# Amazon package in my mail box; not USPS — illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343 "2022-09-10T20:02:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/21 "2022-09-11T07:06:59Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > But if it’s a separate box intended for US mail, only postal workers can put stuff in it. If I (as a homeowner) _wanted_ to put a up a box that anyone could use, how would I go about distinguishing that? Can I do that? Boxes come in all shapes and sizes, and I don’t recall that they usually have any marking on them. Does USPS automatically get exclusive ownership of any box I put up - even though it’s on my property? ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/22 "2022-09-11T07:30:49Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > If I (as a homeowner) _wanted_ to put a up a box that anyone could use, how would I go about distinguishing that? Can I do that? Boxes come in all shapes and sizes, and I don’t recall that they usually have any marking on them. Does USPS automatically get exclusive ownership of any box I put up - even though it’s on my property? I was about to ask this exact same question. Could a home have a box that says “Not for USPS use” written on it and be legal for Amazon to put things into? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/23 "2022-09-11T10:38:21Z")
It is (or at least was) very common in rural areas to see other boxes mounted near USPS mailboxes that are not for USPS use. Often brightly colored and branded with the name of one or another newspaper. Those are for the newspapers’ delivery crews to see easily & stuff easily as they drive down rural roads & highways. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/24 "2022-09-11T12:24:58Z")
I live in a rural area and have seen boxes mounted below the mail box marked “private use only Not for mail”. I’ve always assumed they were for packages etc. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/25 "2022-09-11T14:30:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Typically this is referred to as “last mile delivery”. That’s my understanding too. We don’t get mail delivery. We all have PO boxes. I also have a UPS box at a UPS store. I don’t ask UPS/Fed-X or anyone to deliver to my house. That would just be mean. Especially in winter. When I wasn’t working from home, I would have things delivered to my office. But then some packages would get re-routed to my companies PO box Instead of the physical address of the building I worked in .The PO box of the company was NOT included in any part of the delivery address. It’s a small county though, and they knew where it was going to end up. This happened with a lot of people. It was a colossal mess. No one knew where anything was supposed to be. That’s why I got the UPS box. Costs a couple of hundred a year, but is so, so much easier. They email me when a package arrives, and I pick it up when I go into town. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/26 "2022-09-11T23:49:25Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > FedEx and UPS also used to rely on the USPS for last mile delivery. They still do. My plant has specific stalls marked on the floor with FedEx and UPS designators. ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/27 "2022-09-11T23:52:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@yearofglad](#): > > > > I have definitely had Amazon drivers put Amazon-delivered packages directly in my mailbox; the USPS was not involved. The packages in question had no postage on them. > > The absence of visible postage means exactly zero. > > if the package has a USPS tracking number on it, that means USPS was paid to do the delivery, traditional postage markings or no. I consider a tracking number to indicate postage paid as well. These packages didn’t have postage, a tracking number, and I physically SAW an Amazon employee get out of an Amazon van and place the item in the mailbox. And to answer Riemann, I wasn’t upset at it happening; I’m merely commenting that I’ve seen it happen. @Tim_T-Bonham.net I’d say that a slot in the door isn’t a “mailbox” at all - anyway, I was just referring to the link I posted which says “that only authorized U.S. Postal Service delivery personnel are allowed to place items in a mailbox.” So perhaps the USPS doesn’t consider a house-slot to be a “mailbox.” ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/28 "2022-09-12T00:09:25Z")
