It has been years since I've had to file a lost mail form--the one where you give all the information and they look in the mail that they couldn't get where it was going to see if your item is there.

I can't find it.  All I can find is what to do if you have DC and it isn't delivered yet, or if you have insurance and it isn't delivered yet.

The package did not have DC on it or insurance. I do have the receipt from when I mailed it and they put the internal tracking number on the package (but not on the receipt,. I assume they can connect the receipt # to that internal tracking # or they aren't getting all the statistics they should be).  I'm not trying to make a claim, I'd just like them to look for the book and give it back if it ended up in a warehouse somewhere.

Can someone point me to the form or at least the search term for the form to find a missing item?

Thanks!

From the help center topic "USPS lost the book I sent! (including: they sent me a notice/the empty wrapping)":  Call 800-ASK-USPS or go to http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MLNtRcvd.aspx (the Postal Inspection Service's website) and input the information online there . This will help USPS try to recover the book.  You should ask USPS to mail the book back to you, NOT to the requestor.

The link is for the "mail theft" form, but it includes "mail not received".

I don't believe the PBS internal tracking number can be used for finding lost items.  It's not set up that way in their system.

Unless the book ends up in a 'lost & found' bin somewhere, IIRC there's very little USPS can do without DC or other customer tracking options.

 I assume they can connect the receipt # to that internal tracking # or they aren't getting all the statistics they should be

No, they can't. that "internal tracking" is just a way to let the sorting plants know how much volume is mailed and the destination. It is NOT tracking at all. there is absolutley no way that number can be found by the receipt number.

I had found hints online that it was possible to use the USPS (not the PBS) internal tracking to see where something went, just wasn't available to the public. That's too bad--it seems like it would be easier for them to use the same system they already had in place rather than creating a new one, but maybe the DC system is missing something they want.  Eh, it was just a passing thought that might have made it easier.

If they can find the book in a lost & found bin somewhere and send it back to me that'd be fine.   I don't really expect them to, but since the USPS lost the book I don't feel bad asking them to poke around a little and see if they can find it. :P

Thank you so much for the link--I was looking on entirely the wrong site for the form. 

The USPS internal tracking barcodes are supposed to only be placed on packages without DC or other customer requested tracking numbers.  When I take packages to my local PO, they do not add a tracking sticker if it already has DC.  For my packages without DC, they add a USPS tracking barcode.  Thought I'd read somewhere that even USPS branch employees do not have access to the tracking data gathered...therefore it can't be used for actual 'tracking' purposes.