2 cards fron the USPS...cert & reg mail...what does it mean?

[DogFacedBoy]

Okay here's the story and hopefully someone can shed some light on it.

My primary ebay account is registered at my real address, but under the name of a relative who is no longer living. It has been fine for over 4 years now with 100% FB and 500 FBs.

I have bought some items from overseas and had 3 arrive in the last 6 weeks or so, with no issues. Last week I bought a small (the other purchases were large) craft item from Germany and today I got that little orange postcard because I wasn't there to sign for it. No big deal. It had the sender's name on it listed as "registered" mail, parcel.

I also received a second "sorry we missed you" card made out to the same deceased relative that was checked "Letter" and "certified" Mail. Here is where it gets weird. The sender's name is USPS.

Why would the USPS be sending a certified letter?

The only thing this name is used for is for the one ebay account.
I did have a package from China get seized last spring, but have received 3 or 4 others from overseas since then without incident...not from the same seller learned my lesson. If it was an issue with the package that was seized shouldn't that have come from Customs? Also I believe the package that was seized was sent DHL, so the USPS wouldn't even have been involved.

In a nutshell, The only thing that the name is used for is my ebay account which, with the exception of having a different name is 100% above board, no disputes no high risk items and have received about 4 or 5 packages from overseas 2 or 3 large and 2 or 3 little ones likes cell batteries or a car charger

The question is...does anyone have any idea what the Certified letter from the USPS might be?

Has me more curious than nervous, but still a little cautious

[oge]

I've had this happen to me last month all I got to say is don't "overthink" it now this has nothing to do with ebay but the post man left me a brown slip

and they must be getting lazy but the sender was USPS and I called them to have it redelivered and they told me it was a scam not to pick it up so that was that except I was excepting a letter from someone

and I called them and they said they already sent it so I went down to the post office and the letter was there wtf?

I wouldn't be too worried about it and you can go online for a redelivery it might be something but since you said you didn't do anything maybe it's just some postage do but I would just follow up because USPS is lazy good luck!

[DogFacedBoy]

So you got something that said it was certified and the sender was USPS and when you called the post office they said it was a scam going around?
Hmmm?
It was just weird that it came on the same day as another one.
I hear you about the post office being lazy I swear I got my mail yesterday and today the mail carrier walked right past the house, but when I got home from running some errands I checked my mailbox and viola!

It could very well be that it is another ebay user pulling the scam. I have gotten those Paypal phishing emails that actually use my name in the salutation (as opposed to "Dear Value Customer") that would appear 100% authentic except for the fact that that particular email is not associated with a Paypal account.

I have a friend that is going to take the cards to the PO on Monday and pick the 2 of them up on Monday and I will report back.

Any other input in the meantime will be appreciated

[jeffweico]

The only person I know of who ever got a certified letter from the USPS was being notified that unless she signed an agreement to keep her dog inside, they would no longer deliver her mail and that she would have to pick it up.

I did a google search and found one other instance where the USPS intercepted a package of marijuana addressed to someone. Their investigators sent a certified letter to the addressee, probably to ask some questions.

I think there could be any number of reasons why you might receive such a letter. But I also think you should have it redelivered. The thing is, even if it is something bad, you are probably better off knowing what it is you are dealing with. Ignoring problems usually does not make them go away, and could in fact make the situation worse.

But it could also be nothing to worry about.

[DogFacedBoy]

The weird thing is that I don't think any packages that ever got seized were addressed to the person that the certified letter was sent to and the only thing seized was sent DHL.

I wonder since I did get a couple of packages with in the last 2 weeks that were rather heavy, maybe they will no longer deliver so many heavy int'l packages to a non-business address and if any similar future packages are sent to the address that the addressee will have to pick them up at the post office.

