Can you trace a letter with no return address back to when you wrote it?

USPS says that mail can be considered undeliverable due to a number of factors.All nonmailable pieces are returned to the sender regardless of the reason the mail can't be delivered.

It seems like a pretty cut and dry statement that leaves little room for interpretation.periodicals, which are deemed to have little to no value after a certain point due to their timely nature, are an exception to the rule in the case of undeliverable mail.Publishers can request to have such items returned if they so desire.

Is there a case of mail that is undeliverable and has no visible or legible return address?The position of Inspector of Dead Letters was created by an act of Congress in 1777 and has been used by the Postal Service ever since.The creation of a dedicated service to deal with dead mail necessitated the existence of the first Dead Letter Office.

Undeliverable mail without a return address will be pre-processed by postal workers and sent to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta if it doesn't meet certain criteria.The Mail Recovery Center was formerly known as the Dead Letter Office, but the USPS decided to change it to better reflect the ultimate goal of returning mail.

According to their website, the Mail Recovery Center doesn't accept anything worth less than $25 or anything that can be traced back to someone.The items will either be recycled or donated to charity.

Even though exceptions can and will be made, this is handled on a case-by-case basis.If an undeliverable letter or package contains something that clearly has sentimental value, it will be processed.

Despite their best efforts, they can't find out who sent the letter or where to send it.It will be given to the US treasury.

What goes into the process?In order to open another person's mail without it being a federal crime, a Mail Recovery Clerk has to physically open the letters and packages.This means security is tight and everything the clerks find has to be recorded and noted down to make sure someone doesn't walk out of the building with a lot of other people's stuff.

Beyond opening the packages and letters, the mail clerks in question will try and return or deliver dead mail.Vera, the worker at the center of the article, opened a package with no identifying marks on the outside, but was able to use a phone number inside to track down the package.

A woman called the postal worker after her baby died of SIDS.You can see what causes sudden infant death syndrome.The woman, who was in tears at the time, explained that she had sent a photograph of her baby to the grandmother, but she never received it.A detailed description of what was in the photograph was given to him by the woman and he was able to find it despite not knowing what the picture was about.

The package will be followed up on until the clerk finds out where the package was intended to go or who sent it.

The usual amount of time the Mail Recovery Office will hold things varies and is handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the item and the clerk's preference.The Mail Recovery Office will hold onto an item for up to a year if it is clearly worth a lot of money or sentimental value like a wedding dress or jewellery.Vera stated that she was there when she got the job and she intends to keep it around until she retires, hoping someone will claim it.

Since it isn't feasible for the Mail Recovery Office to hold onto something indefinitely, in the majority of cases, after every avenue to return something is explored and they've held onto an item long enough for someone to miss it and file a claim, they are left with

How successful are they in bringing dead mail back to life?According to official figures, they are able to deliver or return more than half of the dead mail with obvious value.Only about 0.05% of mail is deemed undeliverable in the first place, and that is a pretty remarkable delivery rate.

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The man was apparently returned.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/McLEOD

Your story says that the mail clerks try to return or deliver dead mail.

I lost four cartons of books.Within 10 days of being shipped, they were sold at the USPS Auction.Not only did they charge us $100 for a service not delivered, but they made $440 off my books, which haven't even been released to the public yet.The guys who bought the books put them on the internet and made money before the book was published.

The company that sold the books agreed to give them back to the USPS if they could get their auction money back.The company that bought the books at the auction was refused a call by the USPS.They didn't give us the $440 they made at the auction.In Denver, it made all the major news stations.

The USPS "Recovery" Center is not a bunch of good guys.The USPS is a classic extension of the bureaucracy we have come to know and despise."It's not my job" is their motto.

Excellent article.What happens to undeliverable letters?They are not packages and other merchandise.What do they do with letters to Santa and the Easter Bunny?Just curious.

I sent a plush to someone but I don't know how to get it back, I have no return address, so I'm stuck.

Please tell me if that will work and if I want my work to be lost or not given back because they were not delivered.

The mail clerks try to return or deliver dead mail.I filled out the Mail Recover Center Search Request form at the post office.I received a package from a friend that was supposed to be a birthday present for me.There was a card in the mailer.The tarot card deck was purchased for me in New Orleans.After my Mail Recovery Center Search Request was submitted, I contacted the Atlanta office.I told them that it was a Tarot deck in a gift bag and that my girlfriend sent it.She made a request on her end.When I finally got in contact with someone, I was told what to do.I had a very slim chance of getting my gift because my description wasn't descriptive enough.A bunch of crooks.I think someone opened the gift and stole it.I received a birthday package from my Dad that was sent priority, arrived 2 weeks late, and had money missing.It was lovely.

I had a fairly valuable package sent to the address they specified, only they didn't include their apartment number, it was returned.They thought it had already gone to the dead mail center when I called a day after it was returned.The mail is more efficient.I was expecting it to be there for at least a week.With a request placed to find it, it is lost.

The label was created with an automated mail machine that didn't have a place for returns.I didn't think about needing it.Lesson learned the hard way, always put it on.

I am trying to reach Mr. Smallwood.I would love to discuss how you wrote this story.