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Won't help. I had the postal service "lose" a $50 package once. They won't deal with the recipient, they'll only talk with the sender. In my case they "delivered" it during a Hold Mail order and I never saw it. They didn't care. Apparently to get my money pack, the sender would have to file a police report!

When I had five packages ($200 in merchandise) stolen from the post office, two from inside and three from the post office box outside, I did the following:

1. Filed a lost package complaint with the post office, providing tracking numbers and printed copies of the tracking history.
2. Informed the shippers that packages were stolen and request replacement packages.
3. Filed a complaint to the U.S. Postal inspector with tracking numbers and printed copies of the tracking history.
   https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/

The shippers verified my stolen package compliant, filed for insurance reimbursement, and sent out replacement packages. The supervisor who blew me and a dozen customers off when we complained got fired. Exterior cameras were installed to monitor the post office boxes located outside. Package handling inside the post office is no longer anonymous as initials are required for putting a package on the shelf for pick up or in the post office box.

I've also had them "lose" multiple credit cards and various other smaller packages over the years. They don't care. They don't have to. They're government.

Most people find it easier to play the victim game and complain about the government rather than take responsibility and take action..

Ah, understood.

The funny thing is that our federal physical mail system already requires a warrant to open first-class mail -- though something tells me that a federally-run email provider might be met with some skepticism, at least by a number of /. types... ;)

I'm a fan of the USPS.

They make sure the package gets in your hands. If you're not home, they leave a ticket in your mailbox to pickup the package at the office, which is far less inconvenient then having a package stolen.

And if it's small enough to fit in a mailbox, sure, someone might take it. But it's a federal offense. And it's far less likely to happen when potential thieves can't see what's inside, as opposed to an inviting box sitting on one's doorstep.

Seriously, why did this even become a thing? Twenty years ago, I remember when a package that came by UPS or Fedex always had to be signed for and was never left on a doorstep.

From postal regs

A company sends you a gift in the mail--a ball point pen, a key chain, a tie. But you didn't order it. What do you do? If you are the type of person this company is looking for, you may feel guilty about accepting the item without paying for it. Don't feel guilty! It's yours, and you are under no obligation to pay anything. You, the consumer, may only legally be sent two types of merchandise through the mail without your consent or agreement:

• Free samples which are clearly and conspicuously marked as such.
• Merchandise mailed by a charitable organization that is soliciting contributions.

And in these two cases, you can consider the merchandise a gift if you wish. In all other situations, it is illegal to send merchandise to someone, unless that person has previously ordered or requested it. These rules are codified in Title 39, United States Code, Section 3009. That section of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 incorporates these protections for American consumers and makes the mailing of unordered merchandise unfair methods of competition and unfair trade practices under the law.

If you do not wish to pay for unsolicited merchandise or make a donation to a charity sending such an item, you may do one of three things (in each case, by law, you have no obligation to the sender):

• If you have not opened the package, you may mark it "Return to Sender," and the Postal Service will return it with no additional postage charged to you.
• If you open the package and don't like what you find, you may throw it away.
• If you open the package and like what you find, you may keep it for free. In this instance, "finders-keepers" applies unconditionally.

Furthermore, it is illegal for a company that sends you unordered merchandise to follow the mailing with a bill or dunning communication.

According to postal inspector rules, he gets to keep it:

If you open the package and like what you find, you may keep it for free. In this instance, "finders-keepers" applies unconditionally.

https://postalinspectors.uspis...

People say that, but they never cite anything.

39 U.S.C. Section 3009

Or, an explanation in layman's terms by the USPS.

But the law only applies if somebody is doing it on purpose.

Your assertion is in disagreement with the US Postal services' word on the matter that "finders-keepers" applies unconditionally in the case of receiving any unordered merchandise .

You, the consumer, may only legally be sent two types of merchandise through the mail without your consent or agreement:

Free samples which are clearly and conspicuously marked as such.
Merchandise mailed by a charitable organization that is soliciting contributions.

