# We are not your mail collection service **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 3, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595 "2026-06-03T17:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/61 "2026-06-05T19:10:47Z")
Another one in today’s mail, after I’d already taken the ones marked ‘return to sender’ back to the post office. This is how it happened before, too: a rather large and continuous cascade of packages, then they stop and we don’t see any for months, then they start again. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/62 "2026-06-05T19:22:35Z")
Have you taken the packages to police and telling them that you think you are being used as an illegal mail drop for questionable purchases? Even if all the police do is visit and question them it may be enough to scare them into stopping the practice. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/63 "2026-06-05T21:09:50Z")
I wouldn’t take them back to the post office - I would leave them (and flag them if needed) for your postman to pick up. They’ll start to recognize the name and stop delivering the packages to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/64 "2026-06-07T00:15:52Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > I would leave them …at the curb, where your trashcan goes. You’ve already done more than enough to try to rectify the issue. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/65 "2026-06-07T00:33:09Z")
If you are home when the postman comes, you could watch out for him and tell him the problem. Depending on the postman, he might be happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/66 "2026-06-07T01:33:23Z")
> [@billy-jack](#): > > n 9-track reels of magnetic tape to load in your own computers to do your own validation. The data set was free. Comparable stuff is also free in the UK and Ire. But in Australia you have to pay for it. I don’t personally need to do delivery point identification, but it pisses me off that it’s not a public service in Australia. (PS – reels of magnetic tape normally incur a tape charge. I assume the same was true for you) ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/67 "2026-06-07T02:04:12Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > (PS – reels of magnetic tape normally incur a tape charge. I assume the same was true for you) They were completely free. Admittedly, the tape reels were aleady pretty well used. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/68 "2026-06-07T02:17:17Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > USPS doesn’t care about UPS packages. Here they do. Something about being the “Last Mile Carrier.” > [@AHunter3](#): > > One of the most recent misdirected shipments is a box that indicates it is temperature-sensitive medical equipment, which is a disturbing thing to find sitting on our front porch. All I want to know is if it, or any of them, were _ticking_. Then I’d be disturbed, but I know _ **exactly** _ what to do … Tripler 😈 (It may not be helpful, but it’ll sure as hell be _fun_!!) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/69 "2026-06-07T04:34:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have no suggestions, just sympathy. That sounds really annoying. No sympathy, envy. I love getting free shit! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/70 "2026-06-07T06:29:30Z")
I’ll settle for nearly free. Yeah my delivery to the house is not at all simple. OTOH I never get someone’s else’s pkgs. You told the people. You’ve told the P.O. You spent time and gas going in the P.O. Trash 'em. Done your duty. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/71 "2026-06-07T07:37:01Z")
This is also a way to cover your ass if they intercept a package with questionable materials in it and they decide that arresting _anybody_ is easier than getting it right. You will be on official record, and that counts whether they act correctly or not. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/72 "2026-06-07T14:55:06Z")
That’s some Grade A CT level paranoia. The OP never ordered anything, only had it mistakenly delivered to him; what’s more, he has a receipt from certified mail delivered to the intended’s address which is pretty good evidence he tried to have the deliveries stopped. There is no evidence he tried to acquire anything illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Awb78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Awb78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Awb78)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/73 "2026-06-07T18:05:44Z")
Get a milk crate, and throw all the small letters/ packages in it. The bigger boxes can stand alone. Leave ALL outside, rain or shine. It’s not your responsibility to babysit them, and it’s definitely not your job to go out of their way to re-deliver them. You’ve sent the the registered letter. Give them one more call. Tell them that it is THEIR responsibility to pick up their mail. Then block their number. Let et law enforcement know the situation in case the intended recipients try to have you arrested. Oh no!! Gramma’s time-sensitive insulin didn’t arrive, and now she’s dead? Not your problem. Their packages were clearly available for pick up. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/74 "2026-06-07T19:17:23Z")
For what it’s worth, if I warn someone about an issue they are having and they don’t do anything about taking care of their issue, I see no need to worry about them any more. For something like this, after contacting them once and you don’t want to just throw it away, make it more inconvenient for them to pick it up than it is for them to correct the address. Some possibilities might be: 1. If it does not take too much time and isn’t too inconvenient, you could possibly drop it off at the gate of their gated community and inconvenience them by making them come to the gate to get it. If the guard won’t accept it, just set it on the ground near him and leave. 2. If they have an HOA, maybe forward it to the HOA to deal with. 3. If you have some place where you could leave it for them to pick up you could just leave it there. I think that some private post offices can accept mail to non-customers and will just charge them a fee when they come to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/75 "2026-06-07T20:17:49Z")
Way too many hoops. They’ve done due diligence. Trash it. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/76 "2026-06-07T23:53:36Z")
Just FYI, it is a federal crime to destroy mail that is incorrectly delivered to you. You may want to keep that in mind before choosing to do so, and especially before telling anyone that you have done so or plan to do so. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/77 "2026-06-08T00:45:21Z")
It is illegal to throw away, keep, open, or delay the delivery of someone else’s mail. Repeated attempts to send it back to the post office hasn’t worked for OP. Does that mean that if you receive mail addressed to someone else, you are required to deliver it yourself? I suspect not. If returning it to the post office doesn’t work, one option is to file a complaint. See > **[How to file a U.S. Postal Service complaint | USAGov](https://www.usa.gov/postal-service-complaints)** > > See how to complain to the U.S. Postal Service about lost or stolen mail or mail fraud. Learn where to file a complaint about postal employees or facilities. Whenever I have received mis-delivered mail, I just wrote on it that it was delivered to the wrong address and put it back in the mailbox. That was always the last I heard about it. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/78 "2026-06-08T00:59:19Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > The USPS parcels were all small enough that I was able to fit them into the mail slot at the local post office without interacting with the clerk. The temp-sensitive medical box went to the UPS Store, which is a franchise and where the personnel have told me in the past they have limited control over what the drivers do, but they accepted it yet again. When the postman delivers items to your house, is there some way for him to pick up outgoing mail, too? Do you have to personally go somewhere else to drop it off? ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/79 "2026-06-08T01:10:54Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Other UPS delivery people re-deliver it to our doorstep. About a year ago, we had an issue with UPS. I found the e-mail address for the CEO of UPS and sent her an e-mail. One of her assistants called me back within the hour and took care of the problem. If you would like her e-mail address, send me an e-mail at [d277fec6-b77e-430f-ab49-cf540929657d@8shield.net](mailto:d277fec6-b77e-430f-ab49-cf540929657d@8shield.net) This is a temporary e-mail address that will forward the e-mail to me. I’ll leave it up for a week or two or until I get spammed at it. If you do write an e-mail to her, make it just as polite and respectful as you possibly can. Also, include your telephone number that one of her assistants can call you back. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595/80 "2026-06-08T01:25:41Z")
Ok. Sit it gently in a trash can. Oops. Or toss it lightly out at the dump so it lands on an old mattress. No really, the OP is not likely to follow my instructions at this point, would you agree? They’ve invested a lot of time and energy, now put it online for the world to see. Yeah. Not happening. First rule of crime: Do Not Post it on a message board. (P.S. {PSA} do not do crime kids, it’s never wise or fun. It will lead to bad things. I’m just funnin’) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-not-your-mail-collection-service/1030595.md?page=5)