Registered Mail From Latvia...what Registered Mail? USPS In Action.

I just received this today. Mailed Registered from Latvia. The cover was never entered as Registered mail by USPS in New York and made it thru Chicago and Milwaukee with no one catching it and my carrier didn't want to fill out the extra paperwork. The postcard below was a purchased on ebay from a seller in Latvia. Unfortunately not postally used but I collect New Year postcards and especially ones with pigs so it was an easy buy.

It's very common in the U.S. to received registered mail these days without signing for it. Registered mail isn't what it use to be, but it's still expensive to send from the U.S. The above rate is very, very cheap for registered mail.

The low fee suggests that registered service was available only within Latvia and the piece was handled as domestic first class mail upon entering the US. The USPS International Mail Manual, page 227, suggests the same.

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals...full/imm.pdf

John Freibergs, those pigs would not be celebrating New Year's Day in the South Carolina, where the traditional dish is pork, black eyed peas and collard greens.

I'll have to do some research on Latvian regulations when I have some time. I would think the clerk would have noticed the USA address though when the envelope was submitted for Registry. But then again maybe the error started in Latvia. I would've made a complaint on the USPS website, but my carrier is retiring in 5 months after 25 some years on the route and I didn't think he needed the added headache.

Bookbndrbob....I can understand that. Apparently pigs are a symbol that runs across many New Year postcards of the period. Filed away for next winter is a post to the site with some other examples from my collection. I just liked the humor in this postcard.

I just looked the price up on the Latvijas Pasts website and 2.13 Euros is what they give for a 2 gram letter to the USA. So I guess after that it's in USPS's hands.

You're actually lucky it wasn't stolen. The registration sticker is an advertisement that there's something potentially valuable inside, but once it hits the US, it's no longer treated as registered mail. It's a mail thief's dream as a result. I've lost at least 3 or 4 registered shipments from Germany just in the last 18 months or so because of this. They make it as far as NYC and then no further. I've basically stopped ordering anything (relatively) expensive from Germany because I figure there's a better than even chance it'll never make it to me.

I have to echo Artful's comments. I, too, learned the hard way that foreign registered mail is placed in the regular mail stream in the US. Even bringing it to the attention of my Congressvermin did no good.

When I buy something from Germany, I tell the seller to send it regular mail; I'll take the hit for any loss. I've never lost a "regular" letter yet. Registered mail from Germany seems to have a "steal me" sticker on it. It almost never makes it past New York.

Dan

It has been the case for a number of years the registered mail items coming from other countries are just put in the normal first-class mail stream. However, the PO is SUPPOSED to get a signature upon delivery, per section 752.14 of the USPS International Mail Manual http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/immc7_015.htm#ep29431.

I once tracked down the notice in the Federal Register that announced this change, and it said that this was in accordance to UPU regulations. So I would think that pretty much every country does the same. Consider that the originating country is responsible for any losses, not the delivering country. So there is little incentive for countries to worry much over registered mail coming from other countries.

However, the situation may be worse for registered mail coming in to the US. I note that Canada charges $20 for a registered letter to most countries. But to the US one must use the Xpresspost-USA service, for a minimum of $26.15. Seems that they lack confidence in the USPS.

When I was a letter carrier, more than thirty years ago, USPS was viciously disciplined about getting signatures, step-by-step, for Registered Mail ... of US origin.

Foreign stuff might show-up in the regular mail stream, uncounted & unregistered and, if you pointed this out to a supervisor, you were told that it was your lucky day, because you could just toss that one in the recipient's mailbox, sans receipt.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I'm glad it made it here. One from the Netherlands a month back wasn't so lucky. I had heard about sending something Registered was putting a target on the envelope but always thought of that for sending something overseas. Not coming this way. So much for trying to accommodate ebay's proof of mailing and receipt edict!

I have had things mailed from other countries with trace numbers from that country such as registered mail, EMS, etc. However, the tracing number stops and disappears once it enters another country. One would think that such mail should be at least traced by a UPU computerized central tracing center until it gets delivered.

I also noticed that, in most cases, the tracing number stops and disappears once it enters another country. This happens when USPS is checked from the public channel. But if the USPS clerk in Post Office is asked to trace the particular Registered ID on their internal system - they always will give the full trace with the dates and times.

I received a Sweet Pea (Pukerzirnis) today, from beautiful Gelgava.
I did not have to sign, it was in my PO Box.

Nice cover, lovely stamp, good postmark, Rainforest approved paper.
Just like the old days.



Lovely Jelgava / Jelgavas.

I'm not sure what rules USPS follows on Registered Mail from Europe. Since the post I have received letters that I've signed for and letters just left in my mail box. Though I will admit the ones I've signed for I've been waiting at the door when the carrier delivered the mail. Usually the mail from Latvia makes it fine. The only shipment in recent memory that didn't make it was from the Netherlands. Go figure.

I've received probably 25 registered letters from various Balkan nations in the last 6 months and had to sign for every one. I have almost everything sent to my PO box in town, which might make a difference.