Right NOW go to USPS.com and upper right corner you see INFORMED DELIVERY

[Eliot Rosewater]

SIGN up for this amazing service that will send you an email daily showing you pictures of the mail you are receiving later that day.

It is great knowing what is coming and if something is in the email that is NOT in your box, you know you have lost something and then you can follow up.

I cant live without it.

Trust me, you WANT this!

[Me.]

1. I Do Want It

but not eligible

[More_Cowbell]

2. After a theft from the common mailboxes, our apartment complex told us to use it

It's fun sometimes, seeing what's coming

[Hoyt]

3. It really is great. Been using it for a couple of years. Have a community mail station, saves me a

trip and I know when something I really want has arrived.

[dhill926]

4. yep, had it for a while...

very helpful...

[empedocles]

5. Thanks

[DonaldsRump]

6. Agreed!

I just got it in early March, and it is very useful. I'd encourage all DUers to get it, so that you know what's coming and you can at least now if something somehow got mis-delivered.

You will need to go through an authentication process, which is not too bad if I recall. I had trying to sign up for this a few years ago, and back then, you actually had to go to a Post Office to verify your identity. That's all been done away with.

[Goonch]

7. Sorry Your address is not currently eligible for Informed Delivery.

Please check back at a later date

Bummer

[True Blue American]

13. You have to

Dot every I, name, Capital letter in password,etc. I had to go back a couple of times.

[Totally Tunsie]

8. It's nice - on a limited basis.

Signed up for this a couple of years ago. Maybe it's just the P.O. that serves my area, but very little shows up on my "Informed Delivery". It's only the items that have a scannable barcode, such as donation requests and trackable packages. Regular mail (bills, cards/letters) come through without showing up on ID. I had high hopes for this service, but find it disappointing.

[h2ebits]

30. Wow! You need check this out with your P.O.

I've been using Informed Delivery ever since it started and find it invaluable. All of my regular mail--bills, cards/letter, etc. show up without fail. Package info for a delivery shows up also. Junk mail shows up only as a notation.

[Totally Tunsie]

50. I've already called the Postmaster about this, and he told me that if the

item doesn't have a barcode, it's not scannable for ID. The only things that do get scanned in are the junk mail items and stuff from Salvation Army, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc.

It sounds like a flaw in my local system from all your reports. My particular post office has always been a bit on the lazy side, so I wouldn't be surprised if they just didn't want to do it here.

Just curious - how do items without barcodes get scanned for you? (Things like personal cards, letters, etc.) I never see those items in my e-mails.

Think I'll give them another call.

[Pacifist Patriot]

67. Yes, it has to be a local issue.

I've had Informed Delivery for a few years and definitely receive images of items that do not have a barcode. I just got an image today of a personal letter due for delivery. It's clearly from my mother-in-law so no bar code, probably a recipe cut out of the newspaper. LOL!

[h2ebits]

68. Sorry, I don't know

I just checked the envelopes on several bills and cannot see a barcode on any of them. I never really thought about the process.

[soldierant]

34. I've had it for a while too - probably over a year -

and the only things that don't show up on mine are catalogs and newsprint fliiers - and for those, it has a little message about a mailpiece to large to scan. Packages show up a few days in advance as "coming soon", and ones that are in transit but not close enough yet to schedule a delivery date can still be accessed in a packages section (if the sender's name doesn't show but you know who it's from, you can even give it a "nickname.&quot

But i gather it works differently in different areas, and may not even be free everywhere. I am in Colorado Springs, CO.

[Eliot Rosewater]

39. Yeah, something is wrong as others are saying. The only thing that doesnt show for me is

those local flyer ads that are big like a newspaper.

Almost everything else shows unless it is Amazon etc, any package being delivered by anyone will show at the bottom in small print but no picture.

[procon]

9. That's a great idea!

I get tons - seriously, TONS! - of deliveries shipped in through the USPS. They are great and I like my regular mail lady.

