# Returned International Mail. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802 "2014-04-23T20:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/1 "2014-04-23T20:37:50Z")
Although some of you might find it hard to believe, I sometime use the old-fashioned USPS mail system (so-called _snail mail_). And sometimes (not very often) I have to send my mail overseas (typically to some other English-speaking country [I speak no foreign language]). Oh, it is really easy. Just take the letter to the front window. And the lady there stamps it with this postal bar code. Then the foreign country, as I understand it, gets a share of the money I spent for the letter. And of course, like any other mail, I include my return address on it. But that got me to thinking. **What if my letter has to be returned for some reason _AFTER_ it reaches its country of destination?** I mean will they send it back to the US, and have the USPS then return it to me? That seems a lot of trouble–to say nothing of _ **very** _ expensive. Keep in mind my overseas mail has never been returned. So I don’t know what would happen if it couldn’t be delivered for some reason. :)☮:)☮ ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/2 "2014-04-23T20:40:43Z")
We used to do a lot of overseas mailing (photographs), yeah, they’ll send it back. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/3 "2014-04-23T20:42:28Z")
Yep. I had a couple international correspondence returned from overseas back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/4 "2014-04-23T20:51:41Z")
I bought something on eBay from a guy in Germany and sent him $40 bucks in cash. It was returned about two months later due to a bad address. Intact. This was only about a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/5 "2014-04-23T22:18:03Z")
I assume the cost to mail something internationally includes the cost to return the letter to you for the small percentage of times they have to do that. I bet it’s fairly rare. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/6 "2014-04-23T23:41:21Z")
I’ve had parcels I sent to Europe returned. They appeared on my doorstep months after I had mailed them. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/7 "2014-04-24T00:30:30Z")
If you mail a package overseas, you have to fill in a Customs Declaration. Part of the form (at least in the US) is a space where you indicate what to do with undeliverable mail - it can either be destroyed or sent back to you. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/returned-international-mail/686802/8 "2014-04-24T02:59:34Z")
The Universal Postal Union, to which virtually all countries are signatory, guarantees that every country handles all incoming mail the same as their own. The revenue for the stamp goes only to the originating country. > **[Universal Postal Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPU)** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}46°56′20″N 7°28′31″E / 46.93881°N 7.475306°E / 46.93881; 7.475306 > > > The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agenc...