"Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery:" What It Means & What to Do Next

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Figure out where your eBay or USPS package is (+ what to do if it’s missing)
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If you’ve ordered a package from a site like eBay, Shein, or Amazon and the USPS tracking information says it’s been “delivered to agent for final delivery,” there’s no need to panic! Usually, this means that your mail carrier has given your package to someone authorized to accept it. We’ll tell you where you can look for your item, plus what to do if you can’t find it anywhere. Keep reading to learn how to receive your package safely.

“Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery” Meaning

“Delivered to agent for final delivery” indicates that the USPS mail carrier has given your item to a person who you have allowed to accept it. The agent might be another resident at your home, someone who works at the delivery address, or someone who works in the office or mailroom of your living complex.

Section 1 of 6:

What does “delivered to agent for final delivery” mean?

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  1. When the tracking information on your USPS package says “delivered to agent for final delivery,” it means that it’s being held by someone who’s authorized to accept the item, like someone at an office in your apartment complex or dorm. [1]
    • If you don’t live in a large living complex, your package may have been accepted by someone who lives or works at the delivery address.
    • Before proceeding, check to see if the mail carrier left a redelivery notice at your door. If so, you can pick up your package at the post office listed on the notice or go to the USPS site to schedule a delivery using its tracking number. [2]
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Section 2 of 6:

Where to Find Your Package

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  1. This notification often happens when a package is being delivered to an apartment complex, a dorm at a college or university, or another large living complex where there’s a main office. If that’s the case, ask the officials in your office or mail room if they have received your package yet. [3]
    • Sometimes, this message means that the package has been dropped off at the local post office, but your complex or mail room hasn’t picked it up yet. [4]
  2. If you have an office or reception area in your building, ask someone who works there. If you don’t live in a residence with an office, a person who is authorized to accept the package on your behalf may have signed for it, such as a neighbor or housemate. This situation usually happens only if you filled out and turned in an Standing Delivery Order to your local post office. [5]
    • It may also happen if you fill out an online Schedule a Redelivery application for your package. [6]
    • When the delivery goes to a residential address, the authorized agent is usually another family member or a friend of the family. [7]
    • If the package is being delivered to a business, it may be a person who works there and has registered with the USPS to be authorized to accept it. [8]
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Section 3 of 6:

What to Do If You Don’t Receive Your Package

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  1. Enter your city and state or zip code into the USPS post office locator to find the office that can assist you. Look for the office that’s nearest you and call their listed phone number during working hours. [9]
    • ​​The USPS representative may be able to tell you where the package is located and how you can retrieve it.
    • If your package is missing entirely, the employee may tell you to submit a help request or file an indemnity claim (if the package was insured).
    • If you don’t know your full zip code, use this USPS zip code lookup tool .
  2. Reach out to USPS’s customer service representatives so that they can direct you to the appropriate forms you need to fill out or help you find your missing package. [10]
  3. If you still can’t find your package, visit USPS’s help request form page . Select “Where is my package?” or “Where is my mail?”, enter your tracking number, and complete the rest of the form to email customer service. [11]
    • This is also the form you need to complete if you suspect that someone may have stolen your package.
    • If you submit the help request form and your package hasn’t arrived after 7 days, submit a Missing Mail search request . [12]
  4. If your package is Priority Mail Express or otherwise insured with USPS and it was lost, you can file a claim with USPS . You’ll need the item’s tracking number, proof that you purchased the insurance, and the receipt or billing statement for the item. [13]
    • If your package is Priority Mail Express, you must file a claim after 7 days.
    • If your item is Collect on Delivery (COD), Priority Mail Express COD, Priority Mail, Insured Mail, or Registered Mail, you must file a claim after 15 days.
  5. If your order was shipped through an official company like Amazon or Shein , contact their customer service representatives. If your package is from a third-party seller, message them directly through the website you ordered from and let them know what’s going on. [14]
    • They may be able to offer you a refund or send you a new item.
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Section 4 of 6:

Who are the agents that USPS delivers to?

