Fact Check: Illegal mailbox deliveries

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A lot of you are doing your holiday shopping online, and that means a lot of packages are being delivered to your door! Have you heard Amazon can’t put deliveries in your mailbox? Is that true?

News10NBC’s Nikki Rudd is checking the facts.

A Chili woman recently posted on social media that she was notified of an Amazon delivery to her mailbox, but when she went to get it a few hours later it was gone! At first, she thought someone stole it, but when she asked her postal carrier the next day she was told the package was confiscated and returned because it’s illegal for Amazon to leave a package in the mailbox.

I contacted the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Amazon.

USPS says to protect the sanctity and security of mail, there are federal regulations mandating the use of mailboxes. Anything that’s mailable found in your mailbox without postage is subject to the same postage needed if it went through the Postal Service.

"Our letter carriers properly followed existing guidelines regarding items without postage delivered in a mailbox," explained USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Philip Bogenberger. "That item is to be picked up, charged Postage Due and returned to sender. Other delivery companies are aware of this Postal Service requirement and work with their local non-postal delivery personnel to ensure they are not delivering to mailboxes."

So what does Amazon have to say?

"Our Delivery Service Providers are not allowed to leave packages in mailboxes per Federal Law," said Amazon spokesperson Loni Monroe. "We work hard to provide customers with a great experience and deeply regret that this situation did not live up to our high standards."

So Amazon, or anyone other than USPS, is not allowed to put deliveries in your mailbox. That is a fact.

For the local woman, she reached out to Amazon and her order was resent.