They don’t - from the USPS website. > If you have a curbside mailbox or a mailbox on the outside of your house, USPS regulations govern what can and cannot be placed in them. Generally speaking, only mail that has been sent through the USPS® may be placed in these types of receptacles. Conversely, USPS regulations do not govern what can be placed in a mail slot on your door. This means that if a local business wants to put a flyer in the mail slot, they can do so. It also says a separate receptacle for newspapers can be attached to the curbside mailbox post - but the funny thing is that it never actually defines “mailbox” aside from stating that certain ones must meet USPS regulations. It doesn’t state the receptacle has to say US Mail or anything like that - it seems like any receptacle attached to a building that’s not labeled otherwise is automatically a mail receptacle. Presumably, they won’t consider the specimen collection boxes I’ve seen outside doctor’s offices to be mailboxes, since they are usually labelled with the lab’s name - but what about a plain milk delivery box? Will they consider that to be a mailbox? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/29 "2022-09-12T00:15:22Z")
Yes, this is perfectly normal and perfectly legal. > [@zimaane](#): > > Yep, I’ve noted as a general rule at the zimaane household, if it’s small enough to fit in the mailbox, the mailman is going to deliver it. Yep. > [@yearofglad](#): > > It is illegal for anyone other than USPS delivery personnel to place items in a mailbox. And so? The postal carrier very likely put it there, this is normal. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/30 "2022-09-12T01:22:36Z")
My park manager puts my monthly rental bill in my mailbox. Technically, that probably is illegal. Do I care? One has to choose one’s battles. Frankly, I’d be delighted if Amazon put any of my orders in my mail box. Then they would be better protected from theft. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/31 "2022-09-12T02:34:32Z")
> [@TimfromNapa](#): > > Do I care? One has to choose one’s battles. Well, that’s my point. I’m not _objecting_ to non-USPS people breaking the law by putting stuff in my mailbox. I’m wondering how to make it legal for them to do so. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/32 "2022-09-12T03:16:24Z")
It is an amazon tracking number, and could have been delivered by an Amazon truck, or an Amazon independent contractor- but it wasn’t delivered by USPS. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/33 "2022-09-14T03:29:43Z")
Again, it _is_ legal as it _is_ USPS people. This is a common, everyday thing. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/34 "2022-09-14T04:42:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Again, it _is_ legal as it _is_ USPS people. Perhaps you should read the thread “again” to appreciate that it broadened after early answers that USPS did deliver the specific piece of mail that OP asked about. Amazon and other non-USPS people do deliver some things, and I was asking how to set up a mailbox on my property that non-USPS people can legally use. ---
**Author:** ![omenran](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omenran/32/3318_2.png) [@omenran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omenran)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/35 "2022-09-14T07:27:36Z")
Looking at the [law in question](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1725) (unless there are more), it mentions intent to avoid postage. If the mailbox isn’t so stuffed with stuff that your mail can’t fit and be delivered, the Mail Carrier might not even care. I would say there’s an argument that the intent wasn’t/isn’t to avoid postage fees, but to keep it out of sight and the elements and in a location that’s often checked. Otherwise possible options are to have the carrier hold the package at a location for you, UPS stores, dropboxes or warehouses, FedEx Kinkos, Amazon Dropboxes, etc. Of course those may be less convenient than your house, but I would rather not risk package thieves where I live, and don’t order very much so I am ok with the minor inconvenience, ymmv. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/37 "2023-08-07T14:57:22Z")
Are we now being so pedantic as a society to worry about the legality of someone putting a package in our mailbox (so the package gets appropriately delivered to you), because of an archaic law about mail boxes? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/38 "2023-08-07T15:02:23Z")
I am a former USPS employee and am fully aware of that law. If it is pedantry and archaic, then change it. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/39 "2023-08-07T15:17:24Z")
Or, like speeding less than five miles over the limit, just ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/40 "2023-08-07T15:23:46Z")
I have personally put misdelivered mail into my neighbor’s mailbox… you know, being a good neighbor and all that. But yes, amazon (and other) packages sent through other package delivery services will routinely use USPS as the last leg of the journey, and won’t show USPS postage. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343/41 "2023-08-07T15:24:40Z")
Yes I’ve done the same: put misdelivered mail into the correct mailbox. Perfectly fine to do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-package-in-my-mail-box-not-usps-illegal/971343.md?page=3)