USPS Delivered to Agent: What Does That Mean?

So you’re here because you sent a package to someone, your tracking status is green but USPS delivered to an agent. It was confusing for me when this happened to me for the first time. But don’t worry because we’ve got you covered if your package was delivered to the agent, it is definitely not something to be worried about. The tracking status shows a green light, remember?

USPS Delivered to Agent – What is an Agent?

There are thousands of parcels, mail pieces, business letters and postcards sent throughout the world. But it is only a possibility if, at the time of delivery, the recipient is not present at home. In that case, normally a family member at the destination address normally accepts the parcel and you’re good to go. In a nutshell, that family member who accepts your parcel or piece of mail is that agent.

That’s why your status says USPS delivered to agent. But, wait a second, there’s more to it. Suppose the USPS had to deliver a package to a university hostel and the recipient doesn’t really have someone else there to accept the parcel but the status still says USPS delivered to the agent. Confusing, right?

Now, you must keep in mind that an agent can be any person who accepts the mail for someone on his/her behalf. So if you’re living in a university hostel, chances are that the USPS delivery boy could not enter the premises of hostel and instead the local staff or postal service took your mail on your behalf. Now that should not worry you at all since it is the duty of staff to take any mail and deliver it to you.

So in this specific case, you shall have your package in no time.

USPS Delivered to Agent – The Dark Side

If a family member, local hostel staff or some friend received your package, you probably don’t have to read this. This section is specifically for the people who may have lost their mail because of someone else.

Recently, I got a new account opened in a local bank. After the basic procedures, they told me that USPS shall deliver my debit card at my home address in 7-10 working days. So that’s what I did, waited for 7 days and then my tracking status said that USPS delivered my debit card to an agent. I was angry and puzzled. Since it was a finance-sensitive matter, I contacted the bank right away to state my problem.

They blocked my card right away and issued me a new one that USPS did deliver to me after 7 days. But, the anxiety I got from the incident was real, so I understand your problem.

I definitely hope this doesn’t happen to you but once in a while, an incident like this is bound to happen to someone. Perhaps there were children playing outside your house and they claimed to be your family members, hence accepting your mail on your behalf. It can be very exciting for children to be naughty in a situation like this without any consideration for the adults.

Or perhaps, there was a drunk dude at your porch while you were not at home. The man may claim to be someone you know and accept your parcel on your behalf. In these cases, normally the airway bill has the name and signature of the consignee but it doesn’t really promise anything. For all you know, the person who accepted your mail may provide the wrong information.

The Good News

Your parcel from USPS delivered to agent, some anxiousness is normal but the good news is, it’s probably not dark. The chances of you facing an incident as I did are very low. Normally, the USPS delivery staff is responsible and smart. They wouldn’t just trust anyone with your mail and they probably will prioritize delivering you the mail personally.

It’s only the obvious situations, like the university dorm where the USPS delivery staff may not have access to you directly so they have to use the formal ways.

So for your concern, USPS Delivered to Agent, it’s really not that big of a deal. If you’re unsure, you should probably wait for a little. Chances are that you will receive your mail by that potential agent in a few hours or perhaps a day.

USPS is the most optimized, one of the most successful, and eco-friendly services in the world. United States Postal Service trains its staff to face situations like this so if I was at your place, I wouldn’t worry much.

Contact USPS if Parcel takes too long

Lastly, if you’ve waited long enough and you still haven’t received your parcel. It’s best to contact the related authorities.

The first step should be to contact people in your surroundings who may or may not be your potential agents in this case. Maybe your roommate took the parcel but forgot to give it to you, or maybe the local dorm staff collected your stuff from USPS but forgot. So it’s best to contact them and ask around, and you may just find your package/mail right away.

Conclusion

To sum up, USPS delivered to an agent is a very common event and happens with people all the time. Now that you’ve read our above instructions, you know what that means and what you need to do to retrieve your package.

If you’re still unable to find your package, the one last thing you may be able to do is to contact your local USPS post office and ask them for the airway bill information. Or perhaps, if you can ask the delivery staff to recognize the person who received your parcel. That way, you’ll have more chances in determining who exactly took your parcel.

Maybe, someone’s playing a naughty trick on you or just teasing you and you might just be able to burst their bubble. For more information about the tracking status and related issues, you should go to the United States Postal Service’s official website or contact their customer care center.

]