The scan means someone reached the address and left without completing the delivery, usually because a signature was needed or there was nowhere safe to leave the parcel. What happens next is not the same at every carrier: USPS makes no automatic second attempt on a signature item, while UPS states it may make up to three attempts at its discretion.
Not at the second notice, and not at the day you noticed. Missing that distinction is how parcels get returned.
There are three separate published statuses behind what most people call a failed attempt, and only one of them produces an automatic retry.
"The package requires a signature and no one was available to sign for it. The carrier left a PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice. There will be no automatic second delivery attempt."
"The carrier did not see a secure place to leave the package and returned it to the Post Office. There will be no automatic second delivery attempt for the package."
"We will automatically reattempt delivery the next business day."
The first two are Notice Left, No Authorized Recipient Available and Notice Left, No Secure Location Available. The third belongs to No Access to Delivery Location. All from USPS article 000006077 on faq.usps.com, checked 2026-07-28.
So a notice on the door after a signature attempt means the next move is yours, and a status about blocked access means the next move is the carrier's. Waiting passively on the first one is how a parcel drifts toward the return date.
The notice itself is more useful than it looks. USPS states that all revised PS Form 3849s carry barcodes, that the barcode number can be entered into USPS Tracking and the redelivery application instead of a tracking number, and that when several packages failed in one attempt the barcode number is associated with all of the tracking numbers in that attempt.
These are the numbers that decide whether you get the parcel or the sender gets it back.
| Carrier and case | Attempts | Hold before return |
|---|---|---|
| USPS, items with USPS Tracking, Insured Mail, Certified Mail, Registered Mail, Signature Confirmation or Adult Signature | No automatic second attempt on a notice-left item; redelivery must be scheduled or the item collected | 15 days after the initial delivery attempt, with a second or final notice 5 days after the first notice |
| USPS, Priority Mail Express | Second or final notice 3 days after the first notice | 5 days after the first attempt |
| USPS, Collect on Delivery | Second or final notice 5 days after the first notice | 30 days unless the mailer designates fewer |
| UPS | May make up to three delivery attempts at its discretion on regular UPS delivery days | After the final attempt, undeliverable packages are returned to the sender. At a UPS Access Point the hold is 7 calendar days |
| FedEx | We tried to deliver marks a failed attempt; FedEx states it will reattempt the following day, and Returning to shipper covers the point at which the maximum number of attempts is reached | Packages not picked up within 7 days are returned to the nearest FedEx facility or shipper |
Two details in that table cause most of the surprises. The USPS clock runs from the initial attempt rather than from the notice you happened to find, and the Priority Mail Express hold is a third of the ordinary one, which catches people who assume the faster service is also the more patient one.
If the hold expires, the parcel travels back and the next attempt needs new postage. Here is a mid-weight box priced live so the number is real.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Transit window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $15.64 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $15.71 | No window supplied |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $15.73 | 8-9 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $20.02 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $22.23 | 5-6 business days |
A second label on that box costs whatever the first one did, and the item has by then spent a fortnight in a back room. Against that, a redelivery request or a trip to the counter with photo ID is close to free, which is the whole argument for acting on the notice the day it appears.
USPS notes that businesses generally only see the redesigned notice form if they have no designated safe delivery location or the item needs a signature. A named receiving point on the label prevents both.
FedEx states its door tag number starts with DT followed by 12 numbers and is used to locate the package, so a tag found on the door is enough to act even if the original number is lost.
Once a parcel reaches the door the carrier and the recipient own the rest. Naming the hold window in a shipping confirmation is the one lever a sender has, and it costs a sentence.
A driver reached the delivery address and could not complete the handover. USPS splits the reason into two named statuses: no authorized recipient available for a signature item, and no secure location available to leave it.
It depends on why the attempt failed. USPS states there will be no automatic second delivery attempt on both of its notice-left statuses, but it does automatically reattempt the next business day when the reason was no access to the delivery location. UPS says it may make up to three attempts at its discretion.
The carrier left a PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice at the address. USPS gives three options from there: schedule a redelivery, collect the item from the Post Office named on the notice with valid photo ID, or ask for it to be returned to the sender through the redelivery application.
USPS holds most items 15 days after the first attempt, with Priority Mail Express at 5 days and Collect on Delivery at 30. UPS holds a parcel at an Access Point for 7 calendar days. FedEx states that packages not picked up within 7 days will be returned to the nearest facility or shipper.