And in these two cases, you can consider the merchandise a gift if you wish. In all other situations, it is illegal to send merchandise to someone, unless that person has previously ordered or requested it.

If you do not wish to pay for unsolicited merchandise or make a donation to a charity sending such an item, you may do one of three things

If you have not opened the package, you may mark it "Return to Sender,"
If you open the package and don't like what you find, you may throw it away.
If you open the package and like what you find, you may keep it for free. In this instance, "finders-keepers" applies unconditionally.

Furthermore, it is illegal for a company that sends you unordered merchandise to follow the mailing with a bill or dunning communication.

If you are aware of violations of the federal law prohibiting the mailing of unordered merchandise, or if you have personally had difficulty with such items--especially if you are sent statements demanding payment for the merchandise--you should contact you local postmaster or the nearest Postal Inspector.

Why need I stop? Nothing you've posted here is contrary to my comment. I think you may need to read it again.

P.S. -- You seem to be off, by a factor of 60, in your estimate of how long it would take you to research this. It should only take 5 minutes to find the appropriate laws, maybe another 7 to read them. Here. And the first result.

Sometimes they escape before security gets there: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/wanted/razmilov.htm

With physical goods, like a book, I suspect they could legally demand the book be returned (although, who's going to hire a lawyer and go to court over a $10 book).

I can suspect that all you want. You'd still be wrong.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/othertypes/UnsolicitedFraud.aspx

If it were something sufficiently valuable for it to be "worth it", though, they could probably demand it be returned. I mean, mailing something to you doesn't make you the 'owner' - netflix mails me DVDs, but I don't "own them", and must return them.

You have an agreement with netflix before they sent them that you would return them. If netflix sent you some DVDs to someone who hadn't requested them out of the blue, then that person now owns those DVDs.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I don't see why email wouldn't be just a simple extension of the concept of 'papers, and effects'?

Further, I would ask what does the fourth amendment say about 'mail'? It doesn't, and yet, the fourth amend. still applies to the postal service (well, first class mail, anyhow).

Why should email be treated any differently, legally, than postal mail?

I hope this case gets reviewed by the SCOTUS.

it's still mail fraud even if you don't use a money order.

You're correct, assuming you ship USPS -- hadn't thought of that. And the USPS does provide a mail fraud complaint form online which includes both "Failure to Pay" and "Failure to Provide". Has anyone actually successfully had the USPS investigate cases of eBay fraud (e.g. buyer falsely claiming non-receipt) for non-gigantic dollar amounts, though? I googled for a bit and found people who contacted the USPS about eBay fraud, but no indications of whether USPS actually followed up.

2% of your own mail never gets there? Contact the postal inspectors. My experience is more like 100% makes it to the destination, as far as I can tell.

What if they send you physical junk mail? Can you call the cops then?
Who is paying for the physical junk mail? If you steal the stamps, so you do not have to pay for that junk mail, then most likely the cops will be involved.Try stealing 1.000.000 stamps a day and see what happens.

If you send me so much mail that I loose an enormous amount of time to wade through it, then that will be considered harassment and the cops would be involved as well.

If you send false advertisement, there will be some law against that too.

If you use it to increase stock prices, so you ca play the market, they won't be happy about that either.

These are just the law related issues. I am not even starting talking about the many USPS rules you broke (e.g. by giving false information on the sender)

So yes, you could call the cops when receiving the same sort of Spam spammers send. Just tell the USPS that you are interested in their rates of sending letters to people concerning your Ponzi investment.

I have heard that compared to the USPS, the IRS are boyscouts.

Interesting. I'd forwarded some to them, 'tho I'd thought that was only for the FTC's information gathering.

Relevant to some might be the US Postal Inspectors Service, at fraud@uspis.gov -- to which I resend pretty much every pyramid scheme I get that involves a US postal address, which is pretty much all of them; the enforcement branch of the Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement@sec.gov, to which I resend probable attempts at securities manipulation; and netpiracy@spa.org, for people who appear to be advertising for pirated software (plus I resend such to relevant specific companies that are likely large enough to have anti-piracy people, such as Microsoft).