10 Ways to Ensure Your Mailed Packages are Safe and Accounted For

With the holidays on the way, it's nice to send packages of gifts to friends and family across the nation. But there are those few days where you're unsure if they got their package or not. The United States Postal Inspection Service has 10 tips to make sure everyone has a happy holiday season.

Here's what they are 10 tips to protect your packages.

1. Avoid sending cash by mail. Checks and money orders are safer than cash and may be
canceled or reissued in the event of theft.

2. Don’t leave delivered mail and packages unattended. Just as wallets and purses
shouldn’t be left on the front seat of an unlocked car overnight, mail and packages shouldn’t
be left uncollected in mailboxes or on front porches for any length of time.

3. Consider an alternate shipping address. Customers can arrange to have packages
delivered to neighbors who are home during the day or get packages delivered at work, if
permitted.

4. Change the package’s address — while it’s in transit! Customers who know they won’t
be home when their package is delivered can try USPS Package Intercept. Prior to delivery,
most domestic package shipments can be redirected back to the sender, to a new address or
to the Post Office to be held for pickup.

5. Customize the delivery. If the package doesn’t fit in the mailbox and the customer won’t
be home to receive it, the customer can provide delivery instructions online and authorize the
carrier to leave it in a specified location. Visit usps.com, enter the tracking number and select
Delivery Instructions. Customers can also request their packages be left with a neighbor or
held at a Post Office for pickup.

6. Plan ahead. Ship using Hold for Pickup. When shipping packages, customers can
choose the Hold for Pickup option and the recipients can collect the packages at their local
Post Office. For customers receiving packages, they can redirect incoming packages to their
local Post Office by selecting Hold for Pickup using USPS Package Intercept.

7. Going out of town? Hold mail at the local Post Office. Instead of risking leaving a
package unattended for an extended period of time, customers planning on being away from
home for a few days are encouraged to take advantage of the Request Hold Mail service.
Letters and packages will be held securely at the local Post Office until the customers return.

8. Secure the shipment using USPS Signature Services. Signature Services help ensure
the package ends up in the right hands by requiring a signature at the time of delivery.

9. Choose the most secure form of delivery. For the most valuable packages, customers
can opt for Registered Mail service. Registered Mail receives special handling from the time
it’s mailed until it’s delivered, documenting the chain of custody.

10. PO Boxes might be the answer. Customers concerned about the security of their mail
can consider renting a Post Office Box at their local Post Office. The mail remains secure
within the Post Office, accessible only when using the right key or combination. Many Post
Office lobbies are open 24/7, allowing customers to retrieve mail on their schedule.

It's never too early to send. You can visit USPS.com/holiday to see how long it may take your package to get to its destination, weather permitting, of course.