do hope that they figure their stuff out. I have a friend who worked for USPS and said it was the most miserable work experience of their life. Quit once they found other employment (took about 9 months).

 

[Avondale]

I don’t think the private services are better

To be fair, that may be part of the problem. If the private options offered better service, the post would be forced to keep up in order to retain customers. The only complaint I have of my local post service is that they’re slow compared to private courier companies. Also, they won’t make too much of an effort to deliver something if the recipient doesn’t want to receive it, but that’s more of a work problem, not a buyer’s one.

DHL is huge in Europe

Indeed they are. Wanna know why? I get my package delivered halfway across the world in 24 hours for like… 60$. Which is no small amount, we can agree. The moment the package boards the plane, their customs representatives get in touch with me to process the customs forms in advance. Oh, and it’s insured.

Meanwhile fedex in the US gives a quote for uninsured international shipment for 300$. Like… yeah. Yeah, that totally seems the way to go.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This is very discouraging to hear! I have used Registered Mail many times with no problems, and I thought that it was safe. Obviously, there are unfortunately exceptions!!! @yssie, the lapis bracelet was shipped to me via Fed Ex from Paris and they dropped it off at my house with no signature!!! Fortunately I was home and saw the truck and retrieved it quickly (although we live in a pretty safe area and have never had a package stolen).

Registered still is the only option for most of us unless sending to a vendor who'll provide a label because they have private insurance. I'll be much more afraid to do it for a really valuable item from here on out, though!

As for comments above about USPS insurance, it is ESSENTIAL to have proof of ownership and value of the item in order to make a claim, otherwise people would just send boxes with items of no value and make claims for greater value.

 

[Fabtwinsmom]

This is just terrible all around! I saw one of the IG sellers‘ posted just a couple of weeks ago that her package with 7+carat diamond ring was stolen while in transit with FedEx. Hopefully, they’re better at addressing insurance claims than USPS. Nothing seems safe anymore.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This is just terrible all around! I saw one of the IG sellers‘ posted just a couple of weeks ago that her package with 7+carat diamond ring was stolen while in transit with FedEx. Hopefully, they’re better at addressing insurance claims than USPS. Nothing seems safe anymore.

She would have had to have private insurance or other insurance because FedEx doesn't insure most jewelry.

 

[prinsad]

This is just terrible all around! I saw one of the IG sellers‘ posted just a couple of weeks ago that her package with 7+carat diamond ring was stolen while in transit with FedEx. Hopefully, they’re better at addressing insurance claims than USPS. Nothing seems safe anymore.

Oh man with something that big I’m flying out to meet them at a safe place!

 

[Mreader]

This is just terrible all around! I saw one of the IG sellers‘ posted just a couple of weeks ago that her package with 7+carat diamond ring was stolen while in transit with FedEx. Hopefully, they’re better at addressing insurance claims than USPS. Nothing seems safe anymore.

She would have had to have private insurance or other insurance because FedEx doesn't insure most jewelry.
It's Dolly so she most likely has private insurance. However, she has had one quick IG story about switching to UPS and filing a class action lawsuit against Fedex, so I am really wondering what is going on with her claim!

 

[Fabtwinsmom]

She would have had to have private insurance or other insurance because FedEx doesn't insure most jewelry.

It's Dolly so she most likely has private insurance. However, she has had one quick IG story about switching to UPS and filing a class action lawsuit against Fedex, so I am really wondering what is going on with her claim!

That’s a bummer for consumers. So if I were to ship jewelry, I‘d use USPS so I could insure it but then they wouldn’t pay out claim if the item was lost. That’s just so not reliable at all. Who can one ship jewelry with then?