[seanws30]

did they list the tracking #'s on the slips? my guy always writes those on the slips. then you can track the item and see its origin.

my guess is its nothing to worry about and whoever couldnt read the senders name on the package so they couldnt write it on the slip. they have left me the slips before blank. i just sign them, put them back in the box, and then they deliver them a few days later

[DogFacedBoy]

they did have a tracking number and I did enter it, but it only showed the latest status which included the delivery attempt and not the step by step starting with the origin

[DogFacedBoy]

A female friend of mine went to the PO with the 2 cards to sign and to pick up, but they would not release either to her because her name did not match and neither did the address on her ID.
I signed the one card that I knew was for the item that was purchased on ebay and coming from Europe and clipped it to the mailbox yesterday. The mailman took it off and put it back into the box. I did the same today and it was gone. There was a new card in the mailbox addressed to my Amazon username...again a "certified" "letter"...and sender listed as USPS.
So, here is what I think that it is. At first I didn't think that the other certified letter was necessarily "ebay" related because that particular account is on the up and up (with the exception of having a phony name on it)...no VERO 500+ 100% pos feedback.
However, when the second one came today addressed to my Amazon username I am thinking the it must have something to do with my shipping methods. Either one of two things that they want to possibly have me put an end to (however both innocent mistakes)
1) I will on occasion re-use Priority Mail boxes (the old ones) turned inside out to ship via a different method than Priority Mail. Can't do it on the newer boxes because they are printed on the plain brown inside as well. As I said these are older boxes that are being re-used.
2) the other possible thing that I was just made aware of when I overheard a clerk telling the person at the window next to me that you can not use crumpled newspaper in "Media Mail" packages as filler because it contains advertising and that disqualifies it as media mail...the same reason that you can't ship magazines via media mail.
3) One other thing might be that I might not have a media mail waiver sheet allowing them to open and inspect on file for these two names.

It wasn't until the card was left today with the Amazon username on it that I figured it might have something to do with shipping because in the past my Paypal registered name was always printed on the return address. But since ebay started to let you print labels from ebay rather than Paypal that would explain that.

In either event I'm sure that they are both basically warnings saying that if I do not follow the guidelines tot he letter of the law that my packages will go into the dead letter file.

Or I might get slapped for re-using the Priority Mail boxes because they are only supposed to be used for that method of shipping...although I figured if they were used once that the PO had made their money and wouldn't care.

We'll see

[jeffweico]

That made me think of something... I once got a letter (although it was not certified) from the USPS regarding my Endicia account.

I accidentally printed a label that should have been 6 ounces with 1 ounce instead. The price difference was not very much, it was a total mistake.

The letter was a warning that I could lose my Endicia account if they continued to find instances such as this and reading me the riot act and quoting the law.

All in all, not a big deal. So it makes sense to me that this could be something similar.

As for media mail, isn't that just STUPID??? We need to get back to using common sense in this country. There is an obvious differrence between enclosing advertising that is meant to generate sales and some crumpled up newspaper just used as packing material.

This is the same type of stupidity that leads to a 6 year old being charged with sexual harrassment for kissing a 5 year old on the cheek or a kid carrying a water pistol being expelled from school for bringing a weapon into the classroom.

PEOPLE NEED TO START THINKING AGAIN!

[DogFacedBoy]

Well I went today with the card addressed to my Amazon username and it was a pre-printed letter warning me that I had sent a package through media mail that did not meet shipping requirements. Since it did indeed contain only media I can only assume that it was because I had crinkled newspaper in it.
Was basically a warning with all of the parameters on what qualifies for media mail.
The irony of it is that they never indicated how I had violated the rules...kind of like when you get the email from ebay telling you that you have done something wrong, be on your best behavior and don't do it again...but they don't tell you what you did wrong

[jeffweico]

Someone else posted that some USPS employees were taking the position that DVD's cannot be sent via media mail if they contain previews of upcoming movies, as that constitutes advertising.

Of all the things it could have been, this is at least not terribly serious.

I use crumpled newsprint all the time. It just makes sense from an environmental standpoint. But I guess that soon we will have to use their special pre-approved "crumpling paper" at $2.95 a sheet for packing material.

[LoopHole]

I love reading interesting threads like this. I actually got a lot of info out of this. Thanks for posting. And i agree with both of you, the media mail thing with the news paper thing is ridiculous.