Q&A for How to Find a USPS Tracking Number

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  • Question
    I received a package that isn't mine. How do I return it?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If the package was delivered to an address other than what is printed on the package, either return it to any post office, or call 1-800-ASK-USPS to have the Postal Service pick up the package for free. If the package was correctly delivered to someone who is not at your address, you are not obligated to do anything (you can keep the package), or contact the sender and tell them what happened (or you can write "Return To Sender" on the package and give it back to USPS).
  • Question
    How do I find a tracking number without a receipt?
    USPS Tracking
    Community Answer
    You can check on your email or message service. Check your email for a shipping confirmation from an online retailer.
  • Question
    Can I get a tracking number from the automated machine at the post office?
    Community Answer
    In the U.S., the automated kiosk at the post office gives out receipts just like the receipts a clerk would give you, which have your package's tracking number.
  • Question
    How do you find a package that was sent first class that is a year old and the sender did not know that it had not been received so there is no first class packing number to refer back to?
    CageyCat
    Top Answerer
    Call your local post office. Ask for the phone number to your local Consumer Affairs office where you can file a missing mail complaint. Then, the local sorting hub will look for that item. (A hub is an office in a larger city near your city.) A good rule is to put the TO and FROM addresses on a paper inside the package, as well as on the outside.
  • Question
    Why is my mail taking more than 9 days to get to another state?
    CageyCat
    Top Answerer
    There are 2 reasons - if it was after Covid-19 lockdowns started. First reason: Short staffing. Second reason: Former US President Donald J. Trump appointed an Inspector who took out sorting machines and had them decommissioned, so that workers must go back to a process of hand-sorting, which is more time consuming.
  • Question
    How do I get a tracking number for a package that I sent out from my mailbox?
    CageyCat
    Top Answerer
    You can't. The package must be sent from a US Postal Service office. Otherwise, people everywhere could affix a tracking number, without paying for it, and make false claims.
  • Question
    Friend sent letter $29.00 thru USPS. I can't find tracking number or a receipt. How can I locate the letter if it has been sent already?
    Iris Rose
    Community Answer
    The only possibility is if a card was used to pay for shipping. You could possibly search by card number or just names, but once shipped, there isn't much you can do.
  • Question
    Do I enter the numbers in groups of four or all the numbers together without a space?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It doesn't matter. Computers ignore spaces. They're used merely as a convenience for us in viewing and speaking the numbers.
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