[MissB]

10. Yep. Mine is fairly accurate

Although I don’t think they always scan every piece of junk mail. I’ll sometimes get an image that says that there is a piece of mail they don’t have an image for. I also like the package alert.

[True Blue American]

12. The package alert

Is worth it.

Did anyone see that $10 billion has been allotted to the USPS? I read that.

[thinkingagain]

36. Money for the USPS that's awesome

I have not read that yet.
I am so glad.
I am one one the rare ones it seems who pays pays of my bills by mailing and still receive them by mail.
I was worried when I have reading on DU that that are getting close to losing it. I think of mostly those who have no choice.
I do but I choose to pay my bills via the post office because it helps keep more employed.
Several postal workers and the office worker who has to actually open my payment and input it into the system as paid. It’s a small thing but.

Oh and the informed mail signed up awhile ago and have loved it since.

Thank you for mentioning they got some
Much needed $$$

[True Blue American]

65. A relative

Who retired from the Postal Service said they were late getting into the package business.

But I order a lot of things that come through the Post Office.

Direct pay for utilities and other things are nice, but there are many things that require letters.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-04-04/congress-not-amazon-messed-up-the-u-s-postal-service

[Eliot Rosewater]

41. OK so by "package alert" you mean the separate emails that show a package is coming and

a tracking number! I thought you were seeing something I wasnt for a minute, CANT HAVE THAT

Yes, those are also very valuable.

[MissB]

53. Nope

My informed daily digest has a section for mail and one for packages. The package section is separated into those arriving today and those arriving soon. If there is one arriving soon, then they show where it is from as well as the tracking ID.

[Eliot Rosewater]

55. Yes,I know that but what I just learned is I see it on my Iphone and NOT on my laptop...

when I go to the link using a laptop the package alert is not on there


WAIT, no I see it is a different section/button on the laptop I have to click on it, never noticed that before

learn something new everyday

THANKS

I knew about it on my Iphone but never noticed that I wasnt seing it on my laptop...

[True Blue American]

11. Neat!

Signed up.

[Arkansas Granny]

14. I've had this for a while. Very useful.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. They should use new slogan "Don't stay home without it!" . . . . nt

[Eliot Rosewater]

44. Post of the day

[Nictuku]

16. Thank you!!!

I didn't know about this service.

We have our mail at a row of boxes for our neighborhood (very rural) and a couple weeks ago all the mailboxes were broken into. They got a box of new checks! We had to go into town to open up a new bank account. It was more than a huge pain in the butt because I don't want to bring any C-19 home to my elderly diabetic mother.

We have been wondering what else might have been stolen that we didn't know about.

Anyway, this service will help. Thanks again for posting about it.

[BComplex]

17. I never heard of this. Is it new? n/t

[flyingfysh]

18. That is not a new feature

I've been getting those emails for years.

[USALiberal]

33. OP didn't say it was new! nt

[Eliot Rosewater]

45. Thanks...amazing how some folks react to help, whether needed or not why cant people

just be nice...

[mcar]

19. I signed up last year when we were going away

and needed to hold our mail. We had to register with it then.

It is helpful.

[mtngirl47]

20. Sounds like Big Brother. Just saying. n/t

[wryter2000]

21. I love it n/t

[C Moon]

22. I did this last year. Someone posted it on Next Door. It's amazing!!

[Talitha]

23. I'm rural and chose to get a PO box in town instead of having a mailbox on the road.

They want my 'address' so I guess I'm SOL.

[marybourg]

56. You can get it for your p.o. box, so you

don't have to go into town unless there's mail that you want. If you want it for your street address too you have to set up 2 accounts, with different user names & email addresses .

[Talitha]

59. Thanks!!

[madinmaryland]

24. Story about the USPS. I asked my pharmacy via their web site to deliver my scripts

This month. They are doing at no charge to me. A day later I received the scripts (today). I was amazed. Thank you, USPS!

