So the USPS moves about 146 BILLION PIESES OF MAIL EVERY YEAR, and about 3% of that mail is lost. The loss of mail is usually because the package was missing a proper zip code or the return address was not ledge-able so the letter/package could not be returned to sender.
What are the odds of USPS losing mail?
Wikipedia says 3%, but measuring is difficult. Even the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says some post office assessment criteria are “unsuitable as benchmarks.” In addition, the post office “does not measure and report its delivery performance for most types of mail.”Cached
How often do letters get lost in the post?
Using a statistician who introduced a margin of error, the consumers' group calculated a figure of 957,600 letters going missing each week from the total of 462m handled. The council's chief executive, James Dodds, said: "If you look at the volume of complaints the Royal Mail gets, 40% are lost mail.
Is it common for things to get lost in the mail?
In just one hour, the US Postal Service processes an average of 20.2 million mailpieces. In a year, that adds up to more than 146 billion mail items sent through the USPS. While most of that mail will arrive safely to its intended destination, some packages will unfortunately get lost in transit.
What happens if USPS loses first class mail?
Missing Mail DefinitionIf it has been lost, late or missing for 7 days or more, you can: Go to for additional information: Find Missing Mail on USPS.com. Submit a Missing Mail search request at MissingMail.USPS.com. File a claim (for insured items meeting the appropriate timeframe).
Is first class mail guaranteed?
First-Class Mail (retail) is: Not a guaranteed service.
What percentage of mail goes through USPS?
Every two weeks, the Postal Service pays $2.15 billion in salaries and benefits. Forty-four percent of the world's mail volume is processed and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Louis DeJoy is the 75th Postmaster General of the United States.
What happens if first class mail is lost?
If the proper amount of time has passed and the item has not arrived, you may submit a search request for your lost mailpiece on the Missing Mail application and/or file a claim. Using the Insurance tracking numbers on the receipt, you can check the delivery status either online at USPS Tracking®.
Why do my letters keep getting lost in the mail?
How Does Mail Get Lost? There are many reasons as to why you wouldn't get mail or packages such as the shipping label falling off, the address or recipient name getting smeared in case of bad weather, or the most common reason of all, an incorrect address.
Is first class mail insured?
Key Points: All letters or parcels sent through First Class Mail are insured against loss or damage. USPS First Class Mail offers up to $5,000 of shipping insurance for its customers.
What percentage of first class mail is lost?
Is USPS first class mail guaranteed?
First-Class Mail (retail) is: Not a guaranteed service.
Does USPS ever find missing mail?
USPS® Mail SearchIf we find your package or mail, we will send it to the address you provided. Please note, sometimes we cannot find missing mail items. It is also possible that your package or mail will not be recovered because it was not safe to forward.
What if first class mail didn’t arrive?
Submit a Missing Mail Search RequestIf after 7 business days from when you submitted your online help request form your mail or package hasn't arrived, submit a Missing Mail search request with the following information: Sender mailing address. Recipient mailing address. Size and type of container or envelope you used.
How much mail is distributed every day?
On average, the Postal Service processes and delivers 162.1 million pieces of First-Class Mail each day. On average, the Postal Service processes 421.4 million mail pieces each day, 17.6 million each hour, 292,628 each minute and 4,877 each second.
How accurate is USPS mail?
This statistic depicts the share of people who rated the delivery accuracy of the United States Postal Service either a five or six on a six point scale between FY 2015 and FY 2017. In FY 2017, 81 percent of respondents reported a positive score of five or six regarding USPS's delivery accuracy.
Is USPS first class mail insured?
All letters or parcels sent through First Class Mail are insured against loss or damage up to $100. Can you file a claim for first class mail? Yes, you can file a claim for first class mail with mailing couriers.
Does first class mail have tracking?
No. First-Class Mail does not include USPS Tracking®. Although First-Class Mail postcards, letters, and flats are not eligible for USPS Tracking, those items are eligible for other extra services that provide barcodes for scanning. These extra services can be purchased, providing some tracking information.
What happens if USPS loses a first class package?
In these cases, USPS workers try to return those packages or items right back to the sender. But when that's not immediately possible (usually because there's no return address), those items get shipped off to USPS' consolidated Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta.
What happens to letters lost in the mail?
In these cases, USPS workers try to return those packages or items right back to the sender. But when that's not immediately possible (usually because there's no return address), those items get shipped off to USPS' consolidated Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta.
How delayed is first class mail?
As mentioned above, first class mail can take anywhere from one to three days to be delivered. This is because first class mail is not a guaranteed service. While most first class mail will arrive on time, there is always the possibility of delays.