What to do if my USPS package is stolen starts with three reports: the Postal Inspection Service, your local police and the seller. Make all three on the first day if you can. Each one opens a different path to your money or your item.
Package theft is a crime. The Postal Inspection Service is the federal agency that investigates crimes involving the mail. USPS customer service handles lost and late packages, but it does not chase thieves.
What to do if my USPS package is stolen: the steps in order
Work through these steps in order. Each one is short, and the later ones depend on the earlier ones.
- Confirm the package is really gone. Check the porch, the mailbox, the garage and the side of the house. Ask neighbors, then look at the tracking page for the delivery time.
- Report the theft to the Postal Inspection Service. Use the portal at mailtheft.uspis.gov or call 1-877-876-2455. Dial 911 only if a crime is happening right now.
- File a police report. Call your local police department, usually on its non emergency line. Ask for a report number and keep it.
- Tell the seller or sender. Give them the tracking number, the delivery time and your police report number. Ask what they will do, whether that is a replacement, a refund or a claim of their own.
- Contact USPS about the package. Submit the package inquiry form for tracked packages. Letters and untracked mail use the daily mail delivery inquiry form, and either one puts the problem on record with the Postal Service.
- Check whether a claim or a Missing Mail search applies. The sections below explain what each one covers and when it works.
If the package held a check, call your bank first. If you suspect a postal employee, tell the USPS Office of Inspector General. Use uspsoig.gov or 1-888-877-7644.
How to report a stolen package to USPS
USPS does not run its own theft desk for packages. The Postal Inspection Service does, and its online report is the main way in. Reports help the agency start investigations and spot patterns, such as a thief working a single route.
What to have ready
Before you start the form, gather your facts: what was stolen, when, the tracking number and your contact details. If you can, add the mailing date, time and place, plus the service used and the recipient details.
A short, accurate report beats a long guess.
Other ways to reach the Inspection Service
The Inspection Service also lists a second web address, report.uspis.gov, which leads to the same reporting system.
You can also report by phone at 1-877-876-2455. If you prefer paper, write to the Criminal Investigations Service Center in Chicago, marked for Mail Fraud. The online portal is faster and keeps everything in one place.
Who to contact and what each step can achieve
A worked example shows how the pieces fit. Say a package shows delivered in mid afternoon and is gone by evening. You file the Inspection Service report that evening, call the police the next morning, then write to the seller with both numbers.
No single contact fixes everything. This table shows what each step is for, so you know what to expect from it.
| Step | Who you contact | What it can achieve |
|---|---|---|
| Report the theft | U.S. Postal Inspection Service, mailtheft.uspis.gov or 1-877-876-2455 | Starts a federal mail theft record and can feed an investigation. It is not a refund request. |
| Police report | Your local police department | Gives you a report number that sellers, banks and insurers often ask for. Also helps if neighbors have camera footage. |
| Package inquiry | USPS package inquiry form | Puts a service request on record for a tracked package. |
| Seller or sender | The store, marketplace or person who shipped it | The most common route to a replacement or refund, under the seller’s own policy. |
| USPS claim | USPS Domestic Claims | Pays for loss or damage on covered services within the filing window. See the limits below. |
| Missing Mail search | MissingMail.USPS.com | Asks USPS to look for a package that never arrived. It is for lost mail, not for a package already marked delivered. |
| Bank or card issuer | Your bank, card company or payment service | Can dispute a charge if the seller will not help. Required first if a check was stolen. |
Should I file a police report for a stolen package?
Yes. USPS lists a police report with your local department as one of its own steps for mail theft. A report number also helps when you talk to the seller, because it shows you took the loss seriously.
Police may not recover the package. The report still creates a record, and some departments connect reports from the same street or neighborhood. If you or a neighbor has a doorbell camera, save the footage for the officer and the Postal Inspection Service.
Tell the person who was meant to receive the package as well. If you were the sender, the recipient may be able to share footage or details you cannot see.
Will USPS pay for a package that was stolen after delivery?
USPS publishes no rule that says it will pay for a package that was delivered and then stolen. Its domestic claims page covers loss and damage for insured services and is silent on theft after delivery. Do not count on a payout, and do not assume you will be refused.
What the claims page does set out is the framework, which still matters if you file.
- Covered: merchandise sent by Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail or Ground Advantage. Registered, COD and Insured Mail also count.
