What Is Processing Exception USPS? Read Best Answer

This article gives a complete answer to what Is Processing Exception USPS. When it comes to local mail deliveries in the United States, you’ll always find USPS at the top. There is scarcely a shipper in the U.S. that hasn’t used USPS to ship mails and packages, this is because they offer the cheapest courier service.

There are several terms that are quite peculiar with USPS, these terms are known to majority of their customers. “USPS in possession of item” is one of those terms, “processing exception” is also another term.

Tasked with the responsibility of delivering mailbox-bound mails, doorstep and local deliveries, USPS allows customers to track their mails or packages while on transit. This enables you to know if your package is going through a delay or is progressing towards delivery.

Recently, several new shippers and recipients have been asking what is processing exception USPS, this prompted us to make a thorough research, we discovered lots of fascinating facts about processing exception in USPS, this is why we’ll urge you to read this article carefully.

What Is Processing Exception USPS?

At USPS, a processing exception is an alert to the shipper and recipient indicating that the mail or package processing is having an exception, this means that the package will not be going through the automatic shipping processing, something about the package isn’t alright and must be handled manually.

There are several reasons why a package would have a processing exception tag at USPS. There could be something wrong with the size, label, or something else concerning the mail or package. Having a “processing exception” on a package means it requires human hands and eyes rather that the automatic package handling equipment at USPS.

However, “processing exception” is also defined as a delay in the shipping process of a package due to accident, breakdown in transport, or unforseen weather condition.

According to this definition, a “processing exception” indicates that the mail or package is experiencing a delay from it’s mailstream journey, this delay is caused by several factors which are sometimes beyond USPS.

Based on our research, it is established that “processing exception” means the processing of a mail or package is to be done manually, this happens when something is wrong with any part of the package’s information provided by the shipper.

Recently, this message has been used as a general term for packages or mails having shipping issues at USPS, it now becomes almost impossible to actually pinpoint what is really causing the delay.

USPS Processing Exception Regional Weather Delay

This happens when the delivery journey of a package is marred by bad weather condition. Whenever you receive a message from USPS saying “Processing Exception, Regional Weather Delay”, it simply implies that your package delivery will be delayed a bit longer.

The delivery journey of your package has been affected by weather problems causing the delivery to be suspended, the package will continue on its movement once the weather gets better.

When it comes to “processing exception, weather condition“, there is really nothing USPS can do to fasten the process, they just have to wait and hope the weather gets better as soon as possible.

At companies like FedEx, this could be termed “an operational delay“, a situation where a package’s movement towards delivery has been halted as a result of a bad weather condition.

USPS Processing Exception, Other Delay – What It Means

Once you get the “processing exception, other delay” notice, it means your package is no longer moving towards delivery due to factors like natural disaster, damaged label, error in address, damaged package, package held at Customs, recipient unavailability, issues with USPS machines or equipment change, mislabelled package, etc.

There are several factors that may be responsible for the halt in your package’s movement towards delivery, as long any of these problems remain, the package won’t be moving towards delivery. Deliveries at USPS don’t usually get delayed, once USPS is in possession of your item, the next move is to delivery except there is something delaying it.

Many USPS shippers and recipients have been left frustrated by this issue of processing exception, this has made lots of them to surf the internet for possible solutions.

It is already known that when a processing exception occurs, there is very little the shipper or recipient can do to salvage the situation. However, depending on the cause of the processing exception, the shipper might help in finding a solution to the problem.

How To Fix Processing Exception USPS

Typically, processing exception are usually caused by factors beyond USPS control and even that of the shipper. If the processing exception was caused by a natural disaster, bad weather, or a strike, the recipient only has to wait until normalcy returns.

However, if the processing exception is as a result of a wrong address or damaged label, the shipper can help to solve it by calling USPS and providing the correct address.

For processing exceptions as a result of the package being held at the Custom, there is little or nothing that can be done to fasten the process, everyone has to wait for the package to be cleared.

