Mail: stolen or carrier dumped?

Rod Simmons

Yesterday evening my neighbor came to my door with two USPS mail packages addressed to me, both were torn open and empty. One of the packages was a stamp I ordered from a vendor here, about $65 with shipping. The other package was something my wife had ordered, also empty, that cost almost $50. The neighbor said that on his way home through the neighborhood he noticed "trash" in the road, but when he slowed to look, he realized it was postal mail. So he picked it all up and delivered to the addressees. He didn't specify how many items he picked up, just said "a bunch." A little later he came back and gave me an unopened regular letter that was mine, but he found it in his mail box and very obviously it had been laying the road and had been run over a few times. That letter was junk mail, and unopened (but one of those "stealth" kind that you can't tell what it is until opened). How did it end up in his mailbox...don't know. Why was it unopened...don't know.

The HS order was sent with tracking and when I checked tracking it shows delivered to mailbox at around 9am. I have signed up for the USPS Informed Delivery email, and never received the email from that day. I am now wondering if the letter carrier accidentally dropped a bunch of mail, or did somebody drive the neighborhood and pull mail from mailboxes and after opening they threw everything out in one spot?

So, will calling the local post office do me any good? Police report? I suspect not, but want your thoughts and opinions.

Rene Bravo

I would notify both the local PD and the USPS in your community. Same thing happened to me a few times....once they caught a temporary mail carrier doing this ( this was in the SF Bay area). NOTHING happened when our business mail was stolen recently from our mailbox in the office. But document the thefts so you can make a recovery claim.

Phil Merrill_

In my rural neighborhood we have had cases of folks opening mailboxes looking to steal prescription drugs. Last year I had a baggy package of kiloware opened, and put back in my box. One ounce of stamps was left
on the ground. I hope finding a bag of used stamps was a confusing experience for that young person.

We all knew who that person was and he was finally caught in the act in daylight by a neighbor who "convinced" him of the error of his ways.

Scott Payton

Certainly report it to the post office at the very least.
That's a really sucky one.

Richard Pauls

I have a PO Box where I conduct almost all of my business. Anything that I am mailing off I hand carry to the local Post Office and deposit in the lobby drop-off mail slot. That takes away the possibility of someone pilfering my mailbox or something happening while in transit to the Post Office.

The main reason I got my PO Box is because at times in the past I have been absent for extended periods of time from home (sometimes over six months) and the Post Office will hold my mail until my return as long as my PO Box is paid in full. The maximum hold time is four weeks for mailbox (home) delivery.

A couple of days ago I checked my mailbox and someone had stuffed a rag into it that was folded with something dark within. Not sure what I was and I didn't inspect it closely to find out - just dumped it in the trash to get rid of it. Luckily only a few junk mail items were also present in the mailbox at that time.

Ron Lenke

Rod, you're lucky that they didn't charge extra for the tire tread cancellation

Rod Simmons

Hmmm Ron...sounds like something I could put on feebay as UNIQUIE!!! RARE!!!! ONE OF A KIND!!! with a $25,000 starting bid.