Throw nothing away. Postal rules put a retention duty on the addressee, who must keep the mailing container, the damaged articles, all packaging and any contents received, and make them available to the local Post Office for inspection on written request, with failure to do so ending the claim. Damage cases have no waiting period and close 60 days after the mailing date.
A carton in the recycling is a claim without a case behind it.
Section 2.0 of DMM 609 is short and unforgiving. It reads:
"The addressee must retain the mailing container, including any damaged articles, all packaging, and any contents received. Upon written request by the USPS, the addressee must make this proof available to the local Post Office for inspection, retention, and disposition in accordance with the claims decision. Failure to do so will result in denial of the claim." (DMM 609 section 2.0 at pe.usps.com, checked 2026-07-28.)
Note who the duty falls on. It is the addressee, which means a seller filing from three states away depends on a buyer who may already have flattened the carton. Message the recipient the moment damage is reported and ask them in writing to set everything aside, packing material included, until the case closes.
USPS says photos that clearly show the extent of damage will help a case, and adds that an estimate of repair costs from a reputable dealer is useful where the article can be fixed, per usps.com/help/claims.htm checked 2026-07-28. Beyond that the Postal Service leaves the framing to you, so here is a set that answers the questions an examiner would otherwise have to ask.
Photographs cost nothing and expire never. Take more than you think you need in the first ten minutes, because the box will be handled again and the second set never looks like the first.
Ceramics are the archetypal damage claim, so we quoted exactly that. A ceramic coffee mug boxed at 6 by 5 by 5 in and 2 lb went through the SMKlog calculator on 2026-07-28. Prices are complete checkout totals, one row per service returned.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Carrier estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $8.48 | 8-9 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $10.18 | No window returned |
| UPS | Ground | $10.67 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $12.42 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $16.58 | 2-3 business days |
The spread between the cheapest row and the fastest is under nine dollars on a parcel this size, which is worth remembering when a first mug has already arrived in pieces. Fewer days in the network is fewer handoffs, and handoffs are where ceramics lose.
Postal rules name damage "by abrasion, scarring, or scraping to articles not properly wrapped" among the situations that cannot be paid, per DMM 609 section 4.3. That makes the interior photograph one of the more important frames you will take, and it makes our fragile packing guide a claim document in advance.
A light box with an intact seal and a light box with a slit seam tell different stories, and both belong in the description. Weigh the carton as it arrived if you can, because a recorded weight against the label weight is a fact rather than an impression.
A payout cannot exceed the coverage the label carried, and the base label includes $100 on Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express, per usps.com checked 2026-07-27. Above that the declared value bands apply, chosen at purchase and never afterwards.
Stop unpacking and photograph everything, then keep the whole lot. DMM 609 section 2.0 requires the addressee to retain the mailing container, the damaged articles, all packaging and any contents received, and to make them available for inspection on written request, with failure resulting in denial of the claim.
There is no waiting period on damage or missing contents. USPS says a claim may be filed immediately and must be filed no later than 60 days after the mailing date, per usps.com/help/claims.htm, checked 2026-07-28.
It can ask to. The postal rules allow the local Post Office to request the container, packaging and contents for inspection, retention and disposition in line with the claims decision, which is why the carton has to survive until the case ends rather than until the form is submitted.
Yes. DMM 609 section 4.3 lists damage by abrasion, scarring or scraping to articles not properly wrapped among the situations that are not payable, along with articles whose fragile nature prevented safe carriage. How the item was cushioned is therefore part of what gets weighed.