When a processing exception is due to issues with machines at USPS, the sender or recipient can do nothing about it, USPS will have to solve the problem and ensure that the package continues movement towards delivery.

What Do I Do If My Package Has A Delivery Exception

Once your package has a processing exception notice, the first right move to make is to call USPS customer service. This will help you to know what’s really causing the delay.

By calling USPS, you’ll probably get to know if it’s caused by a wrong address, you’ll then provide the correct address so your package can resume its delivery journey.

As a shipper, if you get the processing exception on a package you sent to a customer, make sure you communicate with the customer promptly, this will ease any tension that may arise as a result of the delay.

USPS Processing Exception How Long Does It Take?

Typically, USPS processing exceptions do get resolved within 2 to 7 days depending on the cause of the delay.

That being said, there is generally no fix time for a processing exception issue to be resolved, this is because the word “processing exception” is vague. It doesn’t stand for one kind of delay, this makes it impossible to know how long USPS processing exception takes.

It solely depends on what is actually causing the delay, a processing exception caused by bad weather condition will only be resolved once the weather gets better.

For a processing exception caused by incorrect or nonexisting address, it will be resolved once the shipper provides the correct address, this can happen within 24 hours.

However, processing exceptions that are caused by the need for a staff to physically handle the package processing can be resolved within 1 – 2 days.

You can see from the explanations above that how long a processing exception remains at USPS depends on the cause of the problem.

USPS Processing Exception Email

The notice of a processing exception is generally made available on the package tracking information page, it could also be sent as an email to the shipper.

Once you’ve received the USPS processing exception email, your first move should be to call the USPS customer service, this will help you to know the next line of action to take.

USPS Processing Exception Drugs

If your package is suspected to contain illegal substances or drugs, it will be held at the Custom or even at USPS office. When this happens, you may likely receive the USPS processing exception notice.

However, this isn’t always the case, when a package is suspected to contain illegal substances or drugs, USPS employees instantly contact the Postal Inspection Service and also inform a supervisor.

They may not really want to raise an alarm so they can possibly arrest the recipient, they may deploy a “controlled delivery” so as to get hold of the recipient. You need to read: Will USPS Notify Me If My Package Has Been Seized?

USPS Processing Exception Emergency

This means your package has been delayed as a result of an emergency and will continue on its delivery journey once it has been resolved.

There may be a processing delay in route, don’t expect the tracking information to change, it is likely going to remain that way until the package gets delivered.

USPS processing exception emergency are always cases of delays caused by natural disasters or immediate fault in machines or delivery vehicles.

No matter what is causing the processing exception, your best move is to wait a few more days and call USPS customer service if it doesn’t get delivered.

How Long Does USPS Processing Exception Take?

Typically, processing exception doesn’t take longer than 3 days to get resolved, this largely depends on what caused the delay. If the processing exception was as a result of a wrong address provided by the sender, it will be resolved immediately the correct address is provided.

Also, if the processing exception was held at Customs or USPS office on suspicion of containing illegal drugs, it may take a longer time or may never get delivered.

Finally, a USPS processing exception caused by weather can get resolved within 24 hours once the weather returns normal.

Will I Still Get My Package If It Says Shipment Exception?

In most cases, you will still receive your package even if there’s a Shipment Exception. The carrier will work to overcome the issue and complete the delivery. But you should be aware that what determines the possibility of getting your shipment exception package largely depends on what actually caused the shipment exception.

So, whether you’ll still receive your package if it says “Shipment Exception” depends on the specific nature of the exception and the actions taken by the carrier after encountering it.

What Is The USPS International Shipping Exception?

The term “USPS International Shipping Exception” refers to situations where there are issues or complications with the delivery of a package sent through the United States Postal Service (USPS) to an international destination. In simple terms, it means that something unusual or unexpected has occurred during the shipping process.

These exceptions can arise for various reasons, such as customs clearance delays, incorrect address information, or other unforeseen circumstances. When a package encounters an exception, it may not follow the regular shipping timeline, and there could be delays in its delivery.