Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Is it okay to spell out single-digit street numbers on postal mail? For example, writing out Two Penn Center instead of 2 Penn Center. Or do postal regulations prohibit spelling out the figure two?

Asked by Laurel about 12 years ago

I believe it is permissible to spell out the single-digit number of a street adddress as given in your example.

Our mailbox has no names on it, the other day on one of our letters was written "do they live here"

Does that mean the mailman has not been delivering that persons mail? Would the missing mail be held at the post office or sent back to sender?

Asked by Meg over 12 years ago

The Missing mail would likely be returnEd to the sender and not kept at the PO. if I were the carrier and I saw mail with a name I wasn't familiar with, I think I would deliver it and if each time the letter was not returned to me with a notice saying "not here", I would assume it was a valid delivery. Unless you live on a rural route, there is no obligation that I'm aware of to notify what names are valid at a specific address. I generally deliver it until told otherwise.

931 Votes

Hi. Our mailman returned a very important immigration letter to USICS TWICE despite the fact he knows my husband lives here (+ delivered his other mail). This has cost us immeasurable heartache, $$$$$ and a YEAR delay in our process. What can we do?

Asked by michelle about 12 years ago

I don't know what can be done regarding this very important letter which was returned in error by your letter carrier. You can mention it to him or call the PO and speak with a delivery supervisor or Postmaster so that it doesn't happen again. I am sorry for the inconvenience and expense caused by this mistake.

929 Votes

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

Asked by anonymous about 12 years ago

I'm not sure of the answer to this. I think you have to pay postage if the mail was sent to you at a rate called presort Standard. The reason is because if you just leave that type of mail in your box for the carrier to take back they can refuse to take it, or, if they do take it back, it will likely just be discarded into a recycling bin at the PO. That type of mail is called NOVM (No Obvious Value Mail). There will be no effect on you continuing to get that type of mail in the future because the mailer has no notification that you want to be taken off their mailing list. The most effective way to have these mailings cease would likely be to call the mailer or email them to be removed from their mailing list. I have found this effective for reputable emailers but have never tried it with traditional paper mailers. Thanks for your question.

929 Votes

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I would like to know the regulations for attaching it to my house

Asked by chertz about 12 years ago

I can't quote you the regulations, but as long as the box is accessible to the letter carrier without a hazard that is usually sufficient for attaching a box to your house.

928 Votes

If I accidentally use a priority box for first class shipping, will it be sent bam to me?!?

Asked by Kristie over 12 years ago

The item may be sent back to you for more postage for the Priority Rate. Did the item you mailed weigh 13 oz. or less.(domestic) That is the only way you can qualify for first class shipping. But, if the item is in a Priority Box it needs the Priority Rate. You might get lucky and the package will be delivered with no extra fee added.

927 Votes

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

Asked by Fred over 11 years ago

I believe that this was acceptable but am not familiar with the rural carrier vehicle regulations. The USPS would likely not let this carrier deliver the mail from that vehicle if it wasn't approved. They can see what vehicle is being used when she leaves the Post Office and returns from her route. The rural carriers in the office where I work also used to use their own vehicles but I don't remember whether or not they were right hand drive (modified for mail delivery) vehicles. In the past few years they have been given LLVs (USPS-owned vehicles) to deliver their routes and don't have the option of using their own vehicle to deliver the mail. Thanks for writing.

927 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Is it okay to spell out single-digit street numbers on postal mail? For example, writing out Two Penn Center instead of 2 Penn Center. Or do postal regulations prohibit spelling out the figure two?

Our mailbox has no names on it, the other day on one of our letters was written "do they live here"

Does that mean the mailman has not been delivering that persons mail? Would the missing mail be held at the post office or sent back to sender?

Hi. Our mailman returned a very important immigration letter to USICS TWICE despite the fact he knows my husband lives here (+ delivered his other mail). This has cost us immeasurable heartache, $$$$$ and a YEAR delay in our process. What can we do?

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

Also on Jobstr...

I would like to know the regulations for attaching it to my house

If I accidentally use a priority box for first class shipping, will it be sent bam to me?!?

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Is it okay to spell out single-digit street numbers on postal mail? For example, writing out Two Penn Center instead of 2 Penn Center. Or do postal regulations prohibit spelling out the figure two?

Our mailbox has no names on it, the other day on one of our letters was written "do they live here" Does that mean the mailman has not been delivering that persons mail? Would the missing mail be held at the post office or sent back to sender?

Hi. Our mailman returned a very important immigration letter to USICS TWICE despite the fact he knows my husband lives here (+ delivered his other mail). This has cost us immeasurable heartache, $$$$$ and a YEAR delay in our process. What can we do?

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

Also on Jobstr...

I would like to know the regulations for attaching it to my house

If I accidentally use a priority box for first class shipping, will it be sent bam to me?!?

A year ago, I had a rural mail carrier who used her own vehicle. It was a normal jeep; it had the steering wheel and gas pedal and brakes on the left side. She sat in the passenger seat and operated it with her left hand and leg. Was this acceptable?

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Our mailbox has no names on it, the other day on one of our letters was written "do they live here"

Does that mean the mailman has not been delivering that persons mail? Would the missing mail be held at the post office or sent back to sender?