[Eliot Rosewater]

46. Good post, we are spoiled by USPS...if something like Fedex takes over, a nonunion

shop that cares nothing about workers or anything else, for that matter, you can say goodbye to your mail unless you are convenient to them.

Why is fedex so good now? competition...

[Alex4Martinez]

25. Thanks, done.

I wonder if I had already signed up, they spit back my user name preference.

Thanks!

[h2ebits]

35. Verify with your local post office!!

I've been using Informed Delivery for a number of years but I did read a while back that some people have signed up using another person's address so they can monitor and steal out of the mailbox before the intended owner checks their mail box. I live in a building with a number of mailboxes so it would be difficult for someone to steal from me in this manner since the mailboxes are locked and unlocked by the postal carrier making them unavailable to anyone else.

[paleotn]

26. my better half does it and loves it.

[yaesu]

27. I've been signed up since 2017 I think, its a great service. nt

[iluvtennis]

28. Don't want to be Debbie Downer on Informed Delivery, but please beware of possible hacking

*** following provided as INFO ONLY***

Thieves are using 'informed delivery' to spy on mail and commit fraud
https://mashable.com/article/usps-informed-delivery-fraud/

Welp, another day and another way for thieves to violate your privacy and commit credit card fraud.

Scammers have figured out how to view your mail before it even arrives at your house, and have used this advantage to open credit card accounts in victims' names and then time the theft of new cards from mailboxes pretty much the moment they arrive. And the tool giving crooks this edge comes courtesy of the United States Postal Service.

Read more at link:

USPS ‘Informed Delivery’ Is Stalker’s Dream
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/10/usps-informed-delivery-is-stalkers-dream/

A review of the methods used by the USPS to validate new account signups suggests the service is wide open to abuse by a range of parties, mainly because of weak authentication and because it is not easy to opt out of the service.

Signing up requires an eligible resident to create a free user account at USPS.com, which asks for the resident’s name, address and an email address. The final step in validating residents involves answering four so-called “knowledge-based authentication” or KBA questions. KrebsOnSecurity has relentlessly assailed KBA as an unreliable authentication method because so many answers to the multiple-guess questions are available on sites like Spokeo and Zillow, or via social networking profiles.

Once signed up, a resident can view scanned images of the front of each piece of incoming mail in advance of its arrival. Unfortunately, because of the weak KBA questions (provided by recently-breached big-three credit bureau Equifax, no less) stalkers, jilted ex-partners, and private investigators also can see who you’re communicating with via the Postal mail.

Read more at link

[Eliot Rosewater]

49. Good info, thanks

[Rebl2]

29. I got this as soon

as it was available in my area a couple of years ago. I have a PO Box, but still got it because occasionally I get someone else’s mail and vice versa. There have been times I have reported mail not received. Always shows up a couple of days later.

I may get called on this, but when my husband worked at the p.o. most of the people he worked with loved Trump and Bush. Wonder how they feel now?

[CloudWatcher]

31. Useful, but not 100%

I've had this for a few years. It's useful, but not 100% reliable. I still get occasional 1st class mail that's not shown in the email, and of course, lots of magazines/newspapers/bulk/junk mail that's never imaged.

I don't have any insider knowledge, but I suspect this was a "duh, we should that" moment after they decided to take pictures of all the mail. Someone figured out they could email the customer the pictures they're already taking.

A few years ago our local post office started routing all mail ... even mail destined to a local box .. to Denver for processing. Makes a little more sense once you realize they're taking pictures of everything.

[R Merm]

32. I have this also, but,

it's not perfect. I have gotten images of letters that don't arrive till the next day.

[NurseJackie]

37. It definitely me from unnecessary trips to the roadside mailbox.

I can easily see if what we received is worth the trip, or if I can just let it sit there and accumulate for a few days.

[Eliot Rosewater]

51. Especially now...considering even getting the mail is a risk. That is what made me think of

posting about it here.

