Day 3 to 5, no scan
Do not file yet. Verify the address with the recipient, ask them to check any parcel locker or leasing office, and inspect the tracking page for a redelivery notice.
Claims clock
When a package is officially considered lost
USPS says at 7 days you can open a Missing Mail search; at 7 or 15 days from mailing (depending on the class) the formal lost-package claim opens. UPS and FedEx have no waiting period at all but tight deadlines the other way. The three carriers' own words, dated below.
Carrier pages citedRead 2026-08-11Day thresholds by class
Silence, then a threshold
The day count starts at mailing, not at the last scan.
The day thresholds, in one table
| Service | Wait before filing lost | Deadline to file |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Missing Mail search | 7 days from mailing (all classes) | None — informal search |
| USPS Priority Mail Express | 7 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Priority Mail | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Ground Advantage | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Insured Mail | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Registered Mail | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| UPS | None — file when loss is determined | 60 days from scheduled delivery |
| FedEx (all parcel services) | None — file when loss is determined | 9 months from shipment date |
What to actually do at each milestone
Day 7 (USPS)
Open a Missing Mail search on usps.com. This does not file a claim; it flags the tracking number for USPS Recovery Services to try to locate. USPS mail recovery in Atlanta receives what carriers cannot deliver or return.
Day 15 (USPS Priority or Ground Advantage)
File the formal claim on usps.com/claims. Attach a paid invoice or a marketplace record showing the value, and the tracking number for the parcel that never arrived.
For UPS or FedEx, the equivalent action is the day the receiver reports non-delivery and the sender agrees the parcel is not going to arrive. Both carriers publish claim forms that open immediately — the deadline is the constraint, not a required wait.
Why the wait exists at all
USPS's wait window is really a search window. Priority Mail Express is committed to a next-day or two-day arrival, and if the parcel has not showed up seven days later USPS accepts the sender's conclusion that it is not coming. The 15-day threshold on Priority Mail and Ground Advantage sits at roughly the point where a first-attempt delivery could have failed and a return-to-sender routing has had a chance to complete. Filing before those windows opens returns a "too early" reject.
UPS and FedEx run claim intake as an evidence review rather than as a search: the shipper says the parcel is lost, the carrier looks at the last scan, and the case moves. Both networks reserve the right to close a case as delivered if a late scan lands during the review.
A shipper's checklist for the seven- to fifteen-day gap
Keep a copy of the paid label price, the tracking number, and the buyer's original order. If the shipment carries declared value above the built-in $100, keep the paperwork that supports that value: a paid invoice, a signed marketplace sale record, a wholesale cost sheet. This is what a claim needs on day 15 that is impossible to reconstruct on day 30.
Where these thresholds come from
- United States Postal Service, Missing Mail — 7-day Missing Mail search across all classes. Read 2026-08-11.
- United States Postal Service, File a Claim — wait and deadline windows by service. Read 2026-08-11.
- UPS, File a Claim — 60-day deadline from scheduled delivery, no waiting period. Read 2026-08-11.
- FedEx, File a Claim — nine-month lost window, 60-day domestic and 21-day international damage windows. Read 2026-08-11.
Common questions
How long before USPS says a package is lost?
USPS accepts a Missing Mail search at 7 days from mailing across all classes, per usps.com read 2026-08-11. The formal lost-package claim opens at 7 days for Priority Mail Express and at 15 days for Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, Insured Mail and Registered Mail.
What is the UPS threshold for a lost package?
UPS publishes no waiting period on ups.com. A claim can be opened as soon as the shipper concludes the parcel is lost; the deadline is 60 days from the scheduled delivery date.
How long after shipping can I file with FedEx?
FedEx publishes no wait for lost claims and closes the window at nine months from the shipment date. Missing-contents and damage claims are much tighter: 60 days for domestic, 21 days for international.
Does the tracking status matter?
It matters for the investigator but not for the clock. A parcel stuck on a scan for two weeks past its window is treated as lost when the day threshold is reached, whether the last scan says in-transit, out-for-delivery or nothing at all.
What should the buyer do while the sender waits out the window?
Check with neighbors, the leasing office and any parcel locker; look for a delivery notice on the door; and confirm the address on file with the sender. Marketplaces expect this before opening a formal case.