You come home to a slip on the door: delivery attempted. It is one of the most common delivery frustrations in the country, and the fix is straightforward once you know how the process works and, crucially, how long the clock runs before your item goes back to the sender. ## What the slip actually is The notice left by a carrier is PS Form 3849. It records what was attempted, why it could not be completed, and where the item is being held. It carries a barcode that links directly to your item - that barcode is what makes online redelivery scheduling possible. Common reasons for an attempted-but-not-completed delivery: - A **signature was required** and nobody was available to sign - **Postage or customs charges were due** on the item - The item was **too large** for the mailbox and there was no safe location - The address had an **access issue** - locked gate, controlled-entry building, aggressive dog The reason matters. If money is owed, redelivery will not resolve it - you will need to pay first, either online where offered or at the counter. ## Scheduling redelivery step by step 1. Go to the official USPS redelivery page (usps.com/redelivery). Never use a search-ad link for this; delivery-notice phishing is a persistent scam. 2. Enter the **address** the item was addressed to. 3. Enter the **barcode number** from the slip, or the tracking number if you have it from the shipper. 4. Choose a **delivery date**. Options are typically the next business day onwards, and Sunday is generally not available for redelivery. 5. Choose **where** the item should be left, if a safe location is permitted for that item type. Signature-required items cannot be left unattended. 6. Confirm and save the confirmation reference. Redelivery requests submitted before roughly 2am Central time are usually attempted the same day; later requests roll to the next business day. ## If you lost the slip This is the situation that sends people to the counter unnecessarily. Try these in order: **Use the tracking number from the shipper.** If you have a confirmation email from the retailer, the tracking number substitutes for the barcode on most redelivery forms. **Check Informed Delivery.** If you have a USPS account with Informed Delivery enabled, the item usually appears in your dashboard with a schedule-redelivery action attached. This is the single best reason to enable Informed Delivery before you need it. **Call or visit your delivering Post Office.** Not the general national line - the local unit that serves your address. Bring photo ID matching the address. Staff can locate the item by address and name, though during peak season it may take a while to pull. **Ask the carrier directly.** If you catch your regular carrier on the route the following day, they often still have the item on the truck or know exactly where it went. ## How long they hold it For most items, USPS holds an undeliverable parcel for a limited number of business days - commonly around 15 - before returning it to the sender. Some services and some international items have shorter windows, and items with charges due can be returned faster. The clock starts from the first attempt. If the item is returned to the sender, your recourse is with the retailer, not USPS. Most will reship or refund, but reship timelines restart from zero, which is why acting on the slip within the first few days matters. ## Signature-required items: plan differently If the item needs a signature and your household is empty during business hours, redelivery is a coin flip. Better options: - **Redirect to the Post Office for pickup**, then collect with photo ID at your convenience. - **Authorise an agent** in advance where the service allows it, so an adult at the address can sign. - **Change the ship-to address** for future orders to a workplace or a secure pickup point. For high-value electronics and anything you cannot afford to lose, signature-required is a feature, not a nuisance - it is the strongest evidence you have if a delivery is later disputed. ## Avoiding the missed-delivery loop entirely **Register delivery instructions once.** USPS Delivery Instructions lets you set a standing preference for a safe location for eligible items, which prevents many attempted-delivery slips in the first place. **Fix the access problem.** If your building has a controlled entry, a code note on the address line or a mailbox key arrangement stops repeat failures. Carriers cannot guess. **Consolidate to one pickup point.** Parcel lockers and Post Office box services remove the home-attendance requirement entirely for people who are rarely home in daylight hours. **Watch for phishing.** Text messages claiming a "failed delivery" and asking for a small redelivery fee are among the most common scams in circulation. USPS does not charge a fee for standard redelivery and does not text you a payment link out of the blue. Always start at usps.com by typing it yourself. ## What redelivery cannot fix Redelivery reschedules an attempt to the same address. It cannot: - Change the delivery address (that requires Package Intercept, which is a paid service and is only an attempt) - Speed up an item that is delayed in transit - Resolve a package marked delivered that never arrived - that is a separate claim process with the carrier and the shipper ## Bottom line Scheduling a USPS redelivery takes about two minutes with the slip in hand, and is still possible without it using a tracking number, Informed Delivery or a visit to the local unit with ID. The real deadline is the hold window before the item is returned to the sender, so act within a few days rather than waiting for the weekend. And set standing delivery instructions once - it is the fix that prevents the whole cycle repeating.