Tracking & Delivery Confirmation

Domestic Tracking numbers

All USPS domestic services come with tracking and delivery confirmation.
In some rare cases the packages are delivered but tracking is missing or incomplete/delayed.

Domestic Delivery issues - exceptions, alerts, delays, misdeliveries, returned packages

Once a package leaves our location, it is addressed to the customer and the customer is considered the owner of that package.
If a package is delayed, misdelivered, routed through invalid destinations, non-deliverable for restricted access to your mailbox, we cannot change the course of delivery for a package in any way.
It is very rare that such exceptions occur, and extremely rare that such exceptions lead to loss or return of a package.

We cannot make calls or file claims, or dispute any of these types of exceptions with USPS on the customer's behalf. The customer is solely responsible to engage in such actions if they decide to do so.

The only way we can do anything about a package is if it returns to us. It is still the customer's property so and the customer shall have the option to re-purchase postage to ship it to a new address.

There will be no refund for returned lost packages under any conditions.

International Tracking numbers

The First Class International and Priority International services come with a DelCon tracking number (LNxxxxxxxxxUS). This number is usually scanned while the package is on US territory, up to the point of customs/exchange which is typically Chicago, but can also be Philadelphia, New York, etc. But there is no guarantee this number will be scanned past that customs exchange or in the destination country. Only Express International tracking numbers (ECxxxxxxxxxUS)are scanned (by agreement between USPS and the foreign country) and should always show full tracking.

However in most EU countries and countries with DelCon (see list on the shipping information page), even LNxxxxxxxxxUS tracking numbers will show full tracking. But please understand this can be random.
Unfortunately when tracking is available it can sometimes be delayed, incomplete, inconsistent or missing, all the while the package has already been delivered.

(No) insurance & lost packages claims

Statistically most of the packages will get to the destination regardless what the tracking history shows.

As stated on the shipping information page, there is no included insurance on any of the USPS shipping services, domestic or international.

If there is any issue in transit with a First Class International or Priority International package, a loss/damage claim cannot be filed, only for Express International. The claim process takes 30-60 days to get a response from the customs/exchange office in the foreign country, and then another undefined amount of time to process the claim if the agency determines the claim is eligible for a refund. We cannot deal with such delays and bureaucracy and for that reason LowPowerLab offers no insurance and will not engage in any kind of mediation or lost package investigation with USPS. We have tried this in the past and it just does not work and is a waste of time for everyone.

Example tracking histories

Here is an example of a First Class International package that shows scans up to arrival in Chicago, then shows delivered in France with no intermediary scans:

Here is an incomplete tracking history for a package that was confirmed by the customer to be delivered. It still shows In Transit:

Here is a full tracking history with some anomalities, like showing up in Turkey the same day it is in Switzerland:

Here is an First Class package to Belgium with full delivery confirmation. Interestingly it shows as passed through Germany:

Here is a sample Express International tracking to Iceland with full delivery confirmation:

 

Page last updated: May 4, 2018.