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  1. Businesses and individuals can notify their local post office to register a person or “agent” who is allowed to pick up their mail. A person is considered an agent if you register them through a Schedule a Redelivery application or a Standing Delivery Order. [15]
    • A person also may be considered an agent if they have your written authorization to pick up your package for you.
    • However, the mail carrier is not required to verify that the person who accepts the package is an authorized agent—they usually assume they are because they’re inside the home or business they’re delivering to.
    • If an authorized agent goes to a post office to pick up a package, they have to present a valid photo ID.
    • In an apartment or dorm, mail addressed to you may be delivered to the person who is usually authorized to receive the mail for the building. [16]
Section 5 of 6:

What to Do If a Buyer Doesn’t Receive Your Package

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  1. If you’re a second-hand seller on a site like eBay and the buyer reports that the item you sent hasn’t arrived, respond and provide them with the tracking information or delivery update that says it’s been “delivered to agent for final delivery.” [17]
    • eBay considers an item that has been “delivered to agent for final delivery” as “delivered” and will indicate this on the tracking information. [18]
    • Once you provide tracking details, eBay may close the case automatically if it shows that the item has been “delivered.”
    • If the buyer says their item is completely missing, tell them to contact eBay customer service .
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Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. An agent is not a courier, a shipping partner, or USPS. An agent is usually someone you register through USPS or someone who works at your apartment complex or dormitory. [19] This means you will have to ask whoever works for your living complex or lives or works at your address if they have the package.
    • Apartments and dormitories usually have their own mail systems. You may have to visit their mail room to pick up your package.
  2. Third-party logistics (3PL) are outsourced providers who handle warehousing or transportation services for a company. [20] By using a “delivered to agent for final delivery” service tag on company websites, these 3PL providers may be able to track that the package has been delivered to the right person.
    • If the package isn’t delivered to the customer, the customer can contact the company, which will contact the 3PL provider to track it down.
  3. This means the same thing as “delivered to agent for final delivery.” The item has been delivered to an agent that represents the individual who was sent the package. This may be the person who works in the mailroom at your college or apartment building. [21]
    • “Tendered to military agent” means that your package has been delivered to a person in the military who is authorized to do so. [22] Usually, this only happens if you live at a military base.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.nwmissouri.edu/housing/current/services/student-packages.htm
      2. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Where-is-my-package
      3. ↑ https://www.nwmissouri.edu/housing/current/services/student-packages.htm
      4. ↑ https://printandmail.princeton.edu/packages
      5. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/USPS-Mail-Requiring-a-Signature-Accountable-Mail
      6. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Authorizing-Someone-to-Accept-Your-Redelivery
      7. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Authorizing-Someone-to-Accept-Your-Redelivery
      8. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Authorizing-Someone-to-Accept-Your-Redelivery
      9. ↑ https://tools.usps.com/locations/
      1. ↑ https://www.usps.com/help/contact-us.htm
      2. ↑ https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm?_gl=1*ncy7t0*_gcl_au*NTk2NjI2MTc0LjE3MTk0MTg2MTI.*_ga*MTQ3NTkyOTk0OC4xNzE5NDE4NjEy*_ga_3NXP3C8S9V*MTcxOTQxODYxMS4xLjEuMTcxOTQyMDkxMS4wLjAuMA ..
      3. ↑ https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm?_gl=1*ncy7t0*_gcl_au*NTk2NjI2MTc0LjE3MTk0MTg2MTI.*_ga*MTQ3NTkyOTk0OC4xNzE5NDE4NjEy*_ga_3NXP3C8S9V*MTcxOTQxODYxMS4xLjEuMTcxOTQyMDkxMS4wLjAu
      4. ↑ https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm
      5. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCU8BWGTQNJKQEBS
      6. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Authorizing-Someone-to-Accept-Your-Redelivery
      7. ↑ https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm
      8. ↑ https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210
      9. ↑ https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/td-p/33427132
      10. ↑ https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Authorizing-Someone-to-Accept-Your-Redelivery
      11. ↑ https://scmedu.org/thirdpartylogistics/
      12. ↑ https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fbpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com%2Fsites.widener.edu%2Fdist%2Fd%2F39%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F02%2FPostal-Mail-Tracking-Codes_9_19_2018docx-23qyb3h.docx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK
      13. ↑ https://mailomg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ptr-domestic-scan-events-and-descriptions.pdf

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