USPS is a great resource when things run smoothly. You drop off your letters or packages, the postal worker scans them in, and they arrive at their destination in a few short days.
That’s usually what happens, but there are plenty of times when mail doesn’t get where it’s supposed to go.
In fact, every year millions of packages go missing and are classified as dead mail. If you want to know what USPS does with dead mail, then keep reading!
Key Takeaways
USPS Dead Mail In 2022
Dead mail, also referred to as undeliverable mail, is mail that cannot be delivered to the addressee or returned to the sender. This usually happens due to lack of compliance with postal regulations, an incomplete address or the inability to forward the mail. USPS funnels all undeliverable mail to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
If you’re curious to find out what happens to dead mail, we’ve got the answers here!
What Is Dead Mail?
Dead mail is a colloquial term for any letter or package that USPS can’t deliver to the recipient or return to the sender. USPS refers to this type of mail as undeliverable mail.
There are several reasons why a letter or package will be classified as “dead.” For example, packages that have missing or damaged shipping labels will be considered undeliverable and treated as dead mail.
Letters and packages will also be classified this way if they have an incomplete address and return address.
Similarly, if USPS cannot forward the mail because both correspondents have moved before the item is delivered, then it is considered dead mail.
What Are Dead Letter Offices?
Dead letter office is a generic term for a facility within a postal service where undeliverable mail is processed. Think of it as the postal service’s lost and found.
In the case of USPS, the official name of this facility is the USPS Mail Recovery Center. It is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
What Does USPS Do With Dead Mail?
Undeliverable and unreturnable mail is sent to the USPS Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
What happens next depends on two things. One, whether postal workers are able to find an address, and two, the value of the item.
If postal workers find an address, the envelope or package is sealed using postal tape or seals, or enclosed in plastic bags and delivered. That being said, finding an address is not the norm.
In fact, a 2015 audit found that the Mail Recovery Center processed 88 million dead mail items in 2014.
Of these 88 million items, only 2.5 million (about 3%) of these items made it back to their original senders.
Most of the remaining 97% of undeliverable items are destroyed. More specifically, those valued at less than $25 are destroyed to protect customers’ privacy.
Items like postcards, periodicals, and political flyers almost always fall into this category.
Items valued at more than $25 are kept for a few months before they’re auctioned off to the public.
What Are USPS Dead Mail Auctions?
Items valued at $25 or more that end up at USPS’ Mail Recovery Center are put up for auction 90 days after they’re received.
USPS works with a private company called GovDeals to run these auctions. Auctions are held online and happen about every two weeks.
Potential bidders can also make an appointment to visit the facility and check out the items up for auction.
According to a 2015 audit of the Mail Recovery Center, USPS profited $11 million from dead mail items auctioned off in 2014.
How Do I Recover Dead Mail?
If you send something that can’t be delivered for whatever reason, USPS will use the return address and try to get the item back to you.
If that’s not possible, whether because the mail is addressed incorrectly or because there’s no return address, the item will either be handled by your local post office or sent to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta.
In the meantime, if your mail has not arrived within 7 days from the send date, you can:
- Submit a search request in the Missing Mail application
- Call your Consumer Affairs representative via 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) and have them complete a search request on your behalf.
- Visit your local USPS Post Office and have a search request submitted.
How Long Before USPS Mail Is Considered Lost?
You have a specific window of time to declare mail missing. In most cases, you have 7 to 60 days to file a Missing Mail Application.
For more specific information about filing dates, check out the table below.
Mail Type or Service | When to File (from mailing date) | |
No Sooner Than | No Later Than | |
Priority Mail Express | 7 days | 60 days |
Priority Mail Express
Collect on Delivery |
15 days | 60 days |
Registered Mail | 15 days | 60 days |
Registered Mail
Collect on Delivery |
15 days | 60 days |
Priority Mail and Other Insured Mail | 15 days | 60 days |
Collect on Delivery | 15 days | 60 days |
APO/FPO Priority Mail Express Military | 21 days | 180 days |
APO/FPO/DPO Insured Mail and Registered Mail (Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, SAM, or PAL) | 45 days | 1 year |
APO/FPO/DPO Insured Mail (Surface Only) | 75 days | 1 year |
To know more about USPS, you can also see our posts on whether or not USPS stamps expire, how long does USPS holds packages, and if USPS tracking numbers expire.
Conclusion
While USPS does its best to make sure your items arrive at their destinations, there are times when mail gets lost or is undeliverable. In cases like these, items are sent to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Postal workers at the Mail Recovery Center open mail to try to find a forwarding address. In the small percentage of cases where they find one, the item goes back in the mail. Mostly, though, dead mail is destroyed (for items of little to no value) or auctioned off to the public.