I have had it for several years, probably right when it came out as a good friend is a now retired mail-person...

But think about how you can limit your trips to the box using this, going forward this will be good to have.

[warmfeet]

38. Informed delivery is nice.

I want USPS to remain. That is more than nice. That is essential.

APWU!

[kinksfan1]

42. Love your post!

I'm retired but still a member of the APWU and Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite writer. lol

[47of74]

40. I've had it for a couple years now

Really useful too in order to see what's coming in the mail.

[zentrum]

43. Thanks!

[JDC]

47. I've used it for the last year and love it.

I somehow signed up when we moved and I did the change of address form online. Again, love it.

[Demovictory9]

48. My PO box is about 6 miles away. I use it to let me know what's in the box

very helpful

[catbyte]

52. I just tried signing up. So frustrating because it refuses to verify my mobile phone number. Guess

I'll have to wait for them to send me the code in the mail. I wanted to cut down on paper, but oh well. I hate it when things like that happen, lol.

[Eliot Rosewater]

54. Yes, as I recall you do have to get something in the mail, IRS does that also I think.

Are you saying there is a way to verify you with your cell number?

Interesting.

It will be worth the trouble, believe me.

Think about how just getting the mail is a risk now, and you can limit trips to the box this way, only go when you need something or in my case I dont like to let too much grow in the box worried that the mail-person might stop delivering thinking I am gone or whatever.

[catbyte]

57. Yes; there is an online verification option next to the mail-in option. I've had a USPS account for

a long time, but it just wouldn't recognize my phone number. Oh, well. I'll just wait. I didn't even know the service existed. I hope USPS exists long enough to get use out of it seeing how the greedy old pricks party is trying to kill it.

[Eliot Rosewater]

58. GOP are simply a bunch of fascists who want us gone or dead, they dont care which

The dipshits that vote for them are hurt by the GOP daily and if they take the USPS they will be hurt the most.

They will blame it on dems though, even though that is insane. they are insane

[SergeStorms]

60. I've been doing it for a couple of years now.

It's nice, sometimes. I won't bother going to the mailbox if it's just junk mail. I don't know what's happened to their home delivery service though. I ordered some stamps 2 weeks ago and I still haven't heard anything from them. They're usually very prompt, and everything I ordered was in stock, but I suppose they're under a lot of pressure from this damned virus.

[Eliot Rosewater]

61. I bought stamps at their site also, to be mailed. Has been 3 days I think.

I mostly am doing it to support them, wont use most of them.

I would think it would be fast though.

[SergeStorms]

66. That's exactly why I bought them.

Just to help out and support them. I still have three sheets of John Lennon stamps I haven't touched yet, and may never. I bought a sheet of Woodstock stamps, a sheet of Arnold Palmer stamps (he was my hero growing up), and a sheet of dinosaur stamps that I'll give to my grandson. Haven't heard a word yet, which I think is very strange. Maybe they ran out of one or more of them.

[ecstatic]

62. Yeah. Been signed up for years, but there is a creepy component

Don't even bother signing up if you have privacy concerns. USPS has slowly started incorporating digital spam inside the emails (to correspond to the paper spam mail that arrives).

I've thrown all caution to the wind and use the service with GMAIL, which scans all images for text and indexes that information. If I search GMAIL for a keyword, both snail mail and email results are returned.

[Hortensis]

63. It's fantastic and fun to see. Of course that mostly

wears off, but, as said, it's very satisfying when something's delayed to the house to be able to see it did arrive at the post office. Aha!

My husband has a couple of hobbyist magazine subscriptions, most of which weren't being forwarded to the state where we spend winters. "Aha!" mostly put an end to, at a guess, a fellow enthusiast somewhere on the route walking off with them.

[WyattKansas]

64. I have used it for years and check it every morning.

It is NOT big brother and it is an excellent way to protect yourself.