Any tips on recovering lost mail?

Question

The post office has lost three boxes of books that I sent media mail. They basically have told me that I'm just out of luck. Has anyone had success tracking down lost mail? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Go to your post office and request PS Form 1510. This is to report a case of missing or undelivered mail. It is likely that your package busted open during processing, and the items inside where scattered hither and yon.

We often see boxes of "Media Mail" that bust open because they were poorly packed, or packed in substandard materials. Remember that books are quite heavy for their relative size, and must be packed so that they will not shift during processing. Media Mail packages are rarely sorted by hand, instead they flow through a machine sorter with other large packages, often weighing 60-70 lbs. Your Media Mail package should be able to withstand a 4-6 foot drop without bursting, and withstand another 70 lb. object falling on it as well. There's a reason why your Media Mail and Parcel Post packages arrive looking a little wrinkly and tumbled. Because, they have been. Use Priority Mail, and they'll arrive in better shape.

Filing Form 1510 will not necessarily return your items to you, but it does notify the Postal Inspection Service that something is missing. They also send a report of missing items to Mail Recovery Centers, where lost undeliverable items are sent to attempt to return them to their owners(those who file Form 1510).
Be as specific as to what books were lost (Title, Author, etc), and you may get lucky.

Answer 2

As obnoxious as it may seem the post office really won't do anything. They don't even really track "priority" packages and even if they say they will help (which I think is all smoke and mirrors) they make you wait a long time (I guess to make certain that your stuff is really and truly lost). I think their response to lost mail and tracking it stinks, their customer service is a joke, and using UPS or FedEx is the way to go; they clearly have much more accountability and some safeguards in place. I would complain often and even visit your local post office and complain in person.