- Included coverage is $100, with additional coverage available up to $5,000 in total.
- Either the sender or the recipient can file the claim.
Claims have a timing window. For most services you file no sooner than 15 days and no later than 60 days after mailing; Priority Mail Express opens at 7 days. You need a mailing receipt or proof of insurance, proof of value and the tracking number, and online filing is at usps.com/help/claims.htm.
What a claim does not cover
USPS does not pay for uninsured articles, gift cards and similar items such as lottery tickets, sweepstakes tickets and contest entries, spoilage of perishables, fragile items that cannot withstand normal handling, or consequential losses. If your stolen package held a gift card, a claim will not replace it. Contact the card issuer instead, with the card number if you have it.
For fee details, see how much USPS insurance costs. Because the payout question is unsettled for theft after delivery, the seller route is usually faster.
Should I file a Missing Mail search?
Only if USPS has not marked the package delivered, or the delivery scan is clearly wrong. Many people reach for this form first, but it fits a different problem.
A Missing Mail search is a request to look for an item that was lost in the mail stream. You can submit it at MissingMail.USPS.com from 7 to 365 days after the mailing date.
You need both addresses, the mailing date, the tracking number if you have one, and the container type, size and color. Add a detailed description of the contents, with photos if you have them.
Customer Care cannot submit the request for you, and each request covers one mailpiece. A draft expires after 7 days if you leave it unfinished.
If tracking says delivered and the package is simply missing, start with USPS says delivered but no package.
If tracking never showed delivery, what to do if USPS lost my package covers the search path.
Can the seller or sender make it right?
Sellers sit closer to the money than USPS does, which is why this step matters in practice.
Often, yes. Most online sellers and marketplaces have their own policy for packages that do not arrive. Policies vary a lot: many want to see the tracking number and a police report, and some ask you to wait a few days before they act.
- Write to the seller with the order number, the tracking number, the delivery time and your report numbers.
- Ask for a replacement or a refund in plain words.
- If they refuse, open a dispute through the marketplace or payment service you used.
- If that fails, ask your card issuer about a chargeback.
If you were the sender, you carry the cost and the customer relationship. Keep your mailing receipt and insurance proof, and consider filing the USPS claim yourself if the service was covered and you are inside the window. A tracking record that shows delivery does not stop a seller from choosing to refund a buyer.
How can I stop it from happening again?
Knowing what to do if my USPS package is stolen is half the job; the other half is avoiding a second loss. Most prevention comes down to controlling where the package sits and who can take it.
USPIS tells customers to pick up mail promptly and to contact senders if expected valuables do not show up. It also advises people never to mail cash. The Postal Inspection Service reports that nearly 9,300 suspects were arrested for mail and package theft from 2019 to 2024, so enforcement does happen, but prevention is cheaper than recovery.
| Option | How it helps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hold for Pickup | Package waits at a Post Office instead of your porch | No fee. Acceptable ID required. The addressee or a designee can pick up. |
| Hold Mail | USPS holds your mail while you are away | Use it for trips. Recommended by the Inspection Service. |
| Signature Confirmation | Someone must sign for the package | Ask the sender to add it for valuable items. |
| Prompt pickup | Less time on the porch | Ask a neighbor to bring packages in if you are out. |
Hold for Pickup works with Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Media Mail, Library Mail and USPS Ground Advantage. Commercial First-Class Mail and APO, FPO and DPO addresses are not eligible. Packages kept at the counter are not sitting outside, but they do have a time limit, so read how long USPS holds packages before you rely on it.
You can also watch for arrivals ahead of time with Informed Delivery and the tracking page, so you know when to be home.
The delivery time estimator helps you judge when a package is likely to land, and a quick check of tracking the same day shows whether anything has changed.
What if the stolen package was a different carrier?
The steps for police and the seller are the same, but the carrier claim process is different. FedEx has its own rules, covered in what to do if a FedEx package is stolen.
If the package went to the wrong house rather than being taken, read what to do if USPS delivered to the wrong address.
The bottom line for a stolen USPS package
What to do if my USPS package is stolen comes down to three same day reports: the Postal Inspection Service, the police and the seller. Treat a USPS payout as possible but unconfirmed when the package was delivered and then taken, and expect the seller or your card issuer to be the quicker fix. Then switch to Hold for Pickup or signature